OCZ PC-4200EL Memory - Page 7

- Conclusion

The OCZ PC-4200EL is referred as a “Universal High-Speed Memory” according to the official OCZ press release. It offers what it promises, memory speeds up to DDR558+Mhz (depending the M/B and memory voltage) and lower memory timings than any other PC4200/4300/4400 memory kits currently sold. The memory will be useful for people who have a P4 2.4, 2.6 and even 2.8 GHz processor and wish to overclock (1:1) their CPU to the maximum speed. P4 3.00, 3.2 and especially 3.4 GHz users might not find the memory useful since other OCZ products offer lower cache latency (2-3-3-6) and good overclocking abilities as well.

Coming back to our tests, we saw that it is important to use the proper motherboard in order to get the best results. The MSI Neo2-FISR was not a good choice for testing since we couldn’t get CL2 at DDR400 and higher than 270 FSB speed (1:1). The OCZ PC-4200EL memory showed its true performance with the ASUS P4C800E-Deluxe and nearly gave 1 GHz overclocking on our P4 2.4C while the system was rock solid even with air cooling. If the ASUS motherboard allowed voltages higher than 2.85V for DDR, we are sure it could reach even 290 FSB (1:1) as several other reports have shown. Possibly with 5:4 (FSB:RAM) setting the FSB could break the magic 300Mhz barrier, but we wanted to test only the 1:1 synchronous operation.

We hope in the near future to test the latest OCZ PC-4400EL and other high speed memory from other vendors so we can have a clearer view regarding such fast memory devices and what can be offered to both low/high end P4 users. Overall, the OCZ PC-4200EL is a product we would highly recommended for all overclocker enthusiasts!

The Good:
- Supports CL2 at DDR400
- Supports CL2.5 at DDR533
- Can go up to DDR558+ offering very good overclocking capabilities (1:1)
- DDR Voltage can raised up to ~3.0V without breaking warranty
- Very good performance at all speeds

The Bad:
- Works best with specific motherboards, so be careful before buying!

Like to be fixed:
- Maybe a lower price? ;-)