Following some of its competitors, Corsair Memory has announced availability of its XMS2-8000UL memory modules that are rated to run at 1GHz core-clock. The new products are mostly aimed at die-hard enthusiasts and overclockers, who push their computers to the limit.

“Last month, we saw enthusiasts worldwide overclocking our ultra low latency XMS2-5400ULTM memory modules to over 1GHz. This month, we are pushing the envelope further with the introduction of the native low-latency 1GHz parts,” said John Beekley, VP of Applications Engineering at Corsair.

Corsair XMS2-8000UL memory modules are certified to operate at 1000MHz with CL5 4-4-9 latency settings. The company did not provide additional details concerning the products, for example, voltage settings. The company said that both 1GB matched pairs and 512MB single modules would be available.

While high-speed memory modules at 800MHz – 1000MHz can deliver astonishing results in synthetic benchmarks, due to high latencies it remains to be seen how CL5 timings affect performance in real-world applications. For example, the first generation of DDR2 memory at 533MHz used to demonstrate performance similar to that provided by DDR SDRAM at 400MHz due to far more aggressive latency settings of the latter in spite of tangibly increased clock-speed of the former. DDR2 SDRAM modules at about 667MHz with shrunk latencies may end up as serious competitors to higher speed devices with increased timings.

According to Corsair’s benchmarks, in SiSoft Sandra memory test overclocking XMS2-8000UL memory to 1066 MHz delivers an 17% memory performance improvement compared with DDR2 667MHz amid nearly 60% improvement in clock-speed. Latency settings of the PC2-5300 memory modules were not announced.

“Corsair’s engineers have achieved a milestone in memory development with the XMS2-8000UL. Combined with the availability of performance motherboards such as the ASUS P5WD2, we expect adoption of high performance DDR2 memory to explode,” Mr. Beekley added.

The world’s first running demonstration of the new XMS2-8000UL will be showcased at the 2005 Computex trade show in Taiwan (May 31 – June 4, 2005). Both single module and matched pair packages will be available immediately through Corsair's authorized resellers and distributors worldwide, Corsair said.