Performance and Pizzazz: OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Platinum Enhanced Latency XTC Dual Channel Review- Page 7/7
March 29, 2006
By
Thomas Soderstrom
Conclusion
OCZ Technology's PC2-6400 Enhanced Latency XTC provides excellent performance at every important speed. It's unfortunate that we were not able to overclock this good RAM to new heights, but for OCZ's part, the modules did stay cool as advertised.
Shocking was that this PC2-6400 reached the exact same timings and clock speeds as our previous Corsair PC2-5400C4 budget RAM. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised to find these using the same chips, were we not afraid of damaging the modules by removing their heatspreaders.
In the end, we'd really have to say that given the rated voltage, it appears OCZ is selling an overclocked product. What the buyer gets by purchasing factory-overclocked products is a guarantee that it will run at a given speed, along with a full lifetime warranty against any failure of the product under rated operating conditions. Overclocking validation and warranty adds a premium to the price, but the PC2-6400 CAS4 1GB kit is still available under $200 at various online vendors.
Pros:
Enhanced Speed
Enhanced Latencies
Moderate Overclocking
Moderate under-latency potential
Exceptional cooling and finish
Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
Required voltage may be out of range for some motherboards
Paying extra to get validation and warranty on an overclock
The Verdict: Anyone unwilling to take risks by jeopardizing their memory investment will take comfort in OCZ Technology's lifetime warranty, making its PC2-6400 Enhanced Latency XTC an acceptable value for enthusiasts. Risk-takers will find better value by validating their own overclocking using less expensive products.