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Doom 3

Doom 3 is very sensitive to processor and memory speed at low resolution, so it makes a good benchmarking tool :-)

For some reason the Crucial PC6400 at stock 800MHz 4-4-4-12 turned in slightly better Doom 3 results than lower latency PC8000 and PC8500 memory running at 800MHz - but what is really interesting is how well the PC6400 did when overclocked - getting the second and third highest results!

Conclusion

 At the start of this review we asked two questions:

1. "Do these modules meet their specifications?"

The answer is clearly Yes. No muss, no fuss - set the memory timing to DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12, and they just worked.  This is a sure sign that Crucial are not trying to exaggerate any claims.   Considering the volume of memory that we've tested and used and helped our friends buy, we've seen a small but very real share of memory claiming very tight timings that weren't able to deliver that without some tweaks in the BIOS.

2. "Can we exceed the manufacturer's specifications?"

The answer is a resounding YES!

I was VERY happy to see how far I could exceed the specifications - running at 1000MHz (PC8000) at 4-4-4-12 timing with 1GB sticks rated at only PC6400 is no mean feat; and provided us with some great benchmark scores.

By 1020MHz we can no longer maintain the 4-4-4-12 timing, and had to slow down to 5-5-5-15 timing to get the system stable; however at the slower latency settings, we were able to get to 1071MHz, so we were able to run these modules slightly in excess of the PC8500 specification; at PC8568 to be precise :)

Now there is no way for us to know if every pair of Crucial Ballistix PC6400 dimm's will perform this well, however I think its fairly safe to say that I'd expect every pair to be able to significantly exceed its ratings. The memory we received seemed to be in normal OEM packaging, and did not look like hand selected "golden" samples, so given how happy I was with the results I obtained, I am happy to award it our "Recommended" award!