Crucial 256MB PC 2100 DDR SDRAM
Alright enough about all that. Let’s check out the product at hand.
The module we’ll be reviewing today is a Crucial 256MB PC2100. Taking a closer look at the module you’d notice that these chips are Micron RAM chips rated at CAS 2.5.
However as you’ll see soon our tests reveal that these can perform quite stably even at CAS 2. The chips are arranged in a 32MB x 64 array form. We’ll be comparing the performance of this module with another Mushkin 256MB PC 2100 module. I noticed that the PCB of the Crucial module was quite smaller than the Mushkin module. Can’t think of any positive or negative reason for this though 🙂
Before we go any further, I think it’s appropriate to introduce Crucial technology to any new user out there. So here’s an extract I took from their website.
“Crucial Technology is a division of Micron Semiconductor Products, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc. Located in Boise, Idaho, Micron manufactures dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips and assembles them into memory modules for the global computer industry. Currently, Micron is the only DRAM manufacturer in the US and one of the three largest in the world. Micron is one of the top suppliers of memory to the major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including Compaq, Gateway, micronpc.com, HP, and IBM.”
No wonder they call themselves the Memory Experts!!!
Specifications for module
- Package: 184-pin DIMM
- 256MB capacity
- Feature: DDR PC2100
- Configuration: 32Meg x 64
- DIMM Type: Unbuffered
- Error Checking: Non-parity
- Voltage: 2.5V
- CAS Latency =2.5
Installation
Installation is quite straight forward really. However if you need any guidance Crucial includes and handy installation manual which gives out detailed instructions on how these should be installed. If you’re totally new to hardware installations, I would suggest it’s best to get someone who knows around a PC to initially install the module just to make sure nothing screws up.
It’s worth noting the fact that crucial has a life time warranty on their memory products. However if you overclock the module in any sort the warranty is void. However my justification for overclocking is this. If you aren’t too concerned with a mere $179, go right ahead and crank it up. Furthermore I should let you know that, in all my life I have never lost a memory module after overclocking it. The worst that’ll happen is the system will crash and you’d have to clear the CMOS and reboot. Nevertheless there always could be one exception, so don’t hold me against anything 🙂 All right folks, on to the tests.
Test System
| CPU | AMD 1.2GHz Athlon Thunderbird |
| Motherboard | IWILL KA266-R |
| Memory |
|
| Hard drive | IBM 60GB Deskstar 75GXP 7200RPM |
| Video Card | Visiontek Geforce 3 |
| Benchmark software | Sisoft Sandra 2001 |
Let’s start from the very beginning with no overclocking at all. Here are the results after running the system at stock standard. (Which means no memory performance tunings or CPU overclocking)
Benchmarks
Crucial 256MB PC 2100 @ 133 FSB-CAS 2.5
Next I went into the BIOS and tweaked the memory performance setting from “Normal” to “Fast” and changed the CAS setting to 2 from 2.5
Crucial 256MB PC 2100 @ 133 FSB – CAS 2
Quite a boost ain’t it. However please not that the mainboard we’re using here to test the modules is an Ali Magic Chipset board, which really isn’t the best performing DDR mainboard out there in the market. So these results are considerably less than what you would expect from a KT266A mainboard. We’ll update this review very soon once we receive our Soyo Dragon Plus. So stay tuned.
Next I kept the same memory settings and overclocked the CPU to 1224 (9 x 136). Not what you call a quantum leave in terms of overclocking, nevertheless I just decided to take one step at a time.
Crucial 256MB PC 2100 @ 136 FSB – CAS 2
I must say this isn’t too bad really. In fact I’m quite impressed.
