| A-DATA Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2 Memory Review |
| Written by Maxit | ||||
Page 1 of 2 
Price: £203 inc vat Supplier: A-DATA Manufacturer: A-DATA The memory market has shifted firmly towards DDR2 with the latest delights from Intel and AMD demanding high performance DDR2. With speeds in excess of 1000MHz, if you want the best possible performance from your Core 2 Duo or AM2 processor, it's time to get jiggy with your memory. A-DATA supplies a huge amount of the worlds memory needs with products ranging from SD memory cards, USB 2.0 disks to range topping Extreme Edition memory for the ultimate in gaming performance. So why shell out for 1000MHz DDR2 memory instead of more wallet friendly DDR 800? A-DATA have the answer. "When DDR2 achieves a clock frequency of 1000MHz, its data transfer bandwidth reaches 8GB/sec, which is 25% more effective than DDR2 800 (6.4GB/sec). The product can even achieve a bandwidth of 16GB/sec with the support of dual channel architecture. It also perfectly fulfills overclock users' aspiration for performance by being coupled with HT (Hypertransport) or FSB (Front Side Bus) of a speed faster than 1G/sec." A-DATA kindly sent over a sample 2GB kit of their attractive looking Vitesta PC2-8000 DDR2 memory for the MaXit Monsta to have a sniff at. Yummy.      The official specs read as:
A-DATA recommends this memory for the Core 2 Duo series, Core 2 Extreme X6800/QX6700 in ASUS P5B Deluxe motherboard and AMD Sempron 3500+ in an ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. In truth it will work in just about any Core 2 Duo or AM2 platforum without a problem but it's always nice to know what equipment A-DATA test in. To maintain quality and stability, A-DATA carefully selects original chips with 64Mx8 BGA packaging that are able to run at 1000MHz+ speeds in 1GB and 512MB configurations. 3D platforms thrive on 2GB so if you're thinking about buying performance memory, you'll defintely want the dual channel 2GB version. The memory features high quality coated red aluminum heat spreaders with a touch of 'Extreme Edition' bling. They look cool but also serve a purpose by enhancing the cooling mechanism and boosting stability of the modules. Of course A-DATA guarantees the modules to achieve 1000MHz via overclocking since its production is closely supervised by A-DATA's production, R&D, and quality control - something we can happily report is not just marketing blurb. The default module SPD is set at DDR2 800 and 4-4-4-12 timings. This allows enthusiasts to ramp up the performance off the DDR to 1000MHz by manually adjusting the DRAM module parameters in the BIOS. Anybody buying this memory will no doubt want to squeeze every last drop of performance out of it but it is nice to see fast default SPD timings programmed out of the box. Beginners who are not familiar with the dark art of overclocking will be please to hear that A-DATA has included Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) which are applied to DDR2 1000+ to automatically provide the best solution for a system supporting them. Any nForce 590 SLI platform should automatically detect the best memory module settings and configure them accordingly. Even if the thought of overclocking breaks you out into a cold sweat, the extreme edition memory modules from A-DATA will make sure your system is running efficiently at stock settings. In The LabsTo test these babies out, we enlisted our big, bag, yellow memory eating machine with its watercooling Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor, ASUS P5 Deluxe Motherboard, ASUS 8800GTX graphics card and pair of fluffy dice. |
