Test Rig:

• Pentium 4 2.4c
• ABIT IC7-MAX3
• PowerColor Radeon 9800 XT (Catalyst 4.2)
• 200 GB Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9
• LiteOn 16X DVD-ROM
• Soyo Raptor 400W Power Supply
• Windows XP Professional (latest updates)

Super PI

Super Pi calculates the infamous number PI from 16 thousand all the way up to 32 million digits! For our testing purposes, we decided on two million digits which takes 20 iterations. Super Pi then spits out the time (in seconds) that it took to do the calculations. Obviously, the lower the number, the better.

Super PI

Time (lower is better)

Corsair XMS PC3500 @ 400 MHz (Single)

Corsair XMS PC3500 @ 433 MHz (Single)

Corsair XMS PC3500 @ 433 MHz (Dual)

Crucial PC3200 @ 400 MHz (Single)

134.6

124

120.3

135.6

0

(Seconds)

200

 

 

From these results, you can see that the Corsair PC3500 clocked @ 400 MHz is slightly faster than the Crucial PC3200 by one second (out of over two minutes). The Corsair at PC3500 speeds dropped ten seconds off the calculation time. While in dual channel mode, an extra four seconds were shaved off.

Conclusion

As you saw from the benchmarks, PC3500 has a definite advantage over PC3200. While Corsair's PC3500, especially when utilizing dual channels, gives an impressive performance, I was quite disappointed that I couldn't overclock any further than 448 MHz over the rated 433 MHz. However, with the perfect ratio of timings and MHz, I am sure a little more raw speed could be squeezed out.

Performance-wise, Corsair has done a great job. The ability to have faster memory is a definite plus for those who want to overclock their Intel processors and aren't able to modify the multiplier. While PC3500 is no longer the fastest out there, Corsair is still in the lead producing up to PC4400.

Overall, Corsair has put out a product that looks (gotta love those nifty heat spreaders) and performs great! However, if this isn't fast enough for you, we will be taking a look at Corsair's PC4000 in the near future.

Pros

Excellent performance
Stylish heat spreaders
Rock solid

Cons

Too cool for school!