ADATA XPG V1.0 Low Voltage Review: 2x8 GB at DDR3L-1600 9-11-9 1.35 V
by Ian Cutress on December 6, 2013 2:00 PM ESTOverclocking Results
When it comes to memory overclocking, there are several ways to approach the issue. Typically memory overclocking is rarely required - only those attempting to run benchmarks need worry about pushing the memory to its uppermost limits. It also depends highly on the memory kits being used - memory is similar to processors in the fact that the ICs are binned to a rated speed. The higher the bin, the better the speed - however if there is a demand for lower speed memory, then the higher bin parts may be declocked to increase supply of the lower clocked component. Similarly, for the high end frequency kits, less than 1% of all ICs tested may actually hit the speed of the kit, hence the price for these kits increase exponentially.
With this in mind, there are several ways a user can approach overclocking memory. The art of overclocking memory can be as complex or as simple as the user would like - typically the dark side of memory overclocking requires deep in-depth knowledge of how memory works at a fundamental level. For the purposes of this review, we are taking overclocking in three different scenarios:
a) From XMP, adjust Command Rate from 2T to 1T
b) From XMP, increase Memory Speed strap (e.g. 1333 MHz -> 1400 -> 1600)
c) From XMP, test a range of sub-timings (e.g. 10-12-12 to 13-15-15 to 8-10-10) and find the best MHz theses are rated.
There is plenty of scope to overclock beyond this, such as adjusting voltages or the voltage of the memory controller – for the purposes of this test we raise the memory voltage to the ‘next stage’ above its rated voltage (1.35V to 1.5V, 1.5V to 1.65V, 1.65V to 1.72V). As long as a user is confident with adjusting these settings, then there is a good chance that the results here will be surpassed. There is also the fact that individual sticks of memory may perform better than the rest of the kit, or that one of the modules could be a complete dud and hold the rest of the kit back. For the purpose of this review we are seeing if the memory out of the box, and the performance of the kit as a whole, will work faster at the rated voltage.
In order to ensure that the kit is stable at the new speed, we run the Linpack test within OCCT for five minutes as well as the PovRay benchmark. This is a small but thorough test, and we understand that users may wish to stability test for longer to reassure themselves of a longer element of stability. However for the purposes of throughput, a five minute test will catch immediate errors from the overclocking of the memory.
With this in mind, the kit performed as follows:
| Test | PovRay | OCCT |
| XMP | 1603.85 | 76C |
|---|---|---|
| XMP, 2T to 1T | Already 1T | Already 1T |
| 1800 9-11-9 | 1598.21 | 76C |
| 1866 9-11-9 | 1593.88 | 76C |
| 2000 9-11-9 | No POST | No POST |
Off the bat our 1600 kit will jump to 1866 MHz in its stride, but 2000 at the same timings is a no-go.
| Subtimings | Peak MHz | PovRay | OCCT | Final PI |
| 7-9-7 | 1400 | 1613.60 | 77C | 200 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-10-8 | 1600 | 1610.20 | 77C | 200 |
| 9-11-9 | 1866 | 1623.81 | 78C | 207 |
| 10-12-10 | 2000 | 1596.91 | 78C | 200 |
| 11-13-11 | 2133 | 1620.29 | 78C | 194 |
| 12-14-12 | 2200 | 1619.96 | 77C | 183 |
| 13-15-13 | 2200 | 1609.89 | 77C | 169 |
A base-line PI of 200 is a good result (1400 C7 through 2000 C10), showing that there is some headroom from the basic settings of around 10%.
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MelvisLives - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
even for things like folding the T/S series make little senseI run my normal 84W haswell i5 at 2.6Ghz with a -0.26V offset to allow me to run it in my htpc case without a cpu fan, maths says its max tdp will be about 40W, with the added bonus I can increase it if i want or move case.
so i guess my point is, T series cant be made to hit the same levels as a standard i5 but a standard i5 will undervolt/underclock to T series level, and they cost exactly the same, making T series poor value.
popej - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
I have recently flashed BIOS update, which included new microcode from Intel. As I understand this microcode update not only disabled any overclock for non-K Haswell (multicore enhancement) but also possibility to undervolt CPU. It is quite possible, that your i5 could be affected too.MelvisLives - Saturday, December 7, 2013 - link
thats sad to hear if its true, and does change things slightly, but it also means that intel are aware how poor value the T/S chips are and are trying to keep a market for them since a i5-4570 is the same price as an i5-4570S and 4570T.peterfares - Sunday, December 8, 2013 - link
But that raises the question: why bother? If they're the same chips sold at the same price, why artificially make three different models with different capabilities? It makes sense if they sell them for different prices (even if it is a douchy thing to do).ShieTar - Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - link
The non-T/S versions are usually better/more efficient than specified, so in most cases they will indeed perform the same as the T/S. But you could be unlucky and get a unusually inefficient normal chip, which really uses up its 84W TDP.purerice - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
Thank you for your explanation. I actually had been tempted by the 4770S/4670T because I thought there was a bigger difference. I am still in the age where underclocking was done manually.As for this RAM, the article was very in depth and well-done but I am a little disappointed that the article didn't show any make or break situations. For example, all of the dGPU framerates were playable while none of the iGPU framerates were playable. The tests should have been done at resolutions that would have produced borderline playability to better see in which situations the there would be a noticeable difference.
MrSpadge - Sunday, December 8, 2013 - link
Agreed: regular CPUs with lowered voltage are far better value than S/T models. Or underclocked and undervolted, if necessary. This does involve manual testing, though.oranos - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
what's the point of "low voltage" ram. I fail to see any real world difference between 1.35v and 1.5v standard.MrSpadge - Sunday, December 8, 2013 - link
You've got to run a lot of them, like in a server farm, for this to matter.shing3232 - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
I would like to have this kind of ram at laptop