| Aeneon XTune 2GB DDR3-1600 Dual Channel Memory Kit
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Configuration:
The Aeneon XTune 2GB PC3-12800 dual channel memory kit was installed in a system with the following components for this review:
» Intel E6850 dual core processor
» ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution Intel X48 ATX motherboard
» Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB hard drive
» PC Power and Cooling 750 Quad Silencer power supply
» ASUS EAH3870 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3870 graphics card
» Windows Vista Home Premium
The module's specifications indicate that they will run at 1600MHz with timings of 9-9-9-28 and just 1.5 V. The timings may be looser than you would expect to see on enthusiast grade memory, but the 1.5V operating voltage may appeal to those looking to run as green as possible. Most BIOSes probably won't recognize this speed/timing/voltage combination by default, so you will most likely need to spend a few seconds manipulating the settings in order to get set up properly. For those with a motherboard capable of recognizing either EPP 2.0 or XMP profiles, this task is made much easier.
The ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution Intel X48 ATX motherboard supports XMP profiles, and with one click in the BIOS to go from auto mode to select the XMP profile, all of the necessary changes were made. The 3.0GHz (9x333MHz) processor was overclocked to run at 3.2GHz (8x400MHz) and the memory was set to run at 1600MHz with 9-9-9-28 timings. The only thing that did not jive with the printed specifications was that the voltage was actually set to 1.6V.
The screenshots below are taken from CPU-Z Version 1.44.1, with the below left image showing the memory settings achieved using the XMP profile. The below right image shows the SPD tab which confirms that the modules were not programmed for 1.5V at this speed. Of some interest is that there is an even faster profile (1666MHz) which can be achieved with 1.5V, although the timings must be loosened even more.
 
After tinkering around with the system as configured by the XMP profile, I entered the BIOS once again in order to over-ride the voltage setting to see if it could function normally with just 1.5V. After several benchmarks and some stress testing, it was clear to me that 1.5V worked despite not being included in the XMP profile.
Overclocking:
After some default speed benchmarks and one session of OCCT were executed, it was time to see how high this kit could overclock. Considering that the processor's frontside bus had already been overclocked from 333MHz to 400MHz to get the memory to 1600MHz, I was unsure how much higher things would go. With the memory running at its rated speed, and the processor already running 20% over, pinpointing the limiting factor might be difficult. With that in mind, I lowered the CPU multiplier to 7 and slowly started raising the frontside bus in small increments, while keeping memory and processor voltages in mind, to see how high it would go.
After booting into Windows successfully at the first few stops, I ran through a series of tests with the memory at 1680MHz, while maintaining 9-9-9-28 timings and 1.6V. Everything was fine. I then continued on and stopped for more tests at 1700MHz and 1740MHz. 1700MHz was rock solid with the stock timings and voltage, but at 1740MHz things weren't so good. On the surface 1740MHz seemed fine, even with the stock timings and voltage, but under heavy stress the system would freeze up. If I had only stuck to games, Windows applications, or simpler tests like Lavalys' Everest and PassMark's Performance Test, I would have thought the system was stable. But under OCCT or even 3DMark Vantage these settings failed. Adding more voltage and relaxing the timings didn't help, so I rolled the speed back a little and called 1700MHz the maximum (stable) overclock. The screenshot below confirms the settings at this speed.
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