| OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage DDR3 Memory |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Memory | |
| Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst | |
| Friday, 12 November 2010 | |
OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage DDR3 KitThe max speed officially supported on a Core i3/i5 CPU is 1333MHz, and most will know too well that that even lower priced Intel H55/P55 Motherboards can support a 200 BCLK. If you like to dabble in the dark art of overclocking there are a few good reasons to choose a 2000MHz (PC3-16000) RAM kit. Firstly you have the options of lower voltage and tighter timings at lower speeds, and next you have the added benefit of higher memory bandwidth at the top speed. Last but not least though is the overclocking headroom, sure you could try to push your 1600MHz kit to 2000MHz but there are not too many kits that will do that, and you will certainly have to pay a premium. OCZ have a broad range of DDR3 RAM from basic to extreme, today Benchmark reviews will be testing the Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage Dual Channel 4GB Kit (PN: OCZ3BST2000LV4GK) priced at $106.99 for your reading pleasure. The Blade ST 2000MHz kit from OCZ runs at its rated speed with CL9-9-9-24 timings @ 1.65v. During testing we were able to lower these timings and the voltage but along with this was the sacrifice of speed, unfortunately it wasn't possible to tighten the timings or lower the voltage at the rated speed.
The OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz RAM kit is designed specifically for i3/i5/i7 CPU's based on the Intel P55 chipset, although looking at the color scheme one might believe otherwise. As long as your setup can support the rated voltage of 1.65v there is no real reason why an AMD system couldn't take advantage of this kit, this is further backed by the SPD table (which we will get into later in this article).
Manufacturer: OCZ Technology Group, Inc. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by OCZ. OCZ Blade ST SpecificationsThe official specifications for this memory kit are as follows:
Below is an excerpt from the OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage 4GB kit product page: "OCZ low-voltage Blade ST DDR3 kits are designed specifically for the Intel P55 Chipset and subsequent Intel CoreTM i7, i5, and i3 (Socket 1156) processors. Configured for dual channel mode, these ultra-compatible 4GB kits ensure optimal performance with an ideal combination of low power requirements at 1600MHz. By using sophisticated IC screening methods and qualifying on a variety of motherboards, OCZ low-voltage kits are the perfect complement for the P55 Chipset and choice CPU to deliver the maximum stability. Together, P55 and OCZ memory are the premium option for performance desktops. The Blade ST heatspreader aims to enhance heat dissipation to improve the longevity and stability of high frequency memory modules with new propriety design that has numerous slotted "channels" to efficiently offload heat away from memory chips and PCB. These new anodized aluminum heatspreaders are mechanically bound on each side for ultimate integrity, with a thin low-profile form factor that allows modules to be installed side by side to make use of all DIMM slots. OCZ Blade ST Low Voltage Dual Channel Kits are 100% hand-tested for quality assurance and each OCZ memory kit is backed by the industry-leading OCZ Lifetime Warranty and technical support for unparalleled peace of mind." Closer Look: OCZ Blade ST MemoryTime now to get a good look at the OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage 4GB kit, we will get into the finer details shortly.
The RAM ships in a fairly standard blister pack that shows it off in all its glory, this in itself offers minimal protection against damage and such but shouldn't be a problem if you buy from a reputable online outlet, as they should package this sort of item quite well for shipping. The information on the front of the packaging is minimal, the ratings are found on the memory modules themselves. On the reverse of the packaging you will find information pertaining to the Blade ST heatspreaders, OCZ's selection process and also information about the lifetime warranty and free technical support.
With the plastic removed we can better appreciate the looks of the Blade ST 2000MHz 4GB kit, the heatspreaders are made from aluminum and are a new propriety design from OCZ that feature "numerous slotted channels" to aid in heat dissipation. These heat spreaders are secured to the memory modules using thermal tape (on the IC's) and also with four bolts (beneath the logo sticker), hence the bubble you see in the top memory module. This is an unfortunate blemish on what would otherwise be a very nice looking RAM kit.
In case you hadn't already noticed, the heatspreaders on the Blade ST kit are rather tall and make the overall height of the memory module just under two inches. This may or may not pose a problem based on your selection of Motherboard and CPU cooler, in my case I have no problem since the first memory module is situated in the second DIMM slot but the gap between the fan on my CPU cooler and the first memory module is 2mm at most.
Zooming in on the product sticker we see all the pertinent information we need to identify the kit's specifications. If you know your terminology you will know that PC3-16000 = DDR3 2000MHz, but if you don't then in future you can use this formula to decode RAM speed: divide the PC3 number by eight to get the rated speed. Equally confusing can be the part number many memory companies use for their memory modules, once again allow me to decode this for you. 'OCZ' - Manufacturer | '3' - DDR series | 'BST' - Blade Super Tuned (product series) | '2000' - Speed in MHz | '4GK' - 4GB Kit (two modules). Other important information on the sticker are the timings, the rated voltage and the capacity of the single module.
The heatspreaders on the Blade ST 2000MHz kit have a nice brushed aluminum finish and are not so thick that they could conflict with each other if you were to utilize all of your motherboards DIMM slots. The kit has a very competitive price so the compromise is seen with the PCB, this kit would look extra special with either a black or red PCB but it will be mostly hidden by the DIMM slot and latches anyway, so it's not such a problem.
I can think of a few 1156 motherboards where this kit would be right at home with this color scheme and they are the ASUS ROG series, the EVGA P55 Classified 200 and the EVGA P55 Micro, although it does also look quite nice in my ECS P55H-AK black series motherboard. Like I mentioned earlier, the color scheme really shouts AMD black series to me and so long as your setup can handle these ratings then there is no reason why you should be excluded. SPD and Overclocking ResultsNow we have had a good look at the kit itself let's go now to the configuration. Looking at the SPD table below you would never think this is a 2000MHz kit.
The OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz kit is marketed as "designed specifically for the Intel P55 Chipset and subsequent Intel CoreTM i7, i5, and i3 (Socket 1156) processors", but looking at this SPD table you might be more inclined to believe the kit is designed for the Intel Core 2 series of CPU's. There are no settings even close to 2000MHz and to make matters worse there are no CL9 timings or 1.65v voltage settings either, that means anyone who buys this kit will have to be confident in the BIOS. Let's see what we can do with this kit, onwards and upwards...
Our first stop is at DDR3 1333MHz with CL6-6-6-16 timings and 1T Command Rate @ 1.5v. This is fairly decent but nothing to boast to your friends about so let's push it more.
Next stop is DDR3 1600MHz with CL7-7-7-20 timings and a 1T command rate @ 1.5v still. Not bad at all when you compare it to a DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator CL7 4GB kit (7-8-7-20) @ 1.65v, which costs $109.99.
Here we are at rated speed, setting correct full timings took a little bit of tweaking and rebooting but eventually we found stability. DDR3 2000MHz CL9-9-9-24 1T @ 1.65v, at $106.99 this kit offers very good value indeed.
Now we push beyond those rated settings and into unknown territory, as you can see above I have the Blade ST 4GB kit running at 2100MHz. This overclock was BCLK limited and by my Core i5 760's IMC as it only allows a max 2:10 RAM multiplier. I managed to boot at 212 BCLK but it was too unstable to bench with, I then rewound to the above settings and was stable in all but one of our benchmark tests. In the end I had to make do with a BCLK of 209 (DDR3 2090MHz) for the overclocked settings. My ECS P55H-AK motherboard offered me a theoretical 2:12 RAM multiplier which only worked at BIOS level, outside of the BIOS the i5 760 simply reverted to its max 2:10 multi. I was hoping to push this RAM more but as you will see in the tests there is little to no performance increase over 2000MHz anyway. Testing & ResultsTesting Methodology: DDR3At Benchmark Reviews we need to test memory without adding any other factors to the results. While testing stock speeds is usually easy, it only gets more difficult when we want to add overclocked results. We need to make some changes to the BIOS values and test each configuration to ensure maximum stability. First, I set the values on the BIOS and run Memtest to check if the kit is stable or not. I tried as much as possible to keep the CPU as close to it's stock speed as possible so it does not factor in any of the tests. Finally, Benchmark Reviews decides which frequencies are going to be shown in the graphics in order to leave the CPU factor outside of the equation. This way you'll probably see small differences between memory frequencies, latencies and voltage reflected on our charts without the CPU interfering in the results. Benchmark Reviews will use the following tests suites and applications:
Test System
For testing purposes we shall use the following settings while benching the OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage 4GB kit:
Benchmark Test ResultsBenchmark Reviews runs each tests at least 3 times to avoid special situations where scores are over or under exposed. Passmark Performance Memory Test benchmarks the memory and reports a test score. I´ve chose Memory Mark along with uncached read and write speed since they´re the most important benchmarks for memory testing on this suite.
The memory scales as we would expect in the synthetic Passmark Performance tests, that is until we get to our overclocked settings. Maybe we have an anomaly here or maybe the CPU factor has an influence on the results, either way we will see as we look at other tests. Performance gains at the higher speeds are minimal thanks to the tighter timings at the lower speeds. AIDA 64 Edition offers three simple memory bandwidth tests that focus on the basics; Read, Write, and Copy. In order to avoid concurrent threads competing over system memory bandwidth, the Memory benchmarks utilize only one processor core and one thread.
Once again scaling is as expected in a synthetic benchmark, AIDA 64 Extreme rewards higher scores based more on speed than timings in these tests. Our overclocked settings only take a hit on copy speeds this time round. A meagre 1.65% performance increase in read speeds and 1.90% increase in write speeds are achieved with our overclocked settings. Sandra is based on STREAM, a popular memory bandwidth benchmark that has been used on personal computers to super computers. It measures sustained memory bandwidth not burst or peak. Therefore, the results may be lower than those of other benchmarks. STREAM 2.0 uses static data (about 12M) - Sandra uses dynamic data (around 40-60% of physical system RAM). This means that on computers with fast memory Sandra may yield lower results than STREAM. It's not feasible to make Sandra use static RAM - since Sandra is much more than a benchmark, thus it would needlessly use memory. A major difference is that Sandra's algorithm is multi-threaded on SMP/SMT systems. This works by splitting the arrays and letting each thread work on its own bit. Sandra creates a thread for each CPU in the system and assigns each thread to an individual CPU. Another difference is the aggressive use of scheduling/overlapping of instructions in order to maximize memory throughput even on "slower" processors. The loops should always be memory bound rather than CPU bound on all modern processors.
In the Sandra test suite we get the same story with a happier ending, scaling is in line with speed rather than timings. We have a 4.16% performance increase in the Int Buffered test and we have a 3.88% increase in the Float buffered test with our overclocked speeds. In the next section we will focus on real world applications to see if the results gained will match those of the synthetic benchmarks. Application Test ResultsFor application testing I chose CineBench R11.5 OpenGL test. The intro of "The Gulag" from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (using Fraps to measure FPS). 7-Zip's built-in benchmark test, and the Retouch artists Photoshop CS4 Test, to see how the OCZ Blade ST DDR3-2000MHz 4GB memory would perform. First up: CineBench R11.5, this free benchmark tool by Maxon makes use of the same rendering code used in their professional "Cinema" line of products, and it performs several rendering tests to assess system performance. The OpenGL subtest uses a animated car chase scene rendered in real time, and reports the results in frames per second.
With test scores this close it is obvious that memory speed/timings have no influence on OpenGL, we should all know by now that higher end GPU's (even past generation) are powerful enough to handle graphics without calling up on the CPU or RAM for help. I think the 2000MHz score should be put down as an anomoly since all other results are so close. For the next test I recorded FPS using Fraps during the intro of "The Gulag" level from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The test is run at 1680x1050 with 4xAA with all other settings enabled and texture settings on high. GPU in use is a 9800GT 512MB.
As we can see again, memory speed really doesn't have any influence over games any more, even with a card that is pushing three years of age. Let's have a look at some different applications now to see what really does benefit from faster memory. Next up is the Retouch Artists Speed Test for Photoshop CS4. This program can benefit from both CPU and memory overclocks. Retouch Artists Test does a list of basic processes into an image similar to what someone would do to edit their vacation photos. There is some image resizing, duplicated layers, colors levels and image adjustments involved in the test. While this isn't a strict Benchmark (because you need to take the time with an external stopwatch), the results difference can be noticeable.
When we look at the Photoshop speed test results it's almost like we are looking at the synthetic benchmarks again, the performance to speed ratio is great up until when we overclock the RAM. I suspect that in this instance though, the CPU is playing an important factor in the results. At 2000MHz the CPU runs at 200x14 (2.80GHz) but at 2090 the CPU runs at 209x13 (2.71GHz) which would explain the difference in the top scores because Photoshop CS4 is highly dependant on the CPU also.
7-Zip is a very simple, yet useful application. How many times do you compress or decompress random files in a day? Well, 7-Zip has its own integrated benchmark which measures an average of KB/s compression. This application supports multi-threading, 64 bits OS, and it is very CPU dependant. We see again that increasing RAM speed will have an impact on overall performance but only when you adjust CPU performance accordingly. Low Voltage DDR3 Final ThoughtsTo summarize, increasing RAM speed will have more of an effect than tightening your timings but the two are very close. When overclocked in line with your CPU then you will get even better results. If you are solely playing games on your PC you will be just as well with a 1333MHz kit as you would with a 2000MHz kit as your GPU is your best tool here. The whole point of high speed memory kits is to allow you to increase your CPU speed higher without having to worry about RAM instability. My max stable overclock had a negative effect due to keeping the CPU as close to stock speed as possible during testing meant it was running slower in this configuration than all other configurations. At 1333MHz the CPU was 133x21 (2.79GHz), at 1600MHz the CPU was 160x18 (2.88GHz), at 2000MHz the CPU was 200x14 (2.80GHz) and finally at 2090MHz the cpu was 209x13 (2.71GHz). The OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz 4GB kit would possibly be best suited to an i7 series 1156 CPU or one of the 'K' series unlocked 1156 CPU's in my opinion, this is because they have the option of a 2:12 RAM multiplier with their IMC which gives more flexibility and tweaking potential when overclocking either the CPU or the RAM. The i3/i5 CPU's can easily run 2000MHz with a 2:10 multi but there isn't much room left to overclock.
The OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz 4GB kit wasn't the easiest RAM kit to work with, firstly the SPD table looked as if it was designed for Intel Core 2 CPU's instead of the specified Intel 1156 Core i3/i5/i7 CPU's that OCZ advertise on their website, and second there were no CL9 timings or 1.65v voltage settings to select which made setting up this RAM all that more difficult. Most people that buy RAM expect it to run at its rated speed or at least have a profile to select from, those people would more likely return this kit as faulty and cause unnecessary RMA's. OCZ Blade ST Memory ConclusionIn this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz Low Voltage 4GB Kit a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that it is better or worse than a similar RAM kit which has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the RAM kit is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself. The OCZ Blade ST 2000MHz 4GB kit performed very well at lower speeds of 1333MHz and 1600MHz where we were able to lower the voltage to 1.50v and tighten the timings to CL6 and CL7 respectively. Overclocking was hindered somewhat by the IMC on my Core i5 760 CPU as it has a max 2:10 multiplier; this meant that the overclock was dependant on the BCLK. There were no memory errors at 212 BCLK but the CPU was not stable enough to bench with. My max stable overclock of 2090MHz had a negative effect as the CPU was running a little slower than it was at all other configurations tested. Appearance is subjective and is different to all individuals, due to the graphical nature of our reviews you can easily make up your own mind on what you think. I really like the look, the design is different than other tall heatspreaders. The brushed aluminum is a very nice look indeed and the render and color scheme on the sticker makes this kit stand out. I'm not overly keen on the green PCB but most of it is hidden out of sight by the DIMM slot and catches anyway. The only real blemish on these modules is where the sticker covers the screws and you get little bubbles, but that's just me being picky. Construction is second to none, period. The heatspreaders are very well attached and are made of some heavyweight aluminum, they feel double the weight of my previous G.Skill RipJaws kit which gives me the sense of strength and build quality that I expect from a premium product. Functionality is where this kit lets us down, Firstly the SPD table doesn't relate to the product and secondly there are no CL9 timings or settings with 1.65v to choose from which makes things in the BIOS more tricky than they need to be. Honestly OCZ need to take a look at the JEDEC's in the SPD table before they get too many returns due to users not being able to run this kit at its rated speed, sort this little problem out and you will have a winner. If you can and don't mind tweaking you will find this RAM kit will be quite rewarding. The OCZ Blade ST Low Voltage 4GB kit (P/N OCZ3BST2000LV4GK) is sold for $170.99 at Amazon, which is good value for the money and outweighs many issues that may have been raised in the previous sections of this conclusion. For this price you won't get much better I don't think, if you have the know-how and you don't mind spending some time tweaking then I would definitely recommend this kit to you. If you are just a beginner in the overclocking scene you should look past this kit and go for something simpler, unless you fancy a challenge. Pros:
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