OCZ PC3200 2GB Dual Channel Gold Edition GX XTC

Introduction

With dual-channel memory a mainstay of any desktop system nowadays, it's no wonder that many memory manufacturers are marketing dual-channel kits as part of their after-market products. OCZ has been in the business of providing, among other things, high-performance memory products aimed at the enthusiast and/or overclocker, who aims to get the most out of their system and loves to build and tweak their rig to perfection.

Some of you will note that DDR-2 memory is already in use on a significant number of new Intel systems, and with AMD slated to introduce DDR-2 support later this year, it would appear that DDR-1 is on the way out. However, we all know that transition takes a while, and so in the meantime it is important to have the very best from the mature DDR-1 platform. Can OCZ deliver the performance, quality and reliability that are demanded by enthusiasts in their new XTC line-up?

Specifications

This 2 GB kit is based on two 1024 unbuffered DIMMs running at 400 MHz (PC-3200) with timings of 2-3-3-8 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS). They are matched sticks, designed to be run in Dual-Channel mode, so you know that you won't have any configuration problems when running these two DIMMs together. They also feature Extended Voltage Protection, or EVP, while allows you to set the VDIMM to 2.9V ± 5% without invalidating the OCZ Lifetime Warranty.

The OCZ XTC kit.

Two 1024 MB matched DIMMs.

Also new is the XTC or Xtreme Thermal Convection design; these refer to the heat spreader design, which has been modified to allow both increased ventilation and therefore heat dissipation. OCZ is featuring this design on a lot of their new memory products, and it certainly does look nicer than the previous design. These were some of the benefits you'd notice right away that the OCZ kit would have over generic memory.

It should be noted that though this is a PC-3200 kit, OCZ does have PC-3500 certified versions of the XTC kit should you need that guaranteed extra speed. If you're interested, more specifications for this kit are available here.

The OCZ kit, like previous ones, comes to you looking very nice - the memory modules are covered on both sides by the new XTC heat spreader design, and are both clearly labeled. The new design features a new OCZ logo (with just the 'Z' displayed) and will still look very nice inside any case with a window. Compared with the old design, one might argue that they look better, or worse, one thing is for certain: the new design is lighter than the previous one. Since the previous design consisted of solid heat spreaders, this added quite a bit of bulk to the modules.

CL settings.

Compared to old design.

The new heat spreader design also is attached differently; most heat spreaders are one-piece designs held in place by the use of clips that go over the top - OCZ previously used this setup. Since the new design is separate on each side, the heat spreaders end up being directly attached to the memory chips. The heat spreaders still make the DIMMs a little wider and hence easier to install into the memory slots. As you can also see, the new "honeycomb" design should allow for better ventilation - you can see the outline of the memory chips beneath them.

Honeycomb design.

Attached to memory modules.

This kit also comes in a 1 GB version though as it always, more is always better when it comes to RAM, especially if you plan on doing memory-intensive tasks such as image or A/V editing.

Also, memory is becoming an issue with some of the newer games out there, and even though it's insane to think that a game could require 2 GB of RAM to run at its best, one should always be prepared.

Lastly, it's always a good idea to future-proof a system, especially with Windows Vista probably coming out within the year.