DDR2 Shoot-Out: Corsair vs. Kingston

For our last batch of tests, we set each kit to run with their SPD timings (4-4-4-12), and raised our test system's FSB as high as possible.  To minimize the affect our Pentium 5 560 3.6GHz CPU had on the overclocking results, we raised its voltage slightly and dropped its multiplier to 14 before ratcheting up the FSB...

Performance Comparison with SiSoft SANDRA 2004 Raw Bandwidth

Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO 272MHz FSB/ 362MHz (DDR725)

Kingston KHX5400D2K2/1G 276MHz FSB / 368MHz (DDR736)

The Kingston KHX5400D2K/1G kit overclocked a bit higher than Corsair's.  The TWIN2X1024-5400C4 PRO kit hit a maximum clock speed of 362MHz, while the Kingston modules maxed out at 368MHz.  The performance results, however, show the Corsair modules posting higher bandwidth scores.  We double-checked that both kits were running at the same timings (4-4-4-12), and they were in fact configured the same.  We repeated the tests a few times with each kit, and came up with similar results each time.

Performance Comparison with PCMark04 Overall Memory Score

The overclocked PCMark04 results were in line with what we expected, considering the Kingston modules were clocked slightly higher than the Corsair modules, although only 30 points separated the competitors.  As expected, overclocking had a huge effect on performance, increasing scores by about 1200 points for both kits.

In-Game Performance Comparisons With Wolfenstein: ET System Memory Affects Framerates?  You Bet!

Overclocking also had a significant effect on frame rates in our custom Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory test.  Here, the Kingston KHX5400D2K/1G kit nudged a bit ahead of the Corsair modules (147.6 vs. 146.2), but once again the performance delta fell well within the margin of error in this test.