SUMMARY: Dual Channel, Dual Channel, Dual Channel - it is one of the key buzzwords taking the IT industry by storm at the moment courtesy of chipsets from nVidia and Intel. Which Dual Channel branded memory kit do you choose? Do you even need actual branded Dual Channel memory? Which overclocks the fastest? Shawn "Toxic" Baker answers all these questions in this 20-page monster roundup comparing memory from Crucial, Mushkin, Kingmax, TwinMOS, Buffalo and Corsair!
Mushkin, while only being a very small company, are well known among the enthusiast community for creating high quality and overclockable memory modules from way back in the PC150 days. Lately they have been expanding into other areas with the introduction of a MP3 player which we looked at in last months gadget guide which impressed us, as well as a new USB 2.0 flash drive which we havent had a chance to look at yet.
Mushkin hasnt disappointed us in the past and we will see if they can keep up with the other modules we have here today. Lets have a look at what Mushkin have produced.
Mushkin have the best protective packaging money can buy, unfortunately due to its design and size it brings up the cost of postage significantly. Mushkin use a giant air bag that covers the memory and helps it when traveling. The packaging has two uses, first is to protect the memory and the other as an inflatable ball that can be kicked around Yes, we tried it. The packaging really is excellent but would make it quite expensive if ordering a large quantity of sticks, Mushkin would have to use some other form of protection.
Modules
The modules from Mushkin look fantastic, with the black PCB and bright purple heatsink. Like the Crucial modules, these sticks arent specifically designed to run in Dual Channel mode but we havent had any trouble with them when running some pre tests.
The modules supplied by Mushkin are rated with the more aggressive CAS timing of 2 which helps in overall performance. To have such aggressive timings on memory that is rated for such a high speed, only the best components can be used and Mushkin pride themselves on the quality of their memory as an extra step in quality control, Mushkin hand test every stick of memory before it is shipped ensuring it reaches the speed it is rated for.
We will see if they can be pushed much further at such aggressive timings and then the quality of the modules will really begin to show or not show. Mushkin have created a very nice hand tested module here and it will be interesting to see how it performs under pressure on our test setup.
