Corsair TWINX2048-4000PT Review - PAGE 1

Today we take a look at Corsair's XMS 4000 PC4000 dual channel kit, and see if it has what it takes to take on OCZ, who is currently the leader in our lab's high performance memory reviews.

PC4000 DDR memory is rated to run on a 250MHz double data rate memory bus; this means that only those people who are willing to overclock the memory bus of their Athlon processors (or memory bus of VIA or other DDR compatible Northbridges for Intel processors) can fully utilize the potential bandwidth of this memory, as running it at a 200MHz memory bus effectively turns it into expensive PC3200 memory.

As those of you who have been following our latest reviews know, we are not satisfied with merely running parts at manufacturer's recommended settings... I like to find out how far I can push gear I test :-)

Premium memory kit suppliers take advantage of the fact that most memory chips will run over their "nominal" design ratings. By carefully testing the chips for reliable operation at higher speeds they can qualify a percentage of the chips tested for higher speed grades - so for example, they might get a large batch of chips from a memory manufacturer, which are designed for PC3200, then test to see how many of them are reliable at PC4400. The ones that fail can be tested for PC4000, and the ones that fail that can try for PC3500.