Mushkin Redline XP4000: Winbond with Voltage Be Damned
by Wesley Fink on May 16, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
Final Words
OCZ may have been first to market with high voltage 2-2-2 memory, but Mushkin Redline XP4000 competes very well with the top OCZ VX Gold PC4000. Mushkin is clearly doing a very good job of binning the Winbond UTT chips, since performance in every area was as good as, or slightly better, than the OCZ that we tested a few weeks ago.It is not faint praise to say that the Mushkin Redline we tested was at least the equal of OCZ VX Gold 4000 – the fastest DDR memory that we have tested up to this point. Mushkin Redline is a quality memory, which is the important point of this review. The Mushkin is actually the fastest DDR memory that we have ever tested at 2-2-2 timings, edging out OCZ at the top at DDR544 compared to DDR538. However, it would be a mistake to make too much of this, since the performance seen from OCZ VX Gold 4000 and Mushkin Redline XP4000 was virtually identical. The variations between them were what you would find as normal variations with any two memories using the same chips from lines using similar binning strategies.
Mushkin Redline XP4000 is some of the fastest memory that you can buy, but it requires special handling that will not be everyone’s cup of tea. You need to feed it about 3.5V for best performance. Only one production board family supplies those voltages out of the box – the DFI nForce4 series Ultra or SLI. If you want to use another board, you may be able to use the OCZ DDR Booster, which costs about $40, to supply the higher voltages. The DDR Booster won’t work on every motherboard, but it does work on most. Or lastly, you could go on Enthusiast Forums to find the latest volt mod for your favorite motherboard. Just keep in mind that a volt mod will almost surely void your warranty.
If these options don’t scare you away, then get ready for some outstanding performance with either Mushkin Redline XP4000 or OCZ VX Gold 4000. There are no other options that can deliver 2-2-2 DDR memory timings at almost DDR550 speed. It takes voltage to get there, but you can be sure that your memory performance is as good as it will get.
If, on the other hand, the options for reaching 3.5V frighten you or really are not something that interests you, then move on to another memory. Mushkin Redline and OCZ VX are not for everyone. There are many readers who will think all this effort is a waste of time and resources, and they should select another memory. That is why there are complete systems, separate components, a wide range of component performance levels, and Dell and HP, all serving the computer market. Not everyone has the same goals, interests or passions for computer technology.
Mushkin Redline XP4000 clearly delivers what it promises to the Computer Enthusiast. If that level of performance is what you’re looking for, and you’re willing to provide 3.5V of memory voltage, then you will be very satisfied with Mushkin Redline memory.
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jmke - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
I agree with you completely Zebo; is an increase of 2-5FPS in an already OLD game like Wolfenstein worth $300 (memory + ddr booster/new motherboard)?I don't think so
Zebo - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
My above comments excludes cyber-athletes participating in cyber olympics. Mainly geared twards average enthusiast at AT.Zebo - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
As usual almost no difference with increased bandwidth:At 2400Mhz same timings:
DDR400 though DDR533 are virtually identical, less than 5% within one another on the largest game, wolf.
It is'nt until you bump processor speeds (which I never liked this testing method for memory) do the numbers begin to change signifigantly with added bandwidth. Due to bandwitdh? nope, due to running 2.72Ghz A64 instead of 2400Mhz.
Anyway I think these sticks are a waste of $ for the most part. Primarly due to the fact you must push signifigant volts though them and fan them and maybe destory them if not well learned. Noise and only DFI can provide this voltage eliminates lots of people. One is much better off IMO with low volts TCCD or some crucial 8T running 2-2-2 ~200Mhz at low volts all day without the noise of additional ram cooling.
thumbs down to extreme modules.
cryptonomicon - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
VX/REDLINE/UTT is nice and everything, but I don't get why people will buy it since BH and CH based models are much cheaper and perform very similarly with a bit less voltage, and can also run stock at 2.6v-- which makes them incredibly flexible. best ram ever.bersl2 - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
#5: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid...The point of that thread is to show that in *real-world* situations, the measurable effect of 2T over 1T seems to be no more than 3%. Also keep in mind that at 2T, you can OC the RAM higher and tighten your other timings, and thus you can OC well with 4 sticks or more than 1G of RAM.
flatblastard - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
Nice review....I couldn't help but notice that in most of the benchies that mattered, hi-po ddr400 2-2-2 was at the top of the charts. Especially OCZ Plat Rev 2 and Crucial Ballistix....kinda makes me wonder if DFI mobo with high voltage ram is just a big waste of time and money.Shinei - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
Which thread? As far as all AT benches have shown, 2T cripples performance on Athlon 64 testbeds...Anyway, great review, but I gotta wonder just what we're going to be doing to cool our cases in a few years--active cooling for the RAM, northbridge, CPU, and video card (the latter two of which account for 150+W)... Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to turn on my computer one day, and there'll just be a tiny mushroom cloud where the case used to be?
Lonyo - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
Any hopes of some 2T command rate testing/overclocking potential-ing?A thread has shown 2T makes very little difference to performance, but may help overclocking a bit, so mabye we could see if this stuff can be pushed even further?
JustAnAverageGuy - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
P1: "OCZ st arted it all with their VX series memory."P2: Redline is available as DDR433 (PC3500) p arts.
For these reasons, Mushkin Redline memory was only tested on the DFI LANP arty nF4 SLI-DR Athlon 64 Socket 939 test bed.
P3: The Mushkin Redline XP4000 was tested with the DFI LANP arty nF4 SLI-DR Athlon 64 Socket 939 motherboard.
We have found the 6800 Ultra to be a p articularly good performance match to NVIDIA motherboards
Don't worry though, all those macros are spelling error free ;)
classy - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
Great performance, but the price is really high. Especially considering the fact the OCZ 3200 Gold is not far behind and is almost $100 cheaper.