OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 2GB Gold Edition Dual Channel

Examination:

As always with OCZ’s memory modules, the 2GB OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 modules are very aesthetically impressive. The heatspreaders on these modules are found on all Gold series modules from OCZ, and are polished to a nearly perfect mirror finish. As we’ve mentioned before while reviewing OCZ’s GX modules, these are some of the best quality heatspreaders we’ve come across on memory modules. They are thicker than the recent Corsair XMS heatspreaders and heavier. Similar to other OCZ memory products, the heatspreaders are held on with two metal clips and thermal padding tape. As with all OCZ Gold Modules, the only identifier of the memory type is a sticker on the heatspreaders. The plastic casing and paper backing both only provide general information. The sticker on these modules identifies them as “PC4000 1024MB EL Dual CH Gold Edition.” Also specified on the sticker, these modules are designed to run at 3-4-4-8 timings and the P/N on the sticker is “OCZ5002048ELGE-K.”

With that covered, we took a look under the heatspreaders to see what chips are hiding underneath. Although it’s very simple to do, doing so isn’t recommended, as it will void your OCZ Lifetime Warranty. These modules are double-sided and the IC’s are Samsung’s UCCC chips with the specific labeling being K4H510838C-UCCC with a batch number of 525. According to Samsung’s specifications, UCCC chips are designed to be run at 200MHz/400Mbps @ 3-3-3-X. OCZ has pushed these modules to 250MHz @ 3-4-4-8 timings. Currently the king of the 2GB overclocking world is Micron’s -5B D chips, with some of these chips being able to reach speeds of 300MHz at timings of 3-3-3-8 1T. Unfortunately, the Samsung UCCC chips cannot usually reach those kinds of speeds. They usually top out somewhere around 260-275MHz with 3-4-4-8 1T timings, but we’ll see for ourselves later on in this review.