X-bit labs

OCZ DDR Booster Review: Overclockers' Dream

Category: Memory

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 08/08/2004 | 11:38 AM ]

We have just tested a very interesting device in our lab, which doesn’t have any analogues in the IT world yet. OCZ DDR Booster allows significantly increasing the memory voltage without modifying the mainboard in any way. If you are an overclocker, you will simply love this device!

Table of contents:

• Specification and Accessories
  
• Closer Look at Features and Capabilities
  
• OCZ DDR Booster in Practice
  
• Conclusion
  

The popular U.S. manufacturer of overclocker memory modules, OCZ Technology, keeps on expanding its product range. Yes, non-standard top-quality high-performance memory is still the company’s main priority, but now the PC enthusiasts are served other products as well. Among them are coolers and heatsinks, power-supply units, cables, thermal compounds and what not.

Recently, OCZ Technology added another most fascinating gadget to its assortment: OCZ DDR Booster Diagnostics Device. This accessory is not a memory module proper, but has an immediate relation to PC memory. The DDR Booster is an additional power supply circuit for DDR SDRAM modules – by plugging it into an empty DIMM slot, the user gets widest opportunities in controlling the memory voltage.

We, at X-Bit Labs, have never met such devices or analogs, so we were most curious to put this Booster to test.

Specification and Accessories

The OCZ DDR Booster with patent-pending PowerClean technology supplies “cleaner” power to the installed memory modules and allows increasing their voltage above the rated one. It adds stability to the system as well as increases the overclockability of the memory modules. The Booster is equipped with a two-position LED indicator showing the current voltage on the DIMM slots. The formal characteristics of the OCZ DDR Booster are as follows:

• PowerClean technology for better power filtering;
• The voltage on the DDR DIMM slots can be raised to 3.9v;
• The digital two-position LED indicator of the current voltage is refreshed three times per second;
• Compatibility with a majority of DDR SDRAM-supporting mainboards;
• The OCZ DDR Booster is powered by a standard ATX-compliant power-supply unit;
• The device is installed into an ordinary 184-pin DDR DIMM slot.

The accessories to the OCZ DDR Booster include a special power cable and a user manual with a list of all the compatible mainboards.

Of course, the appeal of the OCZ DDR Booster also depends on its pricing; right now, the device can be got for about $60.