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Product:
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Corsair XMS4400 TwinX Memory Kit |
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Price:
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$550 (CAN) / $419 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Corsair
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Author:
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Shatterstar
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Date:
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April 7th, 2004
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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On the inside of the fold out is a 5-step memory installation guide. The guide is also translated into
the following languages: English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian. There are three reference pictures
that accompany the instructions. According to Corsair's "What’s the best XMS Module"
chart, the XMS4400 Memory Kit is currently only recommended on Canterwood chipsets and for "Extreme OC’s".
This is largely due to the amazingly high front side bus required and only a handful of Canterwood
based motherboards seem to be able to reach it. Since Corsair recommends this memory for "Extreme OC’s",
most if not all of the computer enthusiasts will have extensive knowledge on installing components in
their system. The installation instructions are redundant for those who are planning to use this kit,
but the inclusion is still recommended.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Once out of the packaging, I was impressed by the sleek look of the Corsair TwinX CMX512-4400 Memory Kit.
The black anodized heat spreaders give the memory a very aesthetically simple yet pleasing design and
combined with thermal compound serve to cool the memory. The kit is composed of two matched CMX512-4400
512MB memory modules, for a combined total of 1GB addressable memory. Underneath the black heat spreaders
of each CMX512-4400 modules are 32M * 8 (32M x 8 x 2) DDR SDRAM IC’s. I was unable to get confirmation
from the Corsair website but I believe these are Hynix IC’s. Corsair tests both CMX512 memory modules by
installing them in an Asus P4C800-E motherboard and pushing each chip to a 275MHz FSB. These matched
memory sticks are submitted to a battery of tests that stresses every component of the memory. If they
pass, both memory sticks are immediately packaged together. This process may be one of the reasons the
memory kit is as costly since the tests are very granular and time consuming but ensure that you
receive only the best memory. The matching process is important since it ensures stability once extreme
overclock levels are reached and where timing becomes crucial.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The heat spreaders have the Corsair logo printed on both sides, and include a holographic sticker that
contains the memory model and speed rating. The Corsair TwinX CMX512-4400 Memory Kit is rated as DDR550
or a 275MHz front side bus. The modules have been designed to run in a dual-channel configuration on an
875P (Canterwood) chipset. DDR550 can be interpreted as the memory running at 550 MHz, because this is
DDR memory the data is transferred both at the rising and falling edge of the system clock or front
side bus (FSB). To find out the speed of the memory, we simply multiply the front side bus by a factor
of two and so we get 275MHz x 2 = 550MHz.
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