Computer memory has been getting faster and faster the past few years, yet it is still one of the slowest bottlenecks in our systems. If you’ve purchased a compuer or motherboard within the last few years, then the chipsets require use of DDR2, which range in speeds from 553Mhz to over 1 GHz!
RAM has also been getting cheaper over the years (especially if you factor in price vs. performance), but we still want to get the most performance out of our memory as possible. You can purchase a “budget” set of RAM, but you are almost guaranteed to have no overclocking headroom. Better (and generally more expensive) memory runs at faster timings (4-4-4-12 instead of the standard-5-5-5-15).
A-Data has released their Vitesta PC2-8000 RAM, which is technically a DDR-800 set, but with a guaranteed overclock to DDR-1000 Speeds. This overclock translates into a 25% performance increase (8GB / second vs DDR2-800’s 6.4GB /second). This also means that you can re-use this memory when you upgrade your motherboard to one that supports a fast 1GHz bus.
A-Data is a well-established memory manufacturer, but has been more popular in Asia and is now marketing its quality products in the Western world. Our first review of A-data’s products impressed us quite a bit, and we were especially delighted when we looked at the specs of their Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2 Memory.
Product Description
Although the bandwidth has increased about 20% from DDR2 667 to DDR2 800 (5.3GB/Sec vs 6.4GB/Sec), however, based on the JEDEC standard, the CL (CAS Latency) is 5 for both DDR2 667 and DDR2 800. A-DATA’s DDR2 800X has effectively worked out the latency issue, with CL reaching 4, and tRCD, tRP and tRAS improving to 4-4-4-12, greatly surpassing DDR2 800’s 5-5-5-18. The performance is nearly catching up to DDR2 1000. All of this excellent performance quenches gamers’ and overclockers’ thirst for speed.
With dual channel motherboards getting increasingly popular, A-DATA releases these new Vitesta DDR2 800X modules in matched pair kits that provide users with guaranteed compatibility. All A-DATA Vitesta series modules pass A-DATA’s rigorous dual channel testing, so users can rest assured their platforms will perform beyond their expectations.
Specifications
Suitable for: Desktop PCs
Module specification: 240Pin Unbuffered-DIMM Non ECC
Versions available: 2GB Kit (1GBx2)
Pin layout: 64M x8; Micron D9GMH
Transmission bandwidth: 6400MB/Sec(PC2-6400)
CL value: 4-4-4-12
Working voltage: 1.9V-2.1V
Lifetime warranty
The 2GB memory kit comes in a standard blister pack that also details the product’s specifications. The memory itself is encased ina bright red aluminum heatsink, which has a well-machined shiny swoosh on both sides (mimicing the swoosh in A-Data’s logo). Also printed on the heatsink is the Vitesta brand, along with a sticker of the memory’s specifications.
The 2GB kit is a matched pair and supports dual-channel, Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) support, and fast 4-4-4-12 memory timings at DDR800. The custom aluminum heatspreader looks rather sharp, and should be pretty effective, as A-Data intends these modules to be overclocked, and even recommends overvolting the modules to achieve it. There is a thick thermal interface material sandwiched between the memory modules and the heatspreaders, as well.
By default the modules run at a much slower 5-5-5-12 timings, so you must manually tweak your motherboard settings to reach the advertised 4-4-4-12 timings at your rated speed. A-data recommends overvolting the memory from 1.8 to 2.0 volts to strengthen the signals before attempting the faster access speeds, so they must be very confident in their product’s performance.
The low latencies of this memory kit should produce some good results, especially since A-data claims that this memory can easily reach 1 Gigahertz without a problem. This memory was tested on an Intel Core 2 Duo system with the following specifications:
- Asus P5W HD Deluxe Motherboard (Intel 975 chipset)
- Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo processor
- eVGA nVidia 8800 GT 320MB PCI-e video card
- Creative X-Fi Platinum
- Western Digital SATA 500GB HDD
- 2GB A-Data Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2-800
- Zalman CNPS 9700 NT CPU Heatsink
- CoolIT RAM fan
- Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
Those with Core 2 Duo processors will be most interested in how this memory performs at a 1:1 ratio. This ratio reduces any bottlenecks elsewhere in your system, and modern Intel chipsets can easily keep up with the memory at these speeds. We started the memory at its default DDR-800 speed with 4-4-4-12 timings and went up from there.
A-Data Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2-800 Performance
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The memory overclocked relatively well until we reached over 900Mhz. At this point Windows would boot, but would sometimes freeze or otherwise lock up, even when there were no processor-intensive tasks going on. To remedy this, we increased the voltage to 2.2 volts, and the Vitesta Extreme Edition memory was able to break the 1 Gigaherz mark without any further problems, all with a 1:1 FSB ratio and without loosening the timings.
It is great to be able to have a “free” upgrade to the next memory performance level (equivilant of DDR2-1000), but these sticks would have problems when at this high speed using the fast timings. Windows could not boot completely, even when the RAM was actively cooled.
It was possible to push the memory further when we loosened the timings back to 5-5-5-15. We were able to reach 1200 MHz with the loose timings (and a voltage increase to 2.4 volts). While it is possible to reach thish high level of performance, I would be nervous about running my system all the time. We are quite comfortable that the memory would reach 1000 MHz with fast access timings.
DDR2 memory prices are falling, partly due to the new wave of DDR3 memory that the industry wants to push down our throats. Alot of different memory modules can be purchased rather inexpensively, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for bland performance.
A-Data’s Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2-800 Memory is a very capable dual-channel set. It supports fast 4-4-4-12 timings up to 1000 MHz, and can even be pushed beyond. This set can also reach the speeds that DDR3 is capable of, so this memory kit should last until you are forced to upgrade to the new memory architecture.
The Vitesta memory is priced similarly as other DDR2-800 modules, but offers faster timings and better overclocks, which makes this an extreme value for anyone looking to fill those empty slots on their motherboard.
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