OCZ Technology, a top supplier of advanced memory modules and equipment for computer enthusiasts, has announced memory modules designed strictly for AM2 platform for Advanced Micro Devices. The new kit allows installation of 4GB of memory onto AMD Athlon 64-based computers.

According to OCZ, the new OCZ PC2-5400 Titanium AM2 Special Edition modules were designed exclusively for the AMD AM2 platform and are custom-tailored to the extended column address range of the AM2 memory controller. With a doubled page size, access penalties are reduced to improve system performance. OCZ does not recommend to use the memory modules on Intel-based platforms.

With 11 column address bit support by the AM2 memory controller, the number of addresses in each row or page can be as high as 2048 individual entries for a page size of 16Kb. Unlike modules based on standard 10-bit column address chips with an “8k” page size, the new Titanium AM2 Special modules take advantage of the AM2 controller’s feature set and provide a single rank solution with 2GB density using “16k” pages. This allows the controller to stay “in page” twice as long compared to standard memory architectures, thereby achieving unparalleled performance.

Unfortunately, the new memory modules can only work at 667MHz speed with CL5 5-5-15 latency settings with 1.8V – 2.0V voltage, which is much lower compared to high-speed memory modules running at 800MHz or even 1066MHz.

The PC2-5400 AM2 Special modules will be initially available in 4GB (2x2048MB) dual channel kits and are optimized for 64-bit operating systems.

“The biggest difference between synthetic memory benchmarks and real world applications is that only a fraction of memory requests falls into open memory pages,” said Dr. Michael Schuette, vice president of technology development at OCZ Technology. “Even in page hit situations, larger size data transfers are hitting page boundaries, resulting page switching penalties and performance degradation. The new AM2 Special series uses twice the page size of standard memory, thereby greatly increasing the number of continuous page hits and delivering real world performance above and beyond any comparable memory solution at similar nominal rating.”