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Written by Dusan Srbljak
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Sunday, 18 November 2007 |
Little by little, all of the memory module manufacturers presented their very own DDR2-1066 models. TakeMS sort of took it slowly, so they presented it among the last ones. The modules belong to the “Mach2” series, which are supposedly the best TakeMS modules. We received a 2 GB Dual-Channel kit with a “SLI Certified” logo on it, which clearly targets gamers. The kit is certified to 1066 MHz with 5-5-5-18 timings and a voltage of only 1.8 V, which means that it will work on any given motherboard.
However, we needed 1.9 V to reach 100% stability with those settings. Also, at this voltage, the timings could be lowered to 5-5-5-15. The manufacturer also claims that it can work at 800 MHz with 3-3-3-8 timings and a voltage of 2.2 V. We tried to accomplish this, but Intel's P35 chipset limited us to 3-4-3-10 timings. Had we used an nForce motherboard based on the 680i chipset, for example, the promised would have proven true, that's for sure.
These modules also have an EPP certificate. EPP (Enhanced Performance Profile) is a technology which enables every certified memory to choose its own (minimal) timings, while remaining completely stable. You have probably wondered many times: “Which timings should I put? CAS 4 or 5? What is the minimal stable tRAS? Should I change it or leave it at 8?” Well, EPP simply provides a safe overclocked memory environment for new overclockers or inexperienced gamers. All that they need to do is set EPP to “on” in BIOS (all nForce chipsets support this option) and avoid all those questions. Within the chart itself we drew a comparison between CL3 and CL4 values, so you can see for yourselves what the gains are.
| Mach2 1066MHz | (1066) 2T-5-5-5-12 | (800) 2T-4-4-4-12 | (800) 2T-3-4-3-10 | | DivX 6.7 | 178.5 fps | 172.4 fps | 175.4 fps | | WinRAR | 1.444 KB/s | 1.373 KB/s | 1.401 KB/s | | Everest | | | | | Memory Read | 8.001 MB/s | 7.406 MB/s | 7.496 MB/s | | Memory Write | 6.092 MB/s | 6.083 MB/s | 6.081 MB/s | | Memory Copy | 6.738 MB/s | 6.532 MB/s | 6.609 MB/s | | Memory Latency | 62.5 ns | 66.2 ns | 63.2 ns |
Testbed: C2D E6750 @ 2.66GHz, DFI Blood Iron P35-T2RL, 8600GTS, Win XP SP2 |
The cooling bodies proved to be up to the task, as in the case of the maximum stable overclock (1100 MHz with 5-5-5-18 timings and 2.25 V), they were warm, but not hot. Our general impression is that TakeMS made a pair of high-quality, reliable modules, which should be very interesting at their price point. |
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