Corsair XMS3700 vs OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 GOLD

bigtoe · 07-26-2003, 10:36 PM

Memory speeds are getting faster and faster month by month it seems, in reality all that is happening is that the yield on 5ns IC's are getting so good we can all run these PC3200 rated chips far beyond their rated speed. From PC3200 (DDR400) we then saw PC3500 (DDR433) and now we are seeing PC3700 (DDR466) and PC4000 (DDR500). In this article we will put Corsairs XMS3700 up against OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 GOLD.

Read full review here.

**specmike** · 07-28-2003, 12:10 AM

Great work big toe. Is there any chance that a 512mb DIMM would be single sided? Or, are there too many ICs to run on 1 side of a DIMM with 512mb? Just curious, I am looking into some RAM, PC4000 and 512mb stix.

You noted that the Corsair 256mb PC3700 would be poor purchase at it's given price being that it is single sided. Why do you think a company with Corsair's rep would release a stick like that? As usual, thanx for all the time consuming tests you do.

Mike.

eva2000 · 07-28-2003, 12:41 AM

yeah nice and short review

from the review, it looks like even my 2x 256MB GEIL PC3700 Golden Dragon Dual Channel memory at 233mhz 2.5-3-3-7 and 245mhz 2.5-4-4-7 on IC7 are faster than XMS3700 at same speeds

8itgreat · 07-28-2003, 01:43 AM

is it just me or has corsair gone downhill lately...i have a stick of pc3200 version 1.1 64x64 platinum 512 ram ,,,i wanted to buy more of it soon....but they dont make it anymore...and the other newer version is pure crap...*** am i supposed to do ...want to run memory at cas 2 and my options now seem daunting

MarkT · 07-28-2003, 10:36 AM

Re using four sticks of 3700 Gold - am I safe in assuming this comment taken from the Anandtech forums is a bunch of hooey?

"Using 4 sticks of doublesided OCZ 3700 Gold disables PAT according to CPU-Z 1.18c.
Same behavior when taking 4 sticks of singlesided OCZ 4000 ?"

Also, it's curious that OCZ would release the 4000 as single sided given that ss doesn't perform as well (See Prom's Anandtech review)...

Hawk_abx · 07-28-2003, 10:43 AM

Nice job BT. . . . I'm so glad I ditched the XMS3700's the same day. . . . .

realdieu · 07-28-2003, 01:14 PM

Thank you. Very informative!

Are the OCZ modules NFR or Engineering Samples? Should we expect the exact performance if purchased from one of OCZ's many retailers?

Can you elaborate on the specific memory type OCZ implements with their PC-3700 Gold?

Are there "PAT" incompatibilities when populating all four slots with I875P chipsets? Is Anand mistaken? Is Anand overdosing on the Imported Tabouli, and Hummace? Are you wearing clean underwear? When did the Mongles rule China?

Quote:

Originally posted by bigtoe
Memory speeds are getting faster and faster month by month it seems, in reality all that is happening is that the yield on 5ns IC's are getting so good we can all run these PC3200 rated chips far beyond their rated speed. From PC3200 (DDR400) we then saw PC3500 (DDR433) and now we are seeing PC3700 (DDR466) and PC4000 (DDR500). In this article we will put Corsairs XMS3700 up against OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 GOLD.

Read full review here.

bigtoe · 07-28-2003, 02:14 PM

The IC's on the gold modules are actually made for OCZ by PCS or Samsung CB3. Mine are the PCS/OCZ own brand, Ryan did explain that do to a shortage they had to look for an alternative..this was samsung...they do perform near exactly the same.

The 4 OCZ module I tested with are FULL retail as are the 4 XMS3700 modules.I see many having excellent if not better results than what i am having with Gold purchased from Newegg etc...Hawk is one example who has awesome modules, again full retail.

I believe the IC7 seems to show PAT "switched off" with 4 modules..i will be testing this with the boards i have here and the IC7 when i recieve it. According to the white papers it is NOT and does show a healthy gain in performance as Prom has shown on his first AT review.

I change my underwear daily..and the moguls ruled china??? well a long time ago...LOL

Utahusker · 07-28-2003, 02:42 PM

BT, I have an older set of xms c2 3200 modules that can run very tight timings at 200fsb (2-2-2-5). How can I find out if they are in fact single sided? My version of Sandra doesn't report if they are single or double sided.
The reason ask is, I was going to get two more sticks of OCZ 256mb ram to to fill the other two slots to have 1 gig and hopefully increase performance. So now I may sell my current memory get 2x512 OCZ if my Corsair are single sided.
Also what ram does Ocz offer that can do 2-2-2-5 with street racer enabled at 200fsb or more?
Tia

realdieu · 07-28-2003, 03:57 PM

Thank you buddy! My head begins to hurt when I am serious for too long....

Quote:

Originally posted by bigtoe
The IC's on the gold modules are actually made for OCZ by PCS or Samsung CB3. Mine are the PCS/OCZ own brand, Ryan did explain that do to a shortage they had to look for an alternative..this was samsung...they do perform near exactly the same.

The 4 OCZ module I tested with are FULL retail as are the 4 XMS3700 modules.I see many having excellent if not better results than what i am having with Gold purchased from Newegg etc...Hawk is one example who has awesome modules, again full retail.

I believe the IC7 seems to show PAT "switched off" with 4 modules..i will be testing this with the boards i have here and the IC7 when i recieve it. According to the white papers it is NOT and does show a healthy gain in performance as Prom has shown on his first AT review.

I change my underwear daily..and the moguls ruled china??? well a long time ago...LOL

kabouki · 07-30-2003, 01:26 AM

BT, your review is great and really shows that the 3700 gold is far better than the xms3700. Just let me point you out a small mistake you made. The difference in pi performance is not 2min 18sec, for what I can see you do not show the last line of the test. In the last common line (Iteration 24) the difference between the two is 52sec, so I guess the final difference wouldn't be 2min 18sec but something around 1min. Am I correct?

Anyway, I'm really disapointed with Corsair's performance and even worse, with the fact that the modules are not double sided!

I'm really eager to get my hands on the OCZ 4000 gold!!

I guess they will be even better... right?

kabouki · 07-30-2003, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkT
Re using four sticks of 3700 Gold - am I safe in assuming this comment taken from the Anandtech forums is a bunch of hooey?

"Using 4 sticks of doublesided OCZ 3700 Gold disables PAT according to CPU-Z 1.18c.
Same behavior when taking 4 sticks of singlesided OCZ 4000 ?"

Also, it's curious that OCZ would release the 4000 as single sided given that ss doesn't perform as well (See Prom's Anandtech review)...

Woot?

The 4000 are single sided?

bigtoe · 07-30-2003, 10:31 AM

Single sided and double sided is becoming a hot debate...
it seems its being dictated by what IC's are available.

If 32MB chips are only available then you ARE going to see single sided 256MB dimms with the 512's being double sided.If however 16MB IC's are avaialble then double sided 256MB modules should be available also.Remember also that these chips need to be speed binned as well so this may have an impact on what you can run as the 32's may be a LOT faster than the 16's..

Manufacturers are compelled to sell both size modules, this then makes it imperitive to reasearch the product before you buy.

I can say OCZ are doing their best to make all modules for i875/865 double sided..however it can only be achieved with what is available.

bigtoe · 07-30-2003, 10:38 AM

Quote:

BT, your review is great and really shows that the 3700 gold is far better than the xms3700. Just let me point you out a small mistake you made. The difference in pi performance is not 2min 18sec, for what I can see you do not show the last line of the test. In the last common line (Iteration 24) the difference between the two is 52sec, so I guess the final difference wouldn't be 2min 18sec but something around 1min. Am I correct?

Nice catch..i seemed to have gotten confused by the fact that i didn't stretch the box down to show the final computed time...it is still a LOT faster even if its only 52sec's in diference....

Plus the gold was able to runn at ddr500 with ease where the XMS couldn't.

realdieu · 07-30-2003, 11:13 AM

phalange (Big Toe):

I spoke to Kingston and they indicated that their HyperX KHX3200AK2/512 (2 - 256MB) memory is single sided (32x8's) and double sided memory is no longer available in the market...

Also, per your analysis, I purchased two kits of Kingston’s KHX3200AK2/512 (2 - 256MB) memory. That is, four 256MB-memory modules filling all four banks in the D875PBZ.

Again, should I have stayed with the original plan of TWO 512MB modules instead of FOUR 256MB modules?

07-26-2003, 10:36 PM	#1
bigtoe here to help Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,448	Corsair XMS3700 vs OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 GOLD Memory speeds are getting faster and faster month by month it seems, in reality all that is happening is that the yield on 5ns IC's are getting so good we can all run these PC3200 rated chips far beyond their rated speed. From PC3200 (DDR400) we then saw PC3500 (DDR433) and now we are seeing PC3700 (DDR466) and PC4000 (DDR500). In this article we will put Corsairs XMS3700 up against OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 GOLD. Read full review here. __________________ Got a question??? LOOK HERE FIRST It may have already been answered!!! Last edited by Gorganzola : 07-26-2003 at 11:48 PM.
(Offline)

07-28-2003, 12:10 AM	#2
specmike Yes, Yellowbeard Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Metro Atlanta, GA. Posts: 2,626	Great work big toe. Is there any chance that a 512mb DIMM would be single sided? Or, are there too many ICs to run on 1 side of a DIMM with 512mb? Just curious, I am looking into some RAM, PC4000 and 512mb stix. You noted that the Corsair 256mb PC3700 would be poor purchase at it's given price being that it is single sided. Why do you think a company with Corsair's rep would release a stick like that? As usual, thanx for all the time consuming tests you do. Mike. __________________ CORSAIR TECH SUPPORT Last edited by specmike : 07-28-2003 at 12:25 AM.
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07-28-2003, 12:41 AM	#3
eva2000 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 1,673	yeah nice and short review from the review, it looks like even my 2x 256MB GEIL PC3700 Golden Dragon Dual Channel memory at 233mhz 2.5-3-3-7 and 245mhz 2.5-4-4-7 on IC7 are faster than XMS3700 at same speeds __________________ * DFI LP UT X48-T3RS DDR3 + 2x512MB HIS IceQ3 Turbo HD3850 CF
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07-28-2003, 01:43 AM	#4
8itgreat Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Oregon (From Toronto) Posts: 793	is it just me or has corsair gone downhill lately...i have a stick of pc3200 version 1.1 64x64 platinum 512 ram ,,,i wanted to buy more of it soon....but they dont make it anymore...and the other newer version is pure crap...*** am i supposed to do ...want to run memory at cas 2 and my options now seem daunting
(Offline)

07-28-2003, 10:36 AM	#5
MarkT Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 21	Re using four sticks of 3700 Gold - am I safe in assuming this comment taken from the Anandtech forums is a bunch of hooey? "Using 4 sticks of doublesided OCZ 3700 Gold disables PAT according to CPU-Z 1.18c. Same behavior when taking 4 sticks of singlesided OCZ 4000 ?" Also, it's curious that OCZ would release the 4000 as single sided given that ss doesn't perform as well (See Prom's Anandtech review)...
(Offline)

07-28-2003, 10:43 AM	#6
Hawk_abx Overclocking Junkie Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Long Beach, NY Posts: 2,327	Nice job BT. . . . I'm so glad I ditched the XMS3700's the same day. . . . . __________________ ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe * * * BIOS 1009 P4 3.2Ghz 800FSB aircooled w/ Stock Heatsink 2 * OCZ 3700's 256MB BFG 5900 Ultra 2 X WD Raptors RAID 0 Liteon 52/24/52 Toshiba SD-R5002 DVD Windows XP Professional ViewSonic VX2000 LCD
(Offline)

07-28-2003, 02:14 PM	#8
bigtoe here to help Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,448	The IC's on the gold modules are actually made for OCZ by PCS or Samsung CB3. Mine are the PCS/OCZ own brand, Ryan did explain that do to a shortage they had to look for an alternative..this was samsung...they do perform near exactly the same. The 4 OCZ module I tested with are FULL retail as are the 4 XMS3700 modules.I see many having excellent if not better results than what i am having with Gold purchased from Newegg etc...Hawk is one example who has awesome modules, again full retail. I believe the IC7 seems to show PAT "switched off" with 4 modules..i will be testing this with the boards i have here and the IC7 when i recieve it. According to the white papers it is NOT and does show a healthy gain in performance as Prom has shown on his first AT review. I change my underwear daily..and the moguls ruled china??? well a long time ago...LOL __________________ Got a question??? LOOK HERE FIRST It may have already been answered!!!
(Offline)

07-28-2003, 02:42 PM	#9
Utahusker Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Saint George, UT Posts: 254	BT, I have an older set of xms c2 3200 modules that can run very tight timings at 200fsb (2-2-2-5). How can I find out if they are in fact single sided? My version of Sandra doesn't report if they are single or double sided. The reason ask is, I was going to get two more sticks of OCZ 256mb ram to to fill the other two slots to have 1 gig and hopefully increase performance. So now I may sell my current memory get 2x512 OCZ if my Corsair are single sided. Also what ram does Ocz offer that can do 2-2-2-5 with street racer enabled at 200fsb or more? Tia __________________ ____________________________ Utahusker Last edited by Utahusker : 07-28-2003 at 02:50 PM.
(Offline)

07-30-2003, 01:26 AM	#11
kabouki Unpredictable User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Coimbra - Portugal Posts: 632	BT, your review is great and really shows that the 3700 gold is far better than the xms3700. Just let me point you out a small mistake you made. The difference in pi performance is not 2min 18sec, for what I can see you do not show the last line of the test. In the last common line (Iteration 24) the difference between the two is 52sec, so I guess the final difference wouldn't be 2min 18sec but something around 1min. Am I correct? Anyway, I'm really disapointed with Corsair's performance and even worse, with the fact that the modules are not double sided! I'm really eager to get my hands on the OCZ 4000 gold!! I guess they will be even better... right? __________________ Ama me fideliter, fidem meam noto: de corde totaliter, et ex mente tota, sum presentialiter, absens in remota, quisquis amat taliter, volvitur in rota.
(Offline)

07-30-2003, 10:31 AM	#13
bigtoe here to help Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,448	Single sided and double sided is becoming a hot debate... it seems its being dictated by what IC's are available. If 32MB chips are only available then you ARE going to see single sided 256MB dimms with the 512's being double sided.If however 16MB IC's are avaialble then double sided 256MB modules should be available also.Remember also that these chips need to be speed binned as well so this may have an impact on what you can run as the 32's may be a LOT faster than the 16's.. Manufacturers are compelled to sell both size modules, this then makes it imperitive to reasearch the product before you buy. I can say OCZ are doing their best to make all modules for i875/865 double sided..however it can only be achieved with what is available. __________________ Got a question??? LOOK HERE FIRST It may have already been answered!!!
(Offline)

07-30-2003, 11:13 AM	#15
realdieu Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Slouched et sali Posts: 2,528	phalange (Big Toe): I spoke to Kingston and they indicated that their HyperX KHX3200AK2/512 (2 - 256MB) memory is single sided (32x8's) and double sided memory is no longer available in the market... Also, per your analysis, I purchased two kits of Kingston’s KHX3200AK2/512 (2 - 256MB) memory. That is, four 256MB-memory modules filling all four banks in the D875PBZ. Again, should I have stayed with the original plan of TWO 512MB modules instead of FOUR 256MB modules? Last edited by realdieu : 07-30-2003 at 12:20 PM.
(Offline)

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