Page 9 - Overclocking Results
As all memory at the same speed ratings and similar latencies perform pretty much identically (The Core architecture is quite tolerant in terms of low or high latencies, unlike Athlon 64s), it is usually the overclockability that sets itself above all. The OCZ Flex XLC PC2-6400 CAS4 series, utilizing the unique Flex XLC heatsink, is promoted to be a overclocker's choice due to cooling system. However, as pointed out earlier, it's still at 2.2V EVP if you want it to be under warranty, and same specifications as the OCZ Platinum XTC Rev. 2 memory.
What difference will it make? Let's check it out.
Given 2.2V at stock latencies of 4-4-4-15, the maximum stable overclock I managed to reach is 458MHz -- the CPU is intentionally set on a divider to make sure the processor is not limiting the overclock of the memory. That's DDR2-916 or PC2-7328 -- or a 14.5% overclock. Personally I think that is quite disappointing to an extent.
At the same voltage of 2.2V while loosening the timings to 5-5-5-15, the maximum stable overclock I was able to attain was 475MHz from 400MHz. This means it is at DDR2-950 or PC2-7600; meaning a 18.75% overclock. Again, it is quite disappointing in my opinion. I am not saying it is entirely bad, but memory aimed for this level of users should be more optimized for overclocking performance rather than only stock performance.
Loosening the timings on our Flex XLC CL4s did not help much. I've heard some users get over DDR2-1000 at these latencies; however we cannot achieve that speed. Every stick overclocks differently though.
One of the most prominent features in this regard of the OCZ Flex XLC PC2-6400 CL4 RAM is the water cooler. Due to the availability of a better cooling solution, you can directly connect your water cooling system with the already provided water cooler without spending any more cash than what you pay for the Flex XLC CL4 RAM and then dissipate heat away from the memory. By doing so, you can remove heat away from the case (Thus by affecting other components) as well as using higher voltages than you normally can. In general, I believe the EVP from OCZ should be higher than 2.2V if water cooling is taken into effect for overclocking. Our test system does not implement water cooling techniques, thus providing little advantage to this RAM. We have heard the effectiveness of the Flex XLC heatsink when water cooling is applied, and thus creates a good potential for higher voltages than regular heatsinks.
Therefore, the thing that's most different from OCZ Flex XLC RAM is the potential of heat dissipation over the OCZ Platinum XTC Rev. 2.
Page Index
Page 1 - Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
Page 2 - A Closer Look, Installation, Test System
Page 3 - 3DMark06 Results
Page 4 - PCMark05 Results
Page 5 - EVEREST CPU Results
Page 6 - EVEREST FPU Results
Page 7 - EVEREST Memory Results
Page 8 - SuperPI, Cinebench 9.5, EVEREST Memory Latency Results
Page 9 - Overclocking Results
Page 10 - Overclocking Continued, Conclusion
