PR:Corsair Announces Xtreme Low Latency DDR Modules: 2-2-2-5

Post by **Apoptosis** » Wed May 26, 2004 1:17 pm

Fremont, CA, May 26, 2004: Corsair Memory, Inc., a global leader in ultra-performance DDR memory modules for PC gamers and enthusiasts, today announced a new family of “XL” memory modules that supports 2-2-2-5 latencies at 400MHz, making the XL family the highest performing PC3200 memory in the world. The new XL product family includes the following products:

TwinX1024-3200XLPRO matched pair of 512MB, DDR400, 2-2-2-5, XMS Pro Series modules
TwinX1024-3200XL matched pair of 512MB, DDR400, 2-2-2-5, black XMS modules
TwinX1024-3200XLPT matched pair of 512MB, DDR400, 2-2-2-5, platinum XMS modules

All these parts are available immediately from resellers worldwide, and are also available as individual 512MB XL modules. XMS modules include Corsair’s classic black and platinum aluminum heat spreaders for improved heat dissipation. XMS Pro Series modules were developed exclusively by Corsair’s R&D team to enhance the gaming experience with 18 memory activity LED’s and a cast aluminum Pro Series heatsink for improved thermal performance.

The 2-2-2-5 latencies supported by the XL family are the ultimate in performance for DDR400 memory. These latencies are the fastest offered in the market today. Latency is the time required for requested data to be ready to read from memory, and is measured in clock cycles. The lower the latency values, the faster the performance. By dramatically reducing the latency specifications in the XL family, Corsair has brought memory performance to new levels.

In addition to 2-2-2-5 performance at PC3200, the 3200XL family demonstrates excellent performance at higher clock frequencies. Typical results seen in the Corsair lab were 2.5-3-3-7 at XMS4000 (250 MHz) clock speeds.

Plug-n-Frag ™ Technology
The entire XL family includes Corsair’s trademarked Plug-n-Frag™ technology that provides advanced latency values pre-programmed into the SPD (serial presence detect) chip on each module. For the overclocker, this means that the XL modules will automatically boot up at the extremely aggressive 2-2-2-5 latencies with no additional BIOS tweaking. This technology was first brought to market in Corsair’s LL family in January, 2003, and has become wildly popular among gamers and enthusiasts.

These modules were designed specifically to give plenty of overclocking headroom for performance tweakers. At slightly higher latencies these modules can yield stable operation at speeds up to 500MHz. Corsair designed these modules with the unique ability to function both at 400MHz with extremely low latencies, and at very high clock speeds with looser latencies.

"The new XL family of XMS products supports obscenely low latencies that we thought were simply not possible” said Corsair VP of Product Development, John Beekley. “Our development efforts have really paid off with a product that not only supports the world’s fastest latencies at 400MHz but also provides outstanding overclocking headroom. The XL family will deliver awesome performance in Intel- and AMD-based systems alike.”

All Corsair modules are tested at their rated specifications to ensure performance. TwinX kits are tested as a matched pair and packaged together immediately after passing test, guaranteeing that the customer receives a product that has been verified in the dual channel environment.

Further information and specifications on this product and other XMS products can be found at Corsair's web site (http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair/xms.html). These modules can be purchased through Corsair’s authorized sales channels listed at http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair/buy.html.

About Corsair Memory
Corsair Memory, a member of JEDEC, has been a leader in the design and manufacture of high speed modules since 1994. We have earned our reputation as being the first to market with leading-edge products supporting new computing platforms and technologies. Corsair supplies memory for applications ranging from mission-critical servers to ultra-high performance gaming systems. The performance and reliability of Corsair memory products makes them ideal for the high bandwidth internet infrastructure. More information on Corsair is available at http://www.corsairmemory.com.

wuzy · Post by **wuzy** » Wed May 26, 2004 2:25 pm

That's strange, I thought ALL Winbond BH-5 chips have ran out unless they've reserved some for this last instant sale for a high profit.

Originally Corsair did rate that PC3200LL as 2-2-2-5, but later raised it to 2-3-2-6 to be on the safe side since they're using CH-5.

So it can only be either BH-5 or something very new wich could be even better than BH-5... who knows!

Any details on their pricing yet?

drexor69 · Post by **drexor69** » Wed May 26, 2004 2:42 pm

I think Nate covered those questions in his review... =P

http://www.legitreviews.com/reviews/corsairxl/

Post by **Apoptosis** » Wed May 26, 2004 2:55 pm

Pricing will be roughly the same as the LL from my sources & these chips are on par if not better then the BH5's

Post by **Apoptosis** » Wed May 26, 2004 4:47 pm

It was been pointed out by many that OCZ just announced a new product today.

The PR is as follows:

OCZ Announces PC-3200 2-2-2 Platinum Rev 2

Sunnyvale, CA. May 26, 2004

– OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra high-performance memory solutions for PC enthusiasts and gamers, today announced the release of PC-3200 Platinum Rev 2 in hand-tested, matched Dual Channel kits.

Each PC-3200 Platinum Rev 2 Dual Channel kit features an integrated heatspreader to aid in heat dissipation and is rated for CL2-2-2-8 (read: CAS-tRCD-tRP-TRAS) latencies.

In order to ensure that OCZ PC-3200 Platinum Rev 2 Dual Channel kits perform to OCZ’s exacting performance and quality standards, all Dual Channel kits are hand-tested by OCZ technicians before they are shipped. OCZ PC-3200 Platnium Rev 2 kits are covered by OCZ’s no-hassle lifetime warranty and technical support service.

"The trend has been to move to higher frequencies at the expense of latencies" said Dr. Michael Schuette, director of technology development at OCZ Technology. "However, given the fact that in most architectures the host bus cannot handle the Memory bandwidth, we need to refocus on what the real needs are. Seamless data flow can only be achieved in a low latency environment. This is where OCZ Technology, once again, takes a leading role in the industry"

OCZ PC-3200 Platinum Rev 2 Dual Channel kits will be replacing current OCZ Platinum 3200 modules over the coming month, begining with shipment to select system builders. For price and availability please check with your favorite OCZ retailer.

About OCZ Technology Group
OCZ Technology Group, a member of JEDEC, designs, develops and manufactures innovative, ultra high-performance memory that sets the industry standard. OCZ memory is the first choice among the most discriminating PC enthusiasts, highly competitive gamers, and for mission-critical servers requiring high availability. In addition to memory, OCZ is also a leading provider of high-performance cooling solutions, and we back our products with world-class customer service and knowledgeable technical support. OCZ offers upgrades for desktops, notebooks and servers through its worldwide network of distributors, online resellers, and retail stores. A listing of suppliers carrying OCZ products is available at http://www.ocztechnology.com/wheretobuy/ .

So as my review states Corsair is the only company currently using these IC's and has thousands of modules built and already shipping to retailers. OCZ is about a month behind according to their own PR that they released. So my comment:

"To top it all off Corsair is the only one using these specific memory chips (IC's) that make these modules so special. This means that you will not be seeing and Kingston HyperX or OCZ EL modules using the same design for some time to come. "

Is true and accurate! I've had several e-mails pointing out that this comment was an error, but this PR shows otherwise.

Thanks for the sharp eyes and keeping me on my toes!!!

Maestro · Post by **Maestro** » Wed May 26, 2004 5:58 pm

OCZ published their press release a few hours after Corsair. hahahaha! Is this a trend or what? Seems like they're always trying to copy Corsair.

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Wed May 26, 2004 8:52 pm

<puppy dog eyes> So you guys giving out these sticks to? </puppy dog eyes>

Post by **Apoptosis** » Wed May 26, 2004 10:02 pm

hum... maybe after testing ;) I'm off to Taiwan & China this weekend (for Computex & ACON4) so it will be at least a few weeks.

wuzy · Post by **wuzy** » Wed May 26, 2004 10:17 pm

Why 2-2-2-8 instead of 2-2-2-5 as rated by Corsair?
Is it something to do with the fact that certain nForce2 mobo *cough* Abit NF7-S *cough* performs slighly better with 2-2-2-8 or 2-2-2-11?

Either 5 or 8 or 11, I personally don't think Tras pays a huge part in RAM timing.

drexor69 · Post by **drexor69** » Thu May 27, 2004 11:08 am

Who knows why they chose 8. I have noticed a recent trend by them to always spec the tRAS at 8, maybe they just figured it wasn't worth messing with.

And you're right, it doesn't make much difference if it's looser, too tight can be bad though...

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Thu May 27, 2004 11:32 am

On some nForce2 mobos you get better benchmarks and memory bandwith with 8-12. some people find the best results at 10 or 11. On my nf7-s it runs fastest at 6 so who knows.

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Thu May 27, 2004 12:47 pm

timings are tricky things, different setups have different optimum settings... only sure fire way is to test....

wuzy · Post by **wuzy** » Thu May 27, 2004 11:30 pm

Apoptosis, would you guys at Legit Reviews be able to a bit of testing on 2-2-2-5 vs 2-2-2-8 vs. 2-2-2-11 using the same rig+RAM as you guys did for testing Corsair XL RAM?

Just an update/addon to the original review thats all.

drexor69 · Post by **drexor69** » Fri May 28, 2004 8:54 am

I believe the answer you're going to get is that it totally depends upon your platform...

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Fri May 28, 2004 2:23 pm

It would be interesting to look at one or two platorms and see what timings they prefer. Most people say intel chips like high frequency and bandwitdh while amd chips like low latency and tight timings. so what happens if we compair via, nforce2 or 3, and sis and see if its the amd chip or just the nforce that likes the tight timings.

Post by **Apoptosis** » Fri May 28, 2004 2:52 pm

while it would be fun to do it wouldn't really mean much. Plus don't forget the differences between chipsets and the way companies set up the voltages on their board (ie: ABIT vs ASUS). One i875 will perform different than the same made a different day. Would just be hard to draw a conclusion.

exit · Post by **exit** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:07 am

Maestro wrote:OCZ published their press release a few hours after Corsair. hahahaha! Is this a trend or what? Seems like they're always trying to copy Corsair.

Funny I don't remeber the last good product corsairs released.....I think it would be their now gone bh-5/6 lines.....OCZ on the other have been releasing new and amazing products. So.......why would anyone want to copy Corsairs?

Steve

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 1:01 pm

While its safe to say that for a while nothing amazing was coming from Corsair they have always been producing top notch memory. OCZ on the other hand while they make good memory seem to spend a lot more moeny and energy on marketing "new" products. While Corsair may not be exciting i think you would be hard pressed to find someone who was shiped dead XMS memory. Im not sure the same thing can be said of OCZ. and definatly not GEIL

drexor69 · Post by **drexor69** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 1:30 pm

exit wrote:
Maestro wrote:OCZ published their press release a few hours after Corsair. hahahaha! Is this a trend or what? Seems like they're always trying to copy Corsair.
Funny I don't remeber the last good product corsairs released.....I think it would be their now gone bh-5/6 lines.....OCZ on the other have been releasing new and amazing products. So.......why would anyone want to copy Corsairs?

Steve

Apparently OCZ and PNY do...

OCZ is constantly following what Corsair does and I honestly can't think of anything "new and amazing" that they've done. Ever.

And PNY just released their knock off's of the Pro modules from Corsair...

Additionally, you don't think Kingston got into the performance memory industry to compete with companies like OCZ or Geil do you??

Just becasue they don't launch another silly product every week doesn't mean they aren't leading the industry.

There are other benchmarks besides silly marketing...

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 4:51 pm

Wow, pretty hotly debated topic.
I have used Kingston Hyper X PC 4000, and the Corsair Pro 4000 I won here, both are excellent modules, after benchmarks and from just my personal opinion, there isn't much difference between the two, the Corsair was slightly better, but both benched much better than anything else. My Corsair is timed at 2.5-3-3-5 at 3.81