OCZ Flex XLC PC2-9200 Review - PAGE 1

Yes, another high performance memory review :)

This time we are looking at OCZ's very cool looking water-coolable PC2-9200 performance modules. OCZ has been known to issue some of the most impressive performance RAM in the industry, and they intend on following that tradition with the most impressive looking FLEX XLC modules.  Some of you might remember that OCZ pioneered some of the fancier memory heatspreaders over the years, and this is another fine example of that spirit too.  The large, silver colored water cooler compatible heatsinks look simply amazing.  Don't let the looks alone dazzle you however, on some motherboards the added height of these giant heatpreaders, especially when tubes run to them, would interfere with oversize coolers. Presumably if you are going to be water cooling the memory sticks, you would also be water cooling the processor - so the height of the heatsinks may not be an issue to people using water cooling.

The Flex XLC PC2-9200 memory is spec'd to run at 1150MHz with 5-5-5-18 timings, an impressive number to be certain, but during this article I intend on pushing beyond its specs ;).

Specifications

• 240 pin DIMM
• 1150MHz DDR2
• 5-5-5-18 timing
• unbuffered
• 2.35V
• FlexXLC Heatsink
• 8 layer PCB
• guaranteed to run at 2.4V
• lifetime warranty

Now what's special about the heatsink?  OCZ has gone to some length to ensure that this isn't just some huge metal slab sandwiched around the memory.  Take a look at the diagram:

Here are OCZ's notes on the diagram above:

* The new OCZ FlexXLC (Xtreme Liquid Convention) heatsink delivers superior heat dissipation via the integrated hybrid copper and aluminum liquid injection system. The FlexXLC module was engineered with this unique “flexible” design to give enthusiasts the unparalleled option to run the modules passively or water cooled. The concurrent use of both technologies (water-cooling) promotes maximum heat dissipation and pushes thermal management of memory modules one step further to keep up with the ever-increasing frequency demands. FlexXLC modules seamlessly co-migrate with any system upgrade to liquid cooling.

**The PC2-9200 series is engineered with an 8-layer PCB with thermally conductive power and ground planes to guide heat away from the ICs and maintain the necessary signal integrity for high-end modules.

***OCZ EVP (Extended Voltage Protection) is a feature that allows performance enthusiasts to use a VDIMM of 2.4V ± 5% without invalidating their OCZ Lifetime Warranty.