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 Posted: June 18, 2003
Author: Jason Kohrs
Manufacturer: Geil
Source: N/A (Search PriceGrabber for Best Deal)
Sisoft's Sandra 2003, which stands for System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant, "is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software." It is a comprehensive program with a suite of thorough benchmarks that is available in one form as a free download. Sandra’s memory benchmark module provides two results, with units of MB/s, obtained by reading/writing large chunks of data to memory. The list below provides links to the results for 9 different speed combinations.
Summarizing the data found at the links above, you have the following results for the 9 tests documented...
A quick glance at the chart above reveals that faster memory does generally yield higher bandwidth, but that having the memory synchonized with the frontside bus can provide even greater results. Selecting results from the chart at a frontside bus of 166 MHZ, three different memory bus speeds are graphed below to show that being synchronized with the cpu is indeed more beneficial than having a higher memory speed. The 166 / 333 results, where 333 is merely 2x166, show a relatively small increase in bandwidth, despite being run 111 MHz slower than the 166 / 444 test.
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FutureMark's PCMark2002 "is a completely new, multipurpose benchmark, suited for benchmarking all kinds of PCs, from laptops to workstations, as well as across multiple Windows operating systems." Available as a free download, anyone can test their system and use FutureMark's online result browser to see how they stack up with the outside world. The results as they relate to the memory are provided as a single number, with the units referred to as “Marks”. The list below provides links to the results for 9 different speed combinations.
Summarizing the data found at the links above, you have the following results for the 9 tests documented...
The PCMark2002 results proved less dependent on the fsb being in sync with the memory speed, but once again, faster memory yields higher ‘marks’. That being said, the graph below does show at least a slight relationship between the frontside bus and the memory bus in the results.
Conclusion:
The Geil 512MB PC3200 Dual Channel DDR Kit is capable of some serious speed, hitting an impressive 480 MHz DDR in our testing. That makes it comparable to slightly overclocked PC3700! If you want to have fast, stable memory that won’t break the bank, consider Geil. The approximate price tag of $99 (US) may not be the lowest for two sticks of 256MB PC3200, but it is on par with other “performance” DDR, and you might be hard pressed to match the performance at this price or lower. As I had hoped to find at the beginning of the review, the value of the Geil PC3200 added to the performance displayed in this review, makes for a very attractive package.
The only other conclusion I have developed after taking such a serious look at the Geil DDR is that I should really consider a P4 with a 865PE or 875P chipset motherboard as my next upgrade.
The Geil 512MB PC3200 Dual Channel DDR Kit is the first recipient of the top honor in BigBruin.Com’s newly developed rating system...
Pros:
4Fast.
4Stable.
4Competitively priced with other “performance” DDR.
4Overclockable - Achieved 480 MHz DDR!
Cons:
4Geil memory not as readily available as some brands.
Please drop by the BigBruin.Com Forum and feel free to discuss this review.
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