Mushkin XP4000 Redline
7. Overclocking
Mushkin has managed to associate its name with overclocking throughout the years. So we were very impatient to try out the XP4000 Redline modules to see how they stand up to overclocking.
We initially tried to reach the rated operating frequency of 500MHz (2x250MHz). As expected, the memory worked like a charm and passed all the torture tests.
We then increased the voltage with increasing frequencies while raising the timings at the same time. We were happy to see that the memory can work at 3.1v, but voltages higher than this are dangerous for the motherboard. However, we had the feeling that the memory could handle even more voltage.
The highest operating frequency we got was 577MHz (2 x 288.3MHz), which was something to shout about. Fantastic overclocking potential. We then reduced the voltage and came up with a system running at 2x288.3MHz and 2.8v. We simply fell in love with the Mushkin XP4000 Redline modules :-) We should also point out that the timings remained considerably low, at 3-5-5-10.
The system passed all the torture tests and we had it going for 2 days with the Mushkin memory in an overclocked state. Although we expected to have two toasters instead of memory modules at these high frequencies and voltage, the memory was not that hot to touch, not even when we cranked it up to 3.1v.
We re-ran some tests with the memory operating at 577MHz to see the difference in performance.
As already mentioned in the first page, Mushkin is well known to most PC enthusiasts and is considered to be a must for overclockers. The XP4000 Redline justifies this reputation and reported a major boost in performance in most cases. With the memory capable of such high overclocking, it might be safer to knock it down a notch and overclock it at 550MHz for 24/7 use. At 550MHz, we managed to get 3-4-4-8 timings.