Crucial DDR3 PC3-8500 4GB Kit Review: Exceeding Limits
Stability & Overclocking
The way we do memory is very different, and might shock and amuse everyone at the same time. Rather than keeping all the stability and overclocking exams for later, we’re going to do them now so that we have results directly from real-world situations that apply to memory, stressing the significance of the effect. For this reason, we usually don’t benchmark on overclocked settings with graphics cards and what not because there’s more of a significant impression in the core of the benchmarks when resolute to memory across all versatile solutions.
How Stable Can We Get?
Stability Testing Methodology:
Memory stability is a very enticed subject across the interwebs. Yes, we said interwebs so deal with it. The most important thing to remember about memory is that it’s very mottled. Stability is created by the very definitions that the maker sets. Not to drill it with Sci-Fi, but the mainstream consumers’ stability is the sense of getting the fucking thing to work in general when they hit the on button. To the hardware and gaming enthusiast, it’s about getting the most from their RAM. To us, it’s all about everyone when it comes to pushing a memory to its limits given the condition. If it’s meant to be treated for enthusiasts, we treat it as such. If it’s not, we account for that and adjust. Here at WhatIfGaming, we don’t do your traditional “z0mgz let me runs my Prime95, 3DMark, SuperPi, and all this crapz0rs” stuff here. If you’re looking for that, kindly follow the exit signs to the top right of this screen. We do the real tests. Folding@Home, Rosetta@Home and World Community Grid as few to name. 24/7 crunch time is the only way we can provide maximum quality, something we’re always aiming to do here. Yeah, it takes a lot of time—but that’s why we have plenty of other stuff in the pipeline to hold your eagerness to standby mode.
Test Results: Folding@Home, Rosetta@Home, and World Community Grid all passed the mark for this Memory core after interval testing.
Efficiency Testing
We know memory is stable from running these tests for an extended period of time, but how are we going to check if it was effectively stable? Stable is one thing. But efficiency in stability is another. Simple. We log the temperature at the beginning of the procedure using our nodes on the DIMM slots, and then we calculate the end result and determine if for the exact same type of render operation that the results were stable.
Note: Idle at 29°C.
Stable Overclocking
A steady climb from left to right is ideal at all three timing series and what we see is extraordinary. Starting off with a look at the 6-6-5 timings we see that 800MHz stable is achieved with 2.01V and almost nearing closure with just 1.96V. After reaching an unbelievable 1025MHz on a core voltage of 2.10V, the temperature of the ram itself was only a mere 45°C which when shown without any form of aluminum heat spreaders is definitely remarkable.
At 7-6-5, these modules simply excel and at the rated voltage, they clock up to over 900MHz which is just great for the amount of power we’re using up. These modules have no problem overpassing 1000MHz at 2.0v which quite possibly makes this one of the highest rated DDR3 being offered among other manufacturers and for DDR3 PC3-8500, Crucial’s strength is shown with this.
Man, WiG is on top of everything. Loving it.
Another great Review!
Thanks for the review
Genius as always. Will buy soon
love these reviews and going to buy this right now. Never a fan of the 2gb heat spreaders, rather have 4 GB. thanks!
more and more do i wanna upgrade
Thanks for review man
hardware golden choice iis very difficult to get. Seeing the results though, it earned it.
Whatifgaming is the best <3 ty.
Hmmmm money could be better spent on CPUs and GPU’s for gaming. Totally agree. But I’m a Premeire guy—I definitely want this and am ordering this from Crucial atm. Thanks.
Thank you very much. C’est tres bon.
Sweet. thank. Going to buy it soon
Hardware goldenness.
Amazing stuff. Buying it
Thanks a bunch. CL7 at 1.5V is crazy
We bought another memory :(. Now regretting it says bf. This one is way better
Thanks
Very great review. Quite possibly the best reviews from each category. Always looking forward to more
Thanks! Buying it now
Even 2 fps makes a difference. buying now
Buying this one for sure. Definitely top of the line at 4GB.
Memory clocks seem stable, and tRWT seems just on stable to CL7. Must have it appears. I agree
Tyvm
I’m liking it a lot. Need this for upgrades
Thanks. Love it. But any performance for 8800GTS?
Sweet stuff. I really want gold heat spreads on this still. My cooling isn’t exactly the best
Apollodorus replied on June 28, 2008 2:03 AM:
It’s low on idle and load from the power efficiency after 24 hours. Which is still something.
Thanks
Bought it. Waiting on tracking #