OCZ PC2-4200EB: Reaching for DDR2-800

Conclusion

There is absolutely no doubt that OCZ PC2-4200EB is the new performance leader in DDR2 memory. It is incredibly fast at 3-2-2-8 at the rated speed of DDR2-533 when the best of the competition is 3-3-3 and some is rated 4-4-4. It is good to see faster memory timings finally appear in DDR2. If you have any doubts that faster DDR2 timings really make a difference, just check out pages 5 and 6 where OCZ PC2-4200EB wins every benchmark compared to the top memory from our DDR2 roundup.

If that were all there is to PC2-4200EB, it would be enough to be impressed, but there is much, much more. This same modestly-rated DDR2-533 memory reached an incredible DDR2-821 in benchmark tests on our new DDR2 memory testbed. This is the highest speed that we have ever reached with DDR2, and even more remarkable is that it is achieved at the still fast timings of 4-2-3-8 at 2.1V memory voltage. Many competitors fall far short of this record, giving up with 5-5-5-10 timings.

The fastest 3-2-2-8 timings were good to about DDR2-633 speed, where we merely had to drop to 4-2-2-8 timings to go further. 4-2-2-8 carried us, with increasing voltage to about DDR2-730, where we needed to drop to the still fast 4-2-3-8, which reached all the way to our highest overclock of DDR2-821. Frankly, we might have gone even further by slowing timings even more, but we were already closer to our new test bed limit of DDR-864 than we ever believed we would be at this early juncture.

So, OCZ PC2-4200EB is fast at stock, and reaches the highest DDR2 speed that we have ever tested, at the fastest timings that we have even found with DDR2 at every benchmarked speed. Did we also mention that our test memory was 1GB DIMMs? While it is also available as single-sided 512MB DIMMs, there is little, if any, performance penalty with the double-sided 1GB DIMMs. Those looking for higher capacity DIMMs that won't require dismal timings have reason to rejoice.

It is rare that we get so excited about a product, but that excitement is deserved with OCZ PC2-4200EB. In every way that you look at it, this memory is the yardstick against which all future DDR2 memory will be measured. Yes, it is expensive, but it is also that good. We don't know all the parts that OCZ used in creating this incredible memory, but they need to buy up all the chips and corner PCB production before others find out their sourcing. OCZ PC2-4200 is the first memory to get us excited about an Intel board in a long time. Combined with one of the great new 925XE motherboards, this combo is capable of some very serious overclocking and the best performance that you will find in an Intel system.