Winchip PC2-9600 DDR2 RAM
Ever since Intel released the 3 series chipset, DDR2 has had the wind taken from its sails so that DDR3 could make waves. This was meant with the best intentions, but as DDR3 was released to the public it didn't take long for people to realize it was still too immature to compete against DDR2 in regards to performance. This put the weight of the world back on the shoulders of DDR2, which has just earned a reprieve from execution. But now that manufacturers are tooling up for DDR3 production, there are only a few names remaining on the shrinking list which are still releasing high-performance system memory for the DDR2 platform. Winchip still knows that DDR2 has performance potential left in it, and offers the 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB DDR2 RAM Kit to Benchmark Reviews for testing.
Since desktop computer sales have suffered yet another decline for the second straight quarter of 2007, it makes perfect sense for computer enthusiasts to just wait a little longer for technology to catch up to the DDR3 platform and stick it out with DDR2. Nobody expects DDR3 to suddenly land on the scene and proclaim victory, at least nobody with a memory for what happened when DDR replaced SDRAM and DDR2 replaced DDR. Until the next-generation of 45nm Intel CPU's arrive, which will feature enough of a performance gain to warrant a new system based on the Yorkfield and Wolfdale cores, DDR2 is still plenty strong. In fact, with companies like Winchip still pushing out 1200MHz DDR2 (PC2-9600) modules, there is no legitimate reason to make the move.
This article will be the first in a series of reviews which size up a few of the last and final offerings to the DDR2 market. Over the next few weeks, Benchmark Reviews will feature a review from some of the less commercial names in the memory industry. In this review, Winchip begins our series with their DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM Kit. We utilize the new P35 chipset to make our basis comparisons, and even size it up against DDR3.
About the company: Winchip Technologies, Inc.
Winchip was founded in 1995 and worked for professional memory OEM. According to abundant OEM experience in motherboard, VGA card and laptop, we can satisfy with customer's need. Since FPM/EDD time, we started and established our company step by step and earned the public admiration.
Professional memory OEM manufacturer
Winchip was found in 1995 and worked for professional memory OEM. According to abundant OEM experience in motherboard, VGA card and laptop, we can satisfy with customer's need. Since FPM/EDD time, we started and established our company step by step and earned the public admiration.
Our target and insistence
1. Continuous Creativity
2. Highest Quality
3. Customer's Satisfaction
4. Share with employees
Advanced Technology
1. The first leader of DDR2 D/G manufacturer
2. Satisfy with OEM customer's diversified needs
3. Follow up ISO9001:2000 and insist on quality policy
Product Roadmap
For business expansion, Winchip not only manufactures public DDR1 products but also works for next generation DDR2 & DDR3 development. We also evaluate flash markets and will enter into soon.
Service Items
DRAM IC SORTING ON PC & VGA
SD/DDR1/DDR2
MODULE BURNING TEST & AFTER SERVICE
Patents and Registered Trademark
We published many patents of memory tester and test methods, like patent no. 102040, 143418,220671 and some are pending now. TM SMD Register in Taiwan & TM Winchip RTaiwan-00830566/China
Visit https://www.winchip.com.tw/ for more information.
64A0TMTHE8G17C Specifications
| Capacity: |
IC Type: |
Frequency: |
CAS Latency: |
Voltage: |
| 512MB |
64X8 8Chips 16chips |
1200Mhz |
5-5-5-15 |
2.4 +/- 0.1 |
| 1GB |
Closer Look: Winchip PC2-9600
Winchip is not your everyday memory manufacturer. There are plenty of those already crowding the market, and there will probably be plenty remaining as the market moves to DDR3. But for now however, DDR2 still has some life left in it, and Winchip is giving the hesitant consumer something to be happy about when everything around them is changing. What we are talking about is 9600MB or bandwidth delivered at an astonishing 1200MHz. That's nothing to dismiss, especially since DDR3 has barely just begun to get DDR3-1066 to market (with nearly twice the latency).
At first glance, the Winchip DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM Kit looks nothing like most of the RAM you've seen before. The heat-spreader is very efficient, and the extended portion near the top of the spreader helps to rapidly dissipate heat. Winchip has several different colors available for the heat-spreader, but our model (64A0TMTHE8G17C) has come in a nice polished aluminum finish.
The ventilation slots in the heat-spreader are simply punched through, and have the material folded inward to create an additional heatsink surface. This is actually a very efficient design, which allows for the most heat transfer surface available. My only concern is why the raised ventilation portion of the heat spreader doesn't span the entire width of the module.
The reverse side of the module is identical to the front, with the only difference being a label and hologram sticker.
Once you remove the clips from the heat-spreader, the Winchip DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM module is revealed. The image below enlarges to a detailed view of the modules.
Winchip appears to have used binned (sorted) Micron memory modules to create their 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB DDR2 RAM kit. Looking closely reveals the Micron 7CD22 D9GMH components, which have seen widespread use by several manufacturers releasing higher frequency RAM for overclockers.
DDR2 Testing Methodology
In each test Windows XP was booted fresh and the test program was opened. Task manager was then utilized to end the explorer.exe (Windows) process so that only the most essential services were running and a trim 16 processes total were consuming system memory. This procedure allowed the RAM to be as isolated as possible for our testing.
Test System
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Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R (Intel P35 chipset) with F4G BIOS
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Processor: Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz operating at multiple speeds
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Hard Disk 1: Western Digital WD360GD 10,000 RPM SATA
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Optical Drive: Toshiba Samsung SH-S203 SATA 20x DVD R/W
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Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP-2 (optimized to 16 processes at idle)
Test Products:
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Qimonda PC3-8500 CL7-7-7-24 Aeneon Standard 1066MHz DDR3 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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GeIL PC3-8500 CL6-6-6-21 G31GB1066C6PDCA 1066MHz DDR3 512MBx2 RAM Kit (Featured Product)
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WinChip PC2-9600 CL5-5-5-15 64A0TMTHE8G17C 1200MHz DDR2 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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Qimonda PC2-8500 CL5-5-5-15 Aeneon Xtune 1066MHz DDR2 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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Crucial PC2-8500 CL5-5-5-15 Ballistix BL12864AL1065 1066MHz DDR2 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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Corsair PC2-8500 CL5-5-5-15 XMS2 TWIN2X2048-8500C5 1066MHz DDR2 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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Patriot PC2-6400 CL4-4-4-12 PDC22G6400LLK 800MHz DDR2 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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Corsair PC2-6400 CL4-4-4-12 XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 800MHz DDR2 1GBx2 RAM Kit (Comparison Product)
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Lavalys EVEREST v4.00.976
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Passmark Performance Test v6.01.1001
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RightMark Memory Analyzer v3.72
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World in Conflict Demo
Sometimes it is very difficult to get broad results between the memory modules tested, so we use several different speeds of memory from participating manufacturers. Benchmark Reviews is very serious about performance, which is why we test the products against as many benchmarks as reasonably possible. Not every test suite is effective in these reviews, and some often calculate processor and other system components into the score.
Additionally not every test suite could yield marginally distinct results among products, so only those benchmark tests which focus on system memory and offer a measurable difference have been featured in this review. Of the many test suites we have used, some are not very subjective and give very skewed results based on variables outside of the system memory. While many review sites use programs such as SiSoftware Sandra XII 2008 v11.3.5 because of the built-in comparison results, Benchmark Reviews has found these results to be irrelevant since the hardware is completely different. Instead, we will provide our own, which will ensure the results are all relative across the board.
System Memory Test Results
Our first results were recorded from Lavalys EVEREST using the cache and memory benchmark tools. The results shown below represent the average measurement obtained from the Winchip DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM Kit.
With both CPU-Z and EVEREST reporting memory clocks at 5-8-8-23, it's a safe bet they are correct. Winchip labeled this PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit with 5-5-5-15 specs, but apparently the BIOS didn't pick up on the Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) programmed into the RAM. I suppose the serious hardware enthusiast could climb around the BIOS and custom set these parameters, but nothing was immediately obvious to me as I toured the Gigabyte F4G BIOS revision of the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R.
Next up was the PassMark PerformanceTest benchmark which runs several different system memory tests in a row. Although some of the tests are specific to the performance of the RAM, others take the CPU clock speed and front side bus into account when developing a score. Most important are the memory read and write tests.
It's also very important that I note how the scores will always be relative to the system components used. For example, PerformanceTest recorded 706.5 Memory Mark points using the Winchip PC2-9600 on an Intel P35-based Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R motherboard and E6600 @ 2.7GHz. However, just a few months ago I reviewed the Crucial PC2-8500 CL5 Ballistix DDR2 RAM and it scored 837 Memory Mark points with the Intel P865-based abit AB9-Pro with E6600 operating at 3.2GHz. Obviously the CPU and system board have a lot more to do with Memory Mark points than the actual memory.
During our tests with RightMark Memory Analyzer (v3.72), we discovered each round of test results to be very similar to the previous. Regardless of the consistency, each test was completed three times before being averaged. The results for the average read bandwidth are displayed above.
The average read test showed the clear difference between Winchip memory, and the two PC2-8500 sets. There was a small difference between the Crucial PC2-8500 and the Qimonda PC2-8500 DDR2 RAM, despite identical clock speeds. From these test results, the Winchip DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit clearly outperforms PC-8500 RAM. Even though 133MHz doesn't seem like much of a difference, it amounted to almost an 11% improvement.
The average write test portrayed similar results, showing the clear difference between PC2-9600, and PC2-8500 memory. There was a more noticeable difference between the Crucial PC2-8500 and the Qimonda PC2-8500 DDR2 RAM, but the Winchip PC2-9600 improved performance over 9%.
RightMark Memory Analyzer offers an average "real" RAM bandwidth performance test. Winchip's DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit "really" handed it to the PC2-8500 scoring almost 10% improvement.
We also tested a few games, but realizing that games can be both CPU and GPU bound made it difficult to compare the different memory sets since the clock speed of the processor would change with the front side bus. For what it's worth, the World in Conflict demo did register a full 1 FPS difference when the CPU was matched and the PC2-8500 was compared to Winchip PC2-9600. Obviously, if you are using 1200MHz RAM, you aren't going to keep the CPU at the stock speed. But in the world of benchmarks, it would make comparing the difference in a game somewhat pointless.
Winchip Final Thoughts
Once upon a time I believed that all DDR2 labeled with a speed beyond 800MHz was factory overclocked. This was something I based on results of CPU-Z showing the modules as DDR2-800, only with a higher clock speed. However, that was in the early days of post-800MHz RAM, and was probably only true during that period.
Presently, Winchip utilizes Micron 7CD22 D9GMH modules to produce 1200MHz DDR2. Despite all of this, the Winchip PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit was already pushed to the limit, and with an operating voltage of 2.4V (+/- 0.1V) I was convinced that trying to push past 1200MHz was futile. But futile doesn't mean impossible; because I actually tried.
In the end, I was able to reach 1220MHz with the help of 2.6V, but beyond this was far too dangerous and simply not worth it. As it was, these RAM modules were recording temperatures approaching 50° C. I suspect someone out there could fit these modules with a liquid cooled heat spreader, or perhaps a top overclocking team could use LN, but my goose was cooked, almost literally.
64A0TMTHE8G17C Conclusion
As far as RAM kits go, it's always a matter of presentation. Although the industry leader is still a holdout with plain brown boxes, everyone else has come to realize that packaging is almost everything. Nobody talks about boring green and black RAM modules, they talk about the products which are not the same as everyone else's. Winchip has done a good job keeping the appeal high for their product.
Winchip's approach towards designing a unique heat-spreader is well illustrated in this PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit. I think that the look alone is going to set this product apart from others, as if 1200MHz wasn't already enough to do that.
Construction is easily among the key points to the Winchip 64A0TMTHE8G17C RAM kit. After all, those are Micron 7CD22 D9GMH memory modules in their product, which are the absolute cream of the crop.
In terms of functionality, the Winchip DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit easily met all requirements. It would have been great to push these modules just a little more, but then again they are already operating at their redline.
Winchip has suggested a retail price of $199.99 USD, which places this 2GB set below the cost of the competition. The price may not be inexpensive, but it's not as bad as the others or as bad as prices. With DDR2 selling so low it seems like now is the time to buy.
The Winchip DDR2 1200MHz PC2-9600 2GB RAM kit is really a great product, but with very limited application. System Builders and OEM's won't be touching this kind of memory, because they are after standard-rated parts with emphasis on price and not performance. On the other side of the coin you will have overclockers, hardcore gamers, and hardware enthusiasts looking to DDR2-1200 range as their last stand for the platform, or for the opportunity to overclock their present system. There may be a small crowd looking to purchase PC2-9600 system memory, but they won't be disappointed with Winchip.
Pros:
+ Very efficient heat-spreader design
+ Low latency CL/CAS rates
+ High bandwidth 9600MBps
+ High speed 1200MHz
+ Least expensive PC2-9600 kit
+ Perfect for 400MHz 1:1 ratio
+ Matched Dual-Channel Kit
+ Affordable DDR2-1200 solution
Cons:
- 2.4~2.5V Power Required
- Run quite hot
- No overclocking potential
- Heat-spreader should span entire module
Ratings:
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Presentation: 8.25
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Appearance: 9.5
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Construction: 9.75
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Functionality: 9.25
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Value: 8.0
Final Score: 8.95 out of 10.
Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award.
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