Introduction:

Do we really need another introduction of world famous Mushkin? Good! Then let's get right to the ram. The PC2-4200 CL 3-2-2-8 is some of the fastest DDR2 on the planet with excellent over-clocking head room. Thanks to the pre-programmed SPD in eeprom the PC2-4200 CL 3-2-2-8 will auto configure the memory timings for optimum performance. When Mushking advertises this ram at CL 3-2-2-8 then you can bet your system will boot up at CL 3-2-2-8.

OK so what gives with the pens you ask? Well they are compliments of Mushkin Enhanced Memory Systems. These are for sale on the Mushkin store front and are very nice in deed. The have a ribbed jello grip on the pen and they write real smooth, these things are actually selling like hot potatoes. Who would of guest!

The PC2-4200 CL 3-2-2 looks almost identical to the PC2-4200 CL 4-4-4 offering. Don't let that suprise you, this ram is new from center up! Don't forget this is DDR2 memory and while physically the same size, DDR2 DIMMs have more pins (240 vs 184 for DDR) and run on a lower voltage (around 1.8-2.0V vs 2.5V for DDR). Mushkin's DDR2 memory is designed for use in the latest generation motherboards.

Let's take a better look at these memory sticks. The front and back side are looking exactly the same except that you have the Mushkin sticker on the front. At least that is what we will call the front of the memory sticks. Underneath the spreaders you will find Micron 37E series modules powering the PCB.

The heat spreaders are rugged, interlocked and double clamped for proper contact with the intergrated circuits and do a great job of spreading the thermal load. Again Mushkin is using their black heat spreaders for this purpose.

Some extra view on the end of the memory sticks, as you can see these are of a very high 6 layer PCB standard. These are 240 pin, unbuffered, non-ECC modules. DDR2 consumes 28% less power than first generation DDR allowing for higher clockspeeds and reduced latencies. Includes SPD EEPROM programmed to JEDEC spec latencies of CAS 3-2-2-8, but will run at even tighter speeds of 2-2-2-6 under a 200 MHz FSB!  WOOOOOOOO!

PC2-4200 CL 3-2-2-8 Features:

• Capacity: 512MB, 1GB Dual Pack (2x512MB)
• Speed: 533MHz DDR2
• Latency: CAS 3-2-2-8 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
• Package: FBGA
• Package Type: Lead Free   
• Interface: 240pin
• Voltage Requirements: 1.8-2.0V
• Available in Dual Pack for Dual Channel boards
• Unbuffered, Non-ECC

This ram utilizes the Micron 37E series integrated circuit package which also supports features like posted CAS additive latency (AL). This feature allows the READ command to be issued prior to tRCD (MIN) by delaying the internal command to the DDR2 SDRAM by AL clocks increasing performance.

Test Rig:

• Cooler Master Stacker Model STC-T01-UW Case
• LANParty™ 925X-T2 Motherboard
• Intel® Pentium® 4 550 LGA 775 3.4GHz CPU
• Mushkin PC2-4200 CL 3-2-2-8 1024MB DDR2
• Antec Neo Power 480watt Modular PSU
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCI-Express
  

This is our aging PCI-Express DFI LANParty 925X that we have been using for our review for several months now and we will put it to use once again! This configuration responds very well to Mushkin ram. The last ram we tested we where able to pump the FSB up to 244 MHz using the PC2-4200 CL 4-4-4 ram we first reviewed back in November.

An inside look at how the Mushkin memory kit looks like on the DFI LANParty 925X-T2. And due to the memory stick being covered by the black heat spreaders you almost don't notice them. Of course the front sticker makes sure you do. Well you can say what you want, but the UV dimension on the DFI LANParty 925X-T2 still gives it a nice touch and we just wanted to bring that to the review.

200 MHz FSB:

Everything is set to default for this first test. So I won't bore you with the details.

Configuration 1:

Model : Intel Corporation 925x Memory Controller Hub
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 200MHz (800MHz data rate)
Width : 64-bit
Maximum Bus Bandwidth : 6400 MB/s (estimated)

Logical/Chipset 1 Memory Banks:

Bank 0 : 512MB DDR2-SDRAM 3.0-2-2-8CL 1CMD
Bank 4 : 512MB DDR2-SDRAM 3.0-2-2-8CL 1CMD
Channels : 2
Width : 64-bit
Performance Acceleration Technology : Yes

Features:

(W)MMX Technology : Yes
SSE Technology : Yes
SSE2 Technology : Yes
SSE3 Technology : Yes
HTT - Hyper-Threading Technology : Yes

Int Buff'd iSSE2 (Integer STREAM) Results Breakdown

Float Buff'd iSSE2 (Float STREAM) Results Breakdown

RightMark Memory Analyzer - Stream

To analyze the performance of the memory we use RightMark Memory Analyzer (RMMA). RightMark gives a good overview on how the Mushkin memory will perform in real life situations. This is the performance you can expect when running the memory modules at stock speeds with an Intel P4 3.4GHz.