OCZ PC3200 EL DDR 400 memory
 

Manufacturer: OCZ Technology
Supplied by: OCZ Technology
Street Price: $150 

by Dean Barker  (7/12/2003)

Introduction

The last stick of OCZ memory we had here was the PC3200 Extended Latency RAM which impressed up to no end.  In an effort to build on to its success, OCZ has put out a "Platinum" version of their PC3200 RAM.  The difference is, the Platinum version sports, as they phrase it, "hand picked" 4.5ns OCZ memory chips.  I'm not exactly sure what hand picked means since the only hand picking I can do is with apples.  But let's take a look at what we have here to see if the Platinum version is hype or not.  Let's start out with the specs.

Specifications

• Rated at 2-2-3-5 1T @ 400 MHz DDR

• ULN Technology: Ultra Low Noise shielded PCB

• Platinum mirror finished copper heat spreaders

• Available in 256mb and 512mb DIMMs

• Lifetime warranty

• Unbuffered

The Stick

The mirrored finish of the copper heat spreaders is a BIG plus in my book.  How many copper sinks or other PC components do you have with that one tarnished fingerprint spot on it?  Anything to keep me from polishing components is welcome indeed.  The Platinum version RAM is also a pretty heavy stick.  Coming in at 79gms it is two grams heavier than the standard OCZ EL PC3200 memory.

    

The OCZ Platinum EL PC3200 is offered in 256mb and 512mb sizes.  With memory being priced what it is, I always recommend going with a half gig stick.  I'd actually like to see the big memory makers put out some gig sticks.

Performance

Testing the memory in our book is pretty straight forward around here.  Keep jacking it up till it fails.  To ensure that stability is maintained, we will be running the SiSoft Sandra 2003 burn in module as well as Mad Onion's 3Dmark2001 SE in a loop for an hour to confirm that our speeds are running glitch free.

 

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