Introduction

The brand name OCZ Technology is now becoming more and more prevalent among the enthuisasts. Their memory products seem to really appeal to both enthusiasts and overclockers alike. They now include other PC components to their list of products, including power supplies, CPU coolers and some gaming products. At the Cebit 2007 exhibition, we saw them demonstrating some of their new prototypes... including a new type of CPU cooler that uses carbon nanotube technology.

One of OCZ's main selling point for their performance memory is their patented XTC heat spreaders. It's not just for looks, they actually cool the memory chips quite effectively. They include this feature in all of their performance memory range. 

In this review, we'll be taking at look at their PC2-8500 SLI-Ready 2Gb Kit. These modules are rated at DDR2-1066 and runs at 533Mhz, with memory timings of 5-5-5-15. No doubt, it includes EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles).  EPP is an ingenious way for users to increase performance without manually adjusting the BIOS settings. If a motherboard is equipped with EPP, and by using EPP memory modules ... the system will automatically adjust voltages and memory timings to give the best possible settings for increased performance. Excellent.

        

When I first heard about DDR2 memory, I was pretty confused how they class and labelled them. K, I'll try and give you some DDR2 terminology ...

• PC2-4200 : DDR2-533 : 133FSB : 266Mhz
• PC2-5300 : DDR2-667 : 166FSB : 333Mhz
• PC2-6400 : DDR2-800 : 200FSB : 400Mhz
• PC2-8000 : DDR2-1000 : 250FSB : 500Mhz
• PC2-8500 : DDR2-1066 : 266FSB : 533Mhz
• PC2-10000 : DDR2-1200 : 300FSB : 600Mhz

I've explained in our last memory review, the importance of Nvidia's SLI-Ready certification. It's not just a label or a marketing ploy. With the right hardware and matching components ... it can make a difference in performance. That's why it appeals to both enthusiasts and gamers.

These memory modules come as a 2Gb Kit, so is this enough? Well, Windows Vista has been the real driving force, for consumers to have more and more memory installed on their systems. We will be seeing a lot of memory makers producing 1Gb, 2Gb and even 4Gb Kits over the next few months.

OCZ have recently announced their highest performing memory proudct ... the PC2-9600 (DDR2-1200) SLI-Ready modules. I'm sure these modules will be unbelieveably fast. We'll have to wait and see.

But right now, we have the OCZ PC2-8500 SLI-Ready 2Gb Kit in our labs. These modules look great and I expect to see them performing quite well. Let's see if I'm right ...