Introduction
Introduction
G.Skill is a renowned manufacturer of memory products and they have released many high performance products in the past. G.Skill claims that they haven't forgotten about the mainstream market and they have released several new DDR2 kits for the mainstream market as well. In this review we will have a look at a Pi Black series PC2-6400 4GB kit.
Well on first look they look pretty cool....however they would have looked uber cool if they had the PCB black too.
The G.Skill PI Black PC2-6400 (4GB) product code is “F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B†and the memory EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles) information is as follows: 1.9v 800MHz CL 4-4-4-12. This means that if the motherboard supports the EPP feature, it should automatically configure the memory to run at these specifications. These are very good timings for ddr2 memory, featuring a 2GB capacity per stick.
[BREAK=Packaging]
Packaging
The G.Skill Pi series modules are supplied in a very simple but effective black package.. At the rear you can read basic data about the specifications of the set and the contact details of the company. The packaging can be opened like a book, allowing the potential buyer to see the modules through a window and a couple of charts which advertise the heatspreaders on them.
[BREAK=Specs and build]
CAS latency : 4-4-4-12
Capacity : 4gb (2gb x 2)
Speed : ddr2 800 (pc6400)
Test voltage : 1.8~1.9v
Pcb : 6 layers
Reg/unbuffered : unbuffered
Error checking : non-ecc
Type : 240-pin DIMM
Warranty : lifetime
EPP : Yes
Build
The G.Skill Pi Black series are built on a 6 layer PCB, unlike the Pi Series which is using an 8 layer PCB.
They feature the same fancy aluminium heat spreaders as the original Pi series which G.Skill claims are revolutionary, only this time the heat spreaders are black . The heat sinks measure 125mm long, 50mm tall and 7mm wide. They are lightweight and the strange intertwining design can aid the thermal performance due to the increased air flow resistance and dissipation surface. They are better than typical aluminium heat spreaders but not as extreme as other cooling solutions we have seen from various manufacturers.
The ram was stripped by legionhardware.com
Though they were unable to figure out what the IC's used were (since nothing is printed on the chips) other forums claim that the IC's are Qimonda a well known co. making high end memory IC especially for the graphic cards.
[BREAK=Test config and setup]
Test config and setup
Cpu e8400
Rams g.skill pi black pc6400 cl4
Mbo abit ip35-e
Hdd Seagate 200gb
Psu vx450
Gpu ati 4850
Benching utilites
Everest ultimated edition 4.6
Cpu-z
orthos
[BREAK=Benching and overclocking]
Benches and overclocking
After different trial and errors I found these results
DDR2 800mhz 4-4-4-12 @ 1.85v
DDR2 920mhz 4-4-4-12 @ 2.1v
DDR2 1000mhz 5-5-5-15 @ 2.05v
DDR2 940mhz 5-4-4-10 @ 2.1v
Havent gone beyond 2.1v as these results were satisfactory according to me
. Have ran orthos and found em stable.
[BREAK=Final words and Verdict]
Final words and Verdict
The G.Skill Pi Black PC2-6400 800MHz 4GB kit offers great value and performance at a reasonable price..
It certainly isn't one of the fastest kits currently available but it overclocks quite well and should be a fine addition to any mainstream system. The new heatspreaders are not astounding, but they are much better than the simple heatspreaders of the lower end models. The gaming performance is also better than what other RAMs offer.
Pros :
+Excellent vfm
+Good overclockability
+Cool (pun intended)
+Better heat spreaders than that that other rams offer
+Low voltage
Cons :
-Not an excellent overclocker. Serious overclockers should avoid these.
Verdict :
If you are looking for a 4GB or 8GB RAM set the G.Skill Pi PC2-6400 should get serious consideration.
Available at 49.99$ from newegg this kit delivers excellent VFM. As a user I am very happy with its performance.:hap2:
References: Legion hardware.
Introduction
G.Skill is a renowned manufacturer of memory products and they have released many high performance products in the past. G.Skill claims that they haven't forgotten about the mainstream market and they have released several new DDR2 kits for the mainstream market as well. In this review we will have a look at a Pi Black series PC2-6400 4GB kit.
Well on first look they look pretty cool....however they would have looked uber cool if they had the PCB black too.
The G.Skill PI Black PC2-6400 (4GB) product code is “F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B†and the memory EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles) information is as follows: 1.9v 800MHz CL 4-4-4-12. This means that if the motherboard supports the EPP feature, it should automatically configure the memory to run at these specifications. These are very good timings for ddr2 memory, featuring a 2GB capacity per stick.
[BREAK=Packaging]
Packaging
The G.Skill Pi series modules are supplied in a very simple but effective black package.. At the rear you can read basic data about the specifications of the set and the contact details of the company. The packaging can be opened like a book, allowing the potential buyer to see the modules through a window and a couple of charts which advertise the heatspreaders on them.
[BREAK=Specs and build]
Build
The G.Skill Pi Black series are built on a 6 layer PCB, unlike the Pi Series which is using an 8 layer PCB.
They feature the same fancy aluminium heat spreaders as the original Pi series which G.Skill claims are revolutionary, only this time the heat spreaders are black . The heat sinks measure 125mm long, 50mm tall and 7mm wide. They are lightweight and the strange intertwining design can aid the thermal performance due to the increased air flow resistance and dissipation surface. They are better than typical aluminium heat spreaders but not as extreme as other cooling solutions we have seen from various manufacturers.
The ram was stripped by legionhardware.com
Though they were unable to figure out what the IC's used were (since nothing is printed on the chips) other forums claim that the IC's are Qimonda a well known co. making high end memory IC especially for the graphic cards.
[BREAK=Test config and setup]
Test config and setup
Cpu e8400
Rams g.skill pi black pc6400 cl4
Mbo abit ip35-e
Hdd Seagate 200gb
Psu vx450
Gpu ati 4850
Benching utilites
Everest ultimated edition 4.6
Cpu-z
orthos
[BREAK=Benching and overclocking]
Benches and overclocking
After different trial and errors I found these results
DDR2 800mhz 4-4-4-12 @ 1.85v
DDR2 920mhz 4-4-4-12 @ 2.1v
DDR2 1000mhz 5-5-5-15 @ 2.05v
DDR2 940mhz 5-4-4-10 @ 2.1v
Havent gone beyond 2.1v as these results were satisfactory according to me
. Have ran orthos and found em stable. [BREAK=Final words and Verdict]
Final words and Verdict
The G.Skill Pi Black PC2-6400 800MHz 4GB kit offers great value and performance at a reasonable price..
It certainly isn't one of the fastest kits currently available but it overclocks quite well and should be a fine addition to any mainstream system. The new heatspreaders are not astounding, but they are much better than the simple heatspreaders of the lower end models. The gaming performance is also better than what other RAMs offer.
Pros :
+Excellent vfm
+Good overclockability
+Cool (pun intended)
+Better heat spreaders than that that other rams offer
+Low voltage
Cons :
-Not an excellent overclocker. Serious overclockers should avoid these.
Verdict :
If you are looking for a 4GB or 8GB RAM set the G.Skill Pi PC2-6400 should get serious consideration.
Available at 49.99$ from newegg this kit delivers excellent VFM. As a user I am very happy with its performance.:hap2:
References: Legion hardware.
