X-bit labs

DDR2 vs. DDR: Revenge Gained

Category: Memory

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 12/17/2004 | 01:46 PM ]

DDR2 memory tests, which we have performed earlier, showed that its higher latency is exactly the reason why it gets defeated by the regular DDR SDRAM. However, now the situation is changing. The leading memory manufacturers offer DDR2 modules with improved timings, which make DDR2 look completely different from what it used to be.

Table of contents:

• DDR2: Theoretical Basics
  
• New Low-Latency DDR2
  
• ASUS + Corsair: i865PE Supports DDR533 SDRAM
  
• DDR2 SDRAM vs. DDR SDRAM: Testbed and Methods
  
• DDR2 SDRAM for Enthusiasts
  
• Corsair CM2X512-5300C4PRO (5300C4PRO)
  
• GeIL PC2-5300
  
• OCZ PC2 4300
  
• OCZ PC2 4200 Enhanced Bandwidth Platinum
  
• PQI25400
  
• DDR2 SDRAM for Enthusiasts: Performance Tests
  
• DDR2-533 Test Mode
  
• DDR2-667 Test Mode
  
• DDR2 SDRAM Modules for Enthusiasts: Overclocking
  
• Conclusion
  

New technologies emerging in the computer market are but seldom unanimously accepted by the public. Some time is always necessary as an adaptation period during which the users are grieving over the good old past and the bad new present while the manufacturers are improving the parameters of their new products. Intel’s LGA775 platform began its market life by the same scenario.

As we showed in several test sessions, the new platform didn’t provide any performance advantages in comparison to ordinary Socket 478 systems if you used CPUs of the same frequency. Why? The chipsets employed in LGA775 systems were oriented on the new memory type, DDR2 SDRAM, and this new memory used to be slower than DDR SDRAM. This made some PC enthusiasts and advanced users spurn systems based on Intel’s i915 and i925 chipsets as slow, compared to the time-tested i875/i865 chipsets. The new graphics bus, PCI Express x16, implemented in Intel’s new-generation chipsets couldn’t save the day, either.

Yes, it was theoretically better, providing a much higher bandwidth, but you couldn’t feel that in practice as graphics cards with the AGP 8x interface are not inferior to their PCI Express x16 analogs.

Intel and the numerous manufacturers of mainboards and graphics cards are overall putting much effort into pushing the users towards the new platform. Particularly, all new and speedy Pentium 4 models are announced for the LGA775 platform only, and the graphics card makers are also releasing new products in the PCI Express x16 variant. Yet, these two arguments are not enough to win the hearts of the users. Many applications demand a high memory performance, and DDR2 SDRAM employed in LGA775 platform just couldn’t provide it.

It couldn’t but it can now! We’ve been scolding DDR2 SDRAM for being slower than ordinary DDR memory, but this article is going to show you that DDR2 SDRAM can be faster than its predecessor!