Mushkin PC3200 Level II V2 (2-2-2-5) DDR Memory

Reviews: Hardware

Motherboards | Power Supplies | Memory | Systems | Video Cards

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Brian Kristensen
Kurtis
Mushkin
Aug. 29, 2004

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Conclusion

This being my first time working with Mushkin's memory, I must say that I am very pleased with what I have seen through my testing. The PC3200 Level II V2 modules we tested for this review are specifically designed to run at 2-2-2-5 at DDR400 in both AMD and Intel systems. While Intel systems benefit much more from higher bandwidth, Athlon based systems can also benefit from the extremely low latencies.

The modules performed very well at their rated timings and speeds. Additionally, the memory was able to overclock to 213 MHz (almost PC3500 speeds) with timings of 2-2-2-5! Relaxing the timings allowed for a maximum overclock to 250 MHz, hitting DDR500 (PC4000) speeds with timings of 3-3-3-7! While this memory wasn't able to surpass 250 MHz, it was able to at least reach it with more aggressive timings than found with most PC4000 modules.

This memory is tuned to run at lower speeds with tighter timings, where as other modules, including Corsair's PC3200 XL, prefer higher speeds with more relaxed timings. It generally comes down to what kind of memory you are looking for. If you prefer, or are forced to stay below DDR500 speeds, you should definitely consider this Level II memory which allows for tighter timings and better performance at speeds under DDR500. However, if you are a bandwidth hog and want to push the MHz as much as possible, Corsair's PC3200 XL would make a worthy alternative. As a small note to those who may not have the best motherboards, this memory can run at its rated 2-2-2-5 @ DDR400 with a mere 2.5 volts while many other modules require at least 2.75v.

With all that said, you really can't go wrong when looking at 2-2-2 memory from the major competitors out there. While there are some variations between the different modules, from what we have seen they all pretty much kick ass. You can purchase a 1 GB dual channel set of Mushkin's PC3200 Level II V2 memory directly from Mushkin for $319. This is very competitively priced with other brands and you don't have to hassle with finding a decent store to buy from. Overall, this is some kickin' memory!

Pros

Extremely low latency
Great performance
High quality
Great overclock @ 2-2-2-5 (213 MHz)
Good overclock @ 3-3-3-7 (250 MHz)
Competitively priced

Cons

Nothing worth noting

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: A Closer Look
Page 3: Test Setup / Overclocking
Page 4: SiSoft Sandra 04 / PCMark04
Page 5: ScienceMark 2 / Super Pi
Page 6: Conclusion

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11 User Comments

1 - Posted by MaNiAk21 on August 30, 2004 - 1:17 pm

Mushkin<3 If only I had some money for a memory upgrade now.. that's what I really need right now. I can't believe I still have 256MB still myself..

2 - Posted by Rich on August 30, 2004 - 2:35 pm

Ouch, 256! Hope you are running win2k!

3 - Posted by Brian on August 30, 2004 - 3:56 pm

Ouch! Are you running XP on that computer?

We need some sort of Salvation Army of computer equipment!

4 - Posted by Rich on August 30, 2004 - 8:38 pm

I think that is called my basement, x486 anyone?

5 - Posted by Brian on August 30, 2004 - 8:40 pm

I have a 486 DX2 if anyone is in need!

Man, the good ol' days where you could just clip a little rough heatsink onto the top of a processor. Didn't even know what thermal paste was back then!

6 - Posted by Rich on August 30, 2004 - 8:53 pm

Heatsink?????

7 - Posted by Brian on August 30, 2004 - 8:56 pm

Apparently you have never dealt with the insane heat that is released due to the extreme power of the DX2 series!

8 - Posted by MaNiAk21 on August 31, 2004 - 8:48 pm

LMAO.. actually.. it runs quite well.. on XP.. extremely well in fact, but I CAN notice a difference when playing games at times. Normal desktop use as it is used for most of the time is speedy as hell so I'm good for now. :) But a donation of a/some PC3200+ 512Mb stick(s) would be good. ;)

9 - Posted by Dyrewolph on August 31, 2004 - 9:06 pm

Let me guess... visual settings set to min... performance settings set to max... no background... nothing running in the background except your Antivirus... and your HD gets defragged every 30 minutes?

10 - Posted by MaNiAk21 on September 1, 2004 - 2:02 am

Funny. :P Visual Settings to max.. Quality to max.. background.. defrags on it's own when I'm not looking (Diskeeper is a good piece of software).. and at time AV is the only thing open but what else do I use besides AIM and Winamp that would be open? And as you can't answer that, I think I will.. and the answer? Some stuff.. :P

11 - Posted by pheno on September 23, 2004 - 8:32 am

price is not accurate as of 9/22/04

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