Memory

High memory prices have traditionally plagued budget overclockers, but the release of "industry standard" PC2-6400 is bringing some relief. How do the latest modules fare?

What's better than fast memory? Right, even faster memory! Corsair's latest toys run 1,250 MHz to satisfy the performance hunger of the most demanding enthusiasts - if you can fork out the $600.

Corsair has applied its DHX heat sink technology to PC2-8888 1 GB modules, promising greater performance and reliability for the enthusiast. We put it to the test and see if their claims hold true.

We gradually push memory modules to their limits, live and on two systems simultaneously. Review samples are pit against memory that we purchased.

We tested DDR2 modules from 16 vendors and gauged latency, overclocking capabilities and other features. Bottom line: tread carefully because there are big differences in performance.

How much RAM do you really need? Is 512 MB enough? What about 1 GB? Our gaming and other application tests show that 2 GB of RAM is often not overkill.

In a bid to gain supremacy in memory for the Athlon 64, the GeIL ONE Series DIMMs offer CAS latency of 1.5 clocks or DDR600 speed. We tested to check the merits of their strategy.

Does DDR2-800 deliver the hoped-for performance boost for Intel PCs? With DIMMs from Adata and Corsair in hand, we experimented with slower clocks but very short timings.

Samsung sent us the latest DIMMs, specified for up to 233 MHz.

OCZ has made a name for itself with memory modules for high clock rates. With the Gold Edition of the PC4000 Dual Channel Kit, OCZ tries to keep up with its clockspeed-boosting legacy.

We pit the fastest memory modules (DDR 400, DDR333, DDR266 and DDR200) against Rambus. Which one helps your PC system attain the highest performance level?

Basic DRAM, Asynchronus, Synchronus, Page Mode Access, FPM, EDO, BEDO, JEDEC, PC100 SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, ESDRAM, Protocl BAsed DRAM, DRDRAM, SLDRAM