Overclocking
In short, the Patriot PC2-8500 2 x1GB modules do not overclock that well as far as MHz go - but I was able to get them to run significantly faster then stock.
As you saw from the charts, I managed to run them at 1044-4-4-4-12 timings - which is 23 MHz lower than the 1067-5-5-5-9 figures, but they nevertheless turned out better performance. Granted, much of the increased performance was due to higher CPU performance, but 1044-4-4-4-12 WAS a part of it.
How did I reach these results?
- High-quality Asus P5W DH motherboard
- QX6700 Quad Core processor
- Noctua 12 cooler with dual 12cm fans
- CPU Vcore to 1.45V
- DDR Vmem to 2.4V
- Memory timings to 1044-4-4-4-12
- Northbridge voltage to 1.5V
- FSB voltage to 1.4V
Conclusion
The Patriot PC2-8500 modules may not overclock to sky-high levels, but they do meet their specifications -- which at 5-5-5-9 are lower-latency than most other PC2-8500 modules on the market (which usually run at 5-5-5-15). Even without overclocking, the Patriot modules offer solid performance at their rated speed.
Even more, they significantly exceed their specified timings at a slightly lowered clock rate, offering overall much better performance at 1044-4-4-4-12 than the official 1067-5-5-5-9 timing. I don't know about you, but I'll take actual, measurable performance advantages over a superficial 23 MHz gain.
Looking at the current pricing landscape for high performance memory across all brands, you'll find prices from $95 to $610(?!), so at $136 after rebate, these PC2-8500 modules from Patriot are a real steal!
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