Specifications

Module Size: 512MB

Package: 184-pin DIMM

Features: DDR PC3500

Configuration: 32Meg X 16 Kingmax

Error Checking: Non-parity

Speed: 433MHz

Voltage: 2.5V

SDRAM Timings: CL=2.5

Features

- Packaging

Kingmax have chosen to follow the same packaging they have used in the past for their SuperRAM. While its not the most exciting its better than a simple anti static bag yet still quite cheap to ship and thus not push up pricing.

Included in the package is a little manual which gives the user instructions on how to install the memory, while it's a pretty easy task, beginners to the computer world may find themselves using it to make the task that little bit easier.

- The Modules

Like all of Kingmax's previous memory modules, they have chosen to not use a heat spreader. First of all this helps bring down the overall cost of the module and the other is that they aren't really needed. These particular modules are aimed at the avid overclocker or someone who is interested in learning about it. The particular memory modules we are looking at are designed to operate at 433MHz or 216.5MHz DDR at a CAS rating of 2.5.

People just moving into the Pentium 4 (800MHz Front Side Bus) market are going to find that their processor has no worries being pushed a little bit at stock voltage. With these particular modules, you should have no worries pushing your processor up to 217MHz with the CAS latency of 2.5 in Dual Channel mode. This is going to give people a slight overclock and a little bit more performance. We will see what kind of real world performance it gives us later on and how much further we can go, if any.

- Overclocking

Since these are Kingmax's latest offering to the enthusiast market, we thought that it would only be fair that we include overclocking information. While normally we would talk about it at the end of the article because we have included the results in the graphs, we feel that you should know before you read onward just to be informed.

The sticks are rated at 433MHz with timings 2.5-4-4-8 and at these speeds we really couldn't get much more out of it. Relaxing the timings to 3-5-5-8, we booted and got into Windows at 230MHz. When moving up to 231MHz, Windows suddenly became unstable in benchmark tests and for that reason we had hit the limit on these memory modules when running at 2.8V, which was the highest voltage we could feed the RAM with the motherboard we tested with.

We didn't expect too much in the overclocking department but we were surprised to find how much over spec they went as these modules use the TSOP chip compared to the more overclocker friendly TINY BGA chip that Kingmax also use. We will now see how these modules ran at numerous speeds and settings and see how much extra performance we get out of the computer at 230MHz with relaxed timings.