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Introduction

Corsair step up to the plate and release PC3700 memory

Corsair was, in many people's eyes, the industry leader for high-speed system memory. That's particularly true of 2002, where a number of high performance modules were released under the XMS (eXtended Memory Speed) banner. From pure MHz to low latencies, Corsair seemed to have the top-end RAM situation covered. However, a number of other manufacturers have now surpassed Corsair with respect to pure modules' specification. We've seen OCZ market a number of PC3700 (DDR466) modules, the latest of which ran in dual channel mode with 2-7-3-3 latencies; impressive specifications and performance.

Corsair isn't one to be brushed aside, though. Recent press releases have confirmed that not only do Corsair plan on releasing PC3700-based memory immediately, plans are afoot for launching PC4000 (DDR500) right here, right now. The catalyst has been Intel's soiree into 200FSB-capable chipsets, spearheaded by the Canterwood and Springdale duo. These boards, in full retail form, have often managed to run at 275FSB+ with perfect stability. A basic understanding of how memory controllers interact with the MCH informs us that synchronous (1:1) running of FSB and system RAM is preferable, for having to buffer for asynchronous running is a performance penalty in itself.

AMD, too , are steadily increasing the FSB potential of its CPUs, and accompanying motherboards are now hitting 220FSB+ with comparative ease. What this all boils down to, really, is the need for super-fast memory that'll run in dual channel mode; that's where it's at right now. Without further ado let's take a look at some of Corsair's newest RAM. Optimised for dual channel running at DDR466 speeds, and marketed under the nomenclature of TwinX, it should be a decent performer.

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