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Product:
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Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory Kit |
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Price:
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$480 (CAN) / $368 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Corsair
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Author:
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Mantis
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Date:
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August 26th, 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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The overall appearance of the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory Kit brings a fresh new approach in
terms of design and features. Measuring roughly 1.75" (H) x 5.41" (L) x 0.30" (W) with a weight of 2.9oz,
the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory modules incorporate a unique oversized heat spreader.
Crafted from cast aluminum, the newly designed heat spreader is slightly larger than that found on a standard
module and features a series of miniature fins designed to aid in greater heat dissipation. The XMS letters are
boldly embossed from the aluminum heat spreader on both sides and are paired with colorful product labels. The
top portion of the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory incorporate a series of 18 independent LED’s designed
to demonstrate real-time memory usage at a glance. This feature will appeal to consumers who use modified cases or
the extreme enthusiast. Users will be pleased to know that each pair of memory is 100% tested and packaged together
prior to shipping and come with a lifetime warranty from Corsair.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The installation procedure of the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory Kit is quite straightforward and can be
completed in less than 5 minutes. Users unfamiliar with the proper installation procedure can consult the provided
documentation for instructions. It is recommended for maximum performance that the modules be installed in dual channel
configuration in accordance to your motherboard. The Plug-n-Frag feature automatically will adjust the memory latency
to that programmed into the module upon powering the system. Once installed, the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency
Memory modules come to life during the POST process and all 18 LED’s illuminate to demonstrate full memory usage.
Throughout benchmarking and daily usage I found the included LED’s to work as advertised and illuminate according to
usage levels. The comparison modules I will be using include the previously reviewed Kingston Hyper-X KHX3200ULK2/1G
Ultra Low Latency modules with timings of 2-2-2-2-5 along my existing Corsair XMS PC3500 Platinum modules running at
an altered speed of 2.5-3-3-3-6.
Testing:
The Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory Kit, Corsair TWINX 1024 3200XL PRO and Kingston Hyper-X KHX3200ULK2/1G
Ultra Low Latency kit were tested at three different speeds with a synchronous (1:1) ratio to the processor in dual
channel configuration. Testing frequencies reflect the maximum rated frequency modules the majority of enthusiasts would
use when overclocking on the nForce II Ultra 400 platform. Test frequencies include PC3200, PC3500 and PC3700 which
equal 200MHz, 217MHz and 233MHz DDR respectively. A sustained processor speed of approximately 2 GHz was used throughout
the testing. Windows XP Professional complete with the Service Pack 1 and all critical updates was used along with the
latest NVIDIA nForce 2 drivers version 3.13 and DirectX version 9.0b. In order to test the test the Corsair XMS 3200 XL
PRO Low Latency Memory Kit I assembled the following spare components:
- DFI LanParty NF II Ultra B Motherboard
- AMD Athlon XP Thoroughbred B 1700+ CPU
- 2 x 256MB Corsair XMS PC3500C2PT v1.1 DDR memory
- 2 x 512MB Kingston Hyper-X PC 3200ULK2 DDR memory
- 2 x 512MB Corsair TWINX 1024 3200XL PRO
- Western Digital WD800JB SE 80GB Hard Drive
- FSP Group 460W Silent Power Supply
- MSI GF4 MX440 Video Card
In order to test the overclocking aspect of the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory Kit, I lowered the multiplier
to 8.5x and slowly increased the FSB from 200MHz upwards in 5MHz intervals being sure to test for stability at each phase.
Keeping the stock voltage of 2.7V, I was able to scale to an impressive 233MHz while maintaining the strict timings of
2-2-2-2-5. Greater performance can be easily achieved given higher VDIMM voltage such as 2.8V to 2.9V or decreased the
timings slightly. Overall I was impressed with the basic overclocking achieved when using the Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO
Low Latency Memory Kit. The according settings for the Kingston Hyper-X KHX3200ULK2/1G Ultra Low Latency Memory Kit,
Corsair TWINX 1024 3200XL PRO and Corsair XMS PC3500C2PT v1.1 are outlined below:
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Corsair TWINX 1024 3200XL PRO
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| | PC3200 | PC3500 | PC3700 |
| Timings | 2-2-2-5 | 2-2-2-5 | 2-2-2-5 |
| VDIMM | 2.7V | 2.7V | 2.7V |
| VCORE | 1.6V | 1.6V | 1.6V |
| VDD | 1.6V | 1.7V | 1.7V |
| Multiplier | 10x | 9x | 8.5x |
| FSB | 200MHz | 217MHz | 233MHz |
| Results | 2000MHz | 1954MHz | 1988MHz |
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Kingston Hyper-X KHX3200ULK2/1G
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| | PC3200 | PC3500 | PC3700 |
| Timings | 2-2-2-5 | 2-2-2-5 | 2-2-2-5 |
| VDIMM | 2.7V | 2.7V | 2.8V |
| VCORE | 1.6V | 1.6V | 1.6V |
| VDD | 1.6V | 1.7V | 1.7V |
| Multiplier | 10x | 9x | 8.5x |
| FSB | 200MHz | 217MHz | 233MHz |
| Results | 2000MHz | 1954MHz | 1988MHz |
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Corsair XMS PC3500C2PT v1.1
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| | PC3200 | PC3500 | PC3700 |
| Timings | *2.5-3-3-6 | *2.5-3-3-6 | *2.5-3-3-6 |
| VDIMM | 2.6V | 2.7V | 2.9V |
| VCORE | 1.6V | 1.6V | 1.6V |
| VDD | 1.6V | 1.7V | 1.7V |
| Multiplier | 10x | 9x | 8.5x |
| FSB | 200MHz | 217MHz | 233MHz |
| Results | 2000MHz | 1954MHz | 1988MHz |
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