Corsair Twin2X DDR2 5400C4 ProSeries Review

Normally the benchmarking section is divided up into 2 separate sections though due to the nature of the Corsair Twin2X 5400C4 modules it was decided that all of the numbers should be represented together. In all of the benchmarking cases the memory multiplier remained at 3:4 with the only changes being voltage and timings. For the purposes of this review the lowest timings used were 3-3-3-8.
(Consequently these timings are the same used on the Corsair Twin2X 4300 DDR2 modules.)

To attain the 14Mhz overclock and remain stable the vDimm was raised to 2.0V, while the DFI LanParty 915P supported higher voltage settings a certain degree of care towards the hardware was extended. Likewise the 50Mhz overclock reflects the highest stable overclock using default timings 4-4-4-12 and the same 2.0V vDimm. The ending overclock frequency fell shy of the targeted 675Mhz but is still quite impressive.

One of the common mistakes is to think that all memory modules are the same while in reality slight timing changes between the modules can result in lower overall memory performance. Some factors to look for when buying memory are basic memory timings. CAS is usually listed first and of course lower is better, be sure to note what voltage was used to program the memory module. 1.8V is default for DDR2 but in the case of these Corsair Twin2X modules 1.9V was used to speed qualify the memory. Mixing mismatched latencies is bad though mismatched voltages, in some cases, can be worse.

System memory can only be as fast as the slowest link so it is important to install matched memory modules whenever possible for the best performance. The Corsair Twin2X series makes this easy since ever memory pair is assembled, tested, and programmed together to ensure the highest level of compatibility and speed.

Now for the ever popular list of Good things and Bad things.

Decent overclocking headroom
Low Latency Support
More LEDs across the top
Runs very cool

Requires additional voltage to run overclocked
Module speed not realized by currently available hardware

I would like to thank Corsair for helping to make this review possible.