OC Report :: Crucial Ballistix 2x1GB PC3-16000 CL9
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...istix_logo.png
"Still rock my khakis with a cuff and a crease..." Guess who's back? That's right, it is the original OC Report rearing its dual 32M running head and the star of the show is once again a kit of Ballistix. Last time around the test platform was quite a bit different than this session but at the heart of it, the 240 pin DDR3 DIMM slots haven't changed...just everything that powers and supports them including motherboard, chipset, and processor. Make sure you are buckled in and please keep your arms and hands inside the ride at all times, things are about to get crazy.
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...ucial_logo.png
Crucial, or should we say Micron, continues to run the DDR3 SDRAM game and it doesn't look like that is about to change any time soon. Since my last Ballistix OC Report, a few things on the hardware landscape have changed, most importantly the label on the ICs of the highest rated DDR3 kits money can buy. As we will see in a short while, the D9 variant of Micron IC's powering this kit is not like the last and despite some differences, the primary ass kicking aspects of this memory are still the same. Micron continues to push the envelope and develop ICs that keep things interesting for use enthusiasts and keep the debate hot whether one is better than the other. Remember the DDR2 D9GMH/D9GKX arguments that populated every major overclocking forum not that long ago, including this one? Well get ready for round two because the DDR3 equivalent is already here and I am going to be fanning the fire with these results.
Directory:
The format is the same, the methodology is the same, and the goal is the same...make the memory scream. As I always say, let's get this horse and pony show on the road!
Specifications, Features, & Pricing
I think the majority of users here are more than familiar with DDR3 specifications and likely already know the details about this kit. So I wills imply present those specs for you and not dummy it down with an explanation.
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...00/specs-1.jpg
Like I said, this memory simply stated is rated for DDR3-2000 or 1000MHz @ 9-9-9-28 w/1.90v. Now it doesn't say anywhere on the Crucial web site which chipsets these ratings are for so we are left to assume that this would be for any chipset. Unfortunately I highly doubt that to be correct. For sure this memory is rated for 1000MHz operation on NVIDIA 7 series chipset based motherboards due to the EPP2.0 profile or in marketing terms 'SLI-Ready' when in fact it has nothing to do with SLI. It simply means NVIDIA based motherboards can read the EPP profile and adjust settings accordingly to the specifications, including voltage. This is very much the same as the Intel XMP profiles. Here is a look at the SPD table as well as the default timings when the EPP2.0 profile is enabled. Which, by the way, works perfectly on the EVGA 790i NVIDA reference motherboard with timings, memory ratio, and voltages being adjust correctly.
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...6000/spd-1.png http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...6000/spd-2.png
The EPP2.0 profile sets the secondary timing tRAS at 28, tRC at 50, Command Rate to 2T, and tRFC at 110. All of these timings are extremely loose, as are the main timing sets of 9-9-9. This will ensure that the memory can run at 1000MHz with only 1.9v but it will also all but kill performance on the 790i chipset because my testing has found that tighter secondary/primary timings will usually beat out higher frequencies a lot of time...the frequency really needs a big jump to overcome loose timings. Of course this is based on SPi 32M testing but since SPi relies heavily on the memory sub-system, it seems the most logical test. Bandwidth doesn't seem to be effected as much by the loose secondary timings though so real world difference in programs other than SPi may or may not show a huge disadvantage.
In a few moments we are going to look at the modules and what we will find is that the ICs populating these modules are Micron D9GTS (MT41J128M8BY-15E). These ICs are the big brother, if you will, of the famous Micron D9GTR ICs that have been populating PC3-14400 CL7 kits for months now. The family part number is MT41J128M8BY and encompasses both D9GTR and D9GTS ICs. Digi-Key no longer has any MT41J128M8BY parts listed on their site, only Arrow electronics does but I find their prices to be highly inflated. For example, on D9JNL which both Arrow and Digi-Key stock, the price difference is nearly $9USD/unit higher at Arrow. With that as our reference, D9GTS should be selling for about $10USD/unit because Arrow has it listed for $18USD/unit. This could be way off though as we can't find any IC supplier selling D9GTS aside from Arrow at this point. Of course, Crucials cost is going to be lower because their parent company Micron is the producer. This puts the IC cost of each module at approximately $80USD (based on my quasi math which may be completely off as D9GTS might be closer to the $18USD/IC that Arrow lists), so when considering two modules per kit, we are up to $160USD. That doesn't include binning costs, PCB costs, or the cost to manufacture; which isn't exactly cheap but doesn't exactly justify the price when you consider kits of D9JNL binned for 1000MHz for $240USD or $270CND from OCZ. Either way, here are the full specifications outlined, the information has been pulled straight from the Micron web site:
D9GTS Specifications- Density: 1Gb
- Part Status: Production
- RohS: Yes
- Depth: 128Mb
- Width: x8
- Voltage: 1.5V
- Package: FBGA
- Pin Count: 86-ball
- Clock Rate: 667 MHz
- Cycle Time: 1.5ns
- Op. Temp.: 0C to +85C
- CL: CL = 9
- Data Rate: DDR3-1333
The only difference in the listed specs of D9GTS and D9GTR is the difference in rated frequency and the CL at that frequency at 1.5v. This D9GTS is rated for operation at 667MHz with a CL9 @ 1.5v while D9GTR is rated for operation at 533MHz with a CL7 @ 1.5v. This is very similar to the difference between D9GMH and D9GKX in the DDR2 world. It would make sense then that D9GTR is normally found on PC3-12800/PC3-14400 CL7 kits of memory and this D9GTS is on the PC3-16000 CL9 kit because of these ratings. Other manufacturers who have PC3-16000 kits aren't using these IC's though. It has been reported that a number of manufacturers are using D9JNL for their DDR3-2000 kits so it was a bit of a surprise to find D9GTS on these modules. We also know that this very kit from Crucial is also coming with D9JNL which is what we expected, so obviously not all kits are going to be D9GTS. Here now is a list of retail outlets and their prices where this memory can be purchased at the time of posting:
At this point, the pricing on this kit is un-acceptable to be honest. Any on-line outlet that has this memory available has this kit priced at well over $600 and weren't even worth posting, I simply listed NCIX.com as a reference for Canadian users. I understand this is a highly rated kit of DDR3 but OCZ has a similar binned kit, likely using different D9JNL ICs but still binned for DDR3-2000 CL9, for $270CND/$240USD. It would be impossible to recommend the Ballistix over the OCZ because the difference between the ICs is so minimal that the cost offsets those differences quite easily. It is hard to say if all PC3-16000 kits coming from Crucial are D9GTS or will be going forward but I like to see a price drop for the Ballistix to become more competitive.
Make Way For The King of Bandwidth
Click for full size...
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...ll/setup-1.jpg
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...ll/setup-2.jpg
http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/rev...ll/setup-3.jpg
Many of you will already be familiar with this setup despite this being the first OC Report on my EVGA 790i motherboard. At this point, this motherboard has already taken the 32M world record for E8400 processors, was the first to break 15K read bandwidth in Everest, and absolutely clocks memory like a beast. Everything that has touched this motherboard has been considered gold so hopefully that streak continues with this kit. Here is a break-down of the hardware that was used for the results we are about to see.
Code:
Setup:
MB: EVGA 790i Ultra SLI (vMCH / vDROOP / vCORE mods)
CPU: Intel C2D E8400 (Q808A476)
CPU Cooling: Chilly 1 SS
GPU: 2 x BFG 9800GTX / Biostar 8600GTS 512MB DDR3
NB Cooling: Swiftech MCW30 / PA 120.2 / DD5
SB Cooling: Thermalright HR-05-SLI
PWM Cooling: Swiftech MC14s
PSU: Ultra ULT-750P
HD: Seagate SATAII 80GB 8MB NCQ
OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
Ambient Temperature: 22-23C
All of the dual 32M screenshots were done with the dual 9800GTXs as there are two GPU temps in the Everest on screen display. Since then though, the 9800GTXs had to move on and I am back with my trusty 7600GS for any further benchmarking. There may be a point where my HIS HD3870X2 is used for some 3D benching with this kit but can't say for certain.
Single 32M Action :: 1010MHz 7-6-5 @ 2.197v
so apparently the 790i doesn't mind 7-6-5 that much...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
3oh6
32M SPi :: 1010MHz 7-6-5 @ 2.197v
click for full size...including memset
http://3oh6.com/forum_posted/reviews...6-5_1010-1.png
and CPU-z validation of course...
http://valid.x86-secret.com/cache/banner/369632.png
I am not even sure how I got on this setup exactly but I found myself clocking this kit at 7-6-5 with single 32M and when I reached 1000MHz, I thought I should start paying attention. The above few screenshots are the maximums I could squeeze out of them today without going over 2.20v. When considering how well this kit clocks at 8-7-6, these 7-6-5 clocks are absolutely incredible. And who said 790i didn't like 7-6-5 :D
