SUMMARY: Today we are comparing DDR-400 enthusiast memory modules from Crucial, Geil and Mushkin which are designed for performance AMD Athlon 64 users. After taking a look at each module and checking their compatibility on a range of DDR based chipsets, we run a bunch of benchmarks to work out which module offers the best performance.
While not the latest modules out, the V2 from Mushkin is the lowest latency modules that have come from Mushkin.
Mushkin has a colour coding for its memory modules. Modules with Green Heatsinks are Value modules, Blue is High performance and Black is the Extreme Performance line. Modules without heatsinks are the standard performance and enhanced performance with the latter being based on BG memory modules.
The units we are looking at today are the V2 Extreme Performance with black heat spreaders. The spreaders themselves are alloy heatsinks similar in design to the Crucial memory using the same tape and clip mechanism to hold the spreaders to the modules.
With the spreaders removed we get a look at the modules naked. In retrospect the modules might look double sided, however, they only constitute a single sided module. The PCB is layered in that the modules get spread over both sides in order to reduce the amount of heat generated. A gap is left between each module in order to space out the modules enough to reduce heat and allow higher cock speeds.
The PCB is the same 6 layer black that Crucial uses - in fact, most modules are only made by a few manufacturers for their PCB’s, its all dependant on what quality chips are brought or in the case of some companies like Micron, Kingmax and a few others, what quality modules they themselves make.
The memory modules are some of the most overclockable modules on the market. Mushkin has used the Samsung TCCD memory modules that are known for their extreme overclocking abilities.
Compatibility
The Mushkin memory was put to the same tests that were used on the Crucial and Geil memory modules.
The Mushkin memory worked on all platforms other than the VIA KT880 and PT880 but this could be a problem with the outdated VIA Northbridge memory controllers.
