My how the mighty have fallen...in price! Catering to bucks-up performance freaks, PDP Patriot "Extreme Performance" memory has only ever been considered inexpensive when compared to other top brands. These "low latency" models are top shelf parts, but thanks to a $50 rebate available at several web venders this "bleeding edge" kit can be yours for a top-value price of around $200!

The "LL" in part numberPDC22G6400LLK stands for "low latency", but our board detected a usable CAS 5 value (5-5-5-16) in addition to SPD timings of 4-4-4-12 at an 800 MHz data rate - and a surprising 5-5-5-15 at a 1000 MHz data rate. PC2-8000 for a PC2-6400 price? You bet!

Wintec AMPO PC2-6400

Wintec Industries offers several lines of RAM, including AMPO and AMPX. Wintec's website doesn't say what the "X" and "O" stand for, but AMPO modules lack heat spreaders and appear to be something you'd stick in an Office PC - far less eXtreme looking than the AMPX. Hmm.

Part Number 3AMD2800-2G2K-R is the good stuff, offering standard-voltage SPD values for DDR2-800 mode that some boards require simply to use this high speed. In addition to the 800 MHz data rate at 5-5-5-15 latencies, SPD also supports a 533 MHz data rate at 4-4-4-11, and a 400 MHz data rate at 3-3-3-8, making it compatible with DDR2 platforms both old and new.

Web prices of around $215 for this 2 GB kit seem reasonable - especially for people who don't want to deal with the rebates needed to get "more expensive" modules at a lower end cost.