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The Verdict
This was my first experience with memory from GEIL, I must state it most certainly was a pleasant one. Testing and most of all stressing memory to its maximum is a very hard thing to do though. We always have nice equipment lying around to do that. But always keep in mind that results can differ per PC, user and system. Once you have everything right though you can push your PC to very far limits. What I found interesting in this article was that it's good to see that 'old' DDR SDRAM modules still can keep up with DDR2 memory. DDR2 still has a rough time coping with the success of DDR memory, this review shows that once more. But DDR2 is becoming faster and is very capable and runs at higher frequencies.
I can say the GEIL One memory, as tested today, will definitely complement that gaming experience of ours. The performance is breathtaking and the flexibility in terms of timings you can choose are really awesome. Although our processor wasn't capable of high FSB overclocks I can assure you that with the right components this memory can take 300 MHz as stated easily. Sure you need to increase memory voltage in the BIOS and play around with timings a little but yeah, it's possible for sure. One thing I definitely have to mention though is that our test bed used today was based on AMD's finest and AMD systems are by far not as memory bandwidth dependant as your average Pentium 4 based systems. So the maximum gain you'll get by purely overclocking the entire system thanks to the fact you have some of the fastest memory around that can cope with it.
When it comes to its pricing it becomes a less attractive buy for the mainstream users as it's complete overkill for the most of us. But hey, that's not what this memory is targeted at I guess. This is for the people who refuse to drive a Vauxhal, but want the Porche. This is memory for the real mongers, people that overclock their system, freaks that dare to use LN2 as coolant for the processor to see how far that FSB and clockspeed can rise.
So then, these modules clock and time extremely well, you can take the modules to a 1.5 CAS latency if you want to or simply set it at 3-4-4-8 and raise that clock frequency. Speaking of CAS 1.5, there's hardly a mainboard supporting it. DFI I think supports it and but do we really need it? Ehm, we couldn't test it but even if we could I doubt it would make much of a difference. This is a little about bragging rights I guess. Voltage wise the memory was able to handle our mainboard's maximum 3 volts, which gives you plenty of juice to work with. I'm confident it'll take an even higher voltage though. What I found most impressive was that I could raise the modules all the way up to 250MHz at CAS 2 and very tight timings with extreme ease.
At 3 Volts the memory heatspreaders did get rather hot though, even up to a point where I could barely touch it. This brings me to the following. One of the new and more unique feature of GeIL's DDR memory is a temperature monitoring sticker. It is really just like those aquarium temperature stickers, the liquid crystal medium changes colour to indicate what the temperature range is. Unfortunately our modules where not equipped with them.
Now, all you non-overclockers out there that simply want some extremely good memory, go for it. This is 100% compatible, high performance, low latency and most of all extreme stable memory. It is not the cheapest kit around though, as the 1GB kit tested today sells for ~200 USD.
When it comes to memory, timings and frequency are vital. The faster the better. Memory at 1.5-2-2-5 timings is just plain gorgeous. Now combine that with the elegant heatspreaders and you have some seriously nice bling-bling memory. This RAM is dreadfully fast, very stable and extremely overclockable with the right mobo and CPU. Highly recommended and awarded with an editors chociue award without even have to think about it.
Special thanks to WildStyle and Steven Kuo for making this review possible (Ed: Oh sure, don't mention me... I can make you say things, Hilbert... horrible things... =P).
Type: PC3200 DDR 400MHz TCCD Memory (2x512MB)
Company: Geil
Information: Website
