First, an apology. I am a sucker for catchy titles - and amused myself no end, with this one. I need to apologise to all those who are young in life, and so do not have fond memories of the motor car which bore that name. The FordCorsair graced the streets of GB and beyond in the 1960's and early 1970's. In some of its better versions - 2000E etc it was reckoned to be pretty fast and the boy racers of the day aspired to ownership.
This review is about something faster and totally unrelated.
Corsair memory for one's computer, is superfast, super-reliable and among the best there is. So even if you are not a computer buff, it's worth finding out a little bit more.
1 Corsair The Company *********************
In computer memory terms, Corsair is middle-aged. The company dates from 1994, having become one of the world leaders in
high end computer memory. It is located in Fremont, California, where it assembles the memory chips purchased from firms like Samsung and Micron. They do produce server memory as well, some of which is manufactured in Corsair's own factory in Taiwan.
The company has won many industry awards for speed of memory and for quality of service. Simply put, it is a company who can be trusted - an important point if you are about to fork out £200 just for the memory for your computer!
2 Corsair The Sticks *****************
This particular piece of memory is part of the XMS TWINX range in Corsair's line-up. They do a Value Select range which is their 'budget' line. You can also find a Corsair XPERT range, which is the XMS range with led lights added.! An XMS2 range takes you out of the DDR memory into the latest DDR2 memory - but you need to have one of the latest motherboards to make use of it. This is 'ordinary' XMS range. Extreme Memory Speed is what lies behind the XMS letters, and this particular piece of memory is described as TWINX - there are two sticks of memory - both identical and tested in their factory to ensure they are completely compatible.
So with each stick being 1GB of memory, you have very fast, low latency memory totalling 2 GB ! Now wasn't that easy to understand.?? No - well let's put it more simply for you by way of illustration. My first Oric computer had 64 KB of processing power and memory! This memory is roughly a million times bigger than that.!
This memory actually looks nice too! You may think that statement to be daft when the memory is inside your computer case, hidden from view.! But if you have just built your own PC and are likely to show it off to your friends, then the look inside the box counts too.
Part of the good appearance is due to the heat dissipaters with which they are equipped. Made of aluminium, they spread the heat out into the case, and further prolong their life span.! It's a bit like having air conditioning in your gym, so that you last a bit longer ! - get it?
All memory creates some heat when it is used, and if it is working hard, you need to get that heat moved! - and Corsair do the job aesthetically.!
3 Corsair The Performance ***********************
Memory today is about size, and 2GB is the optimum size available today if you are using a motherboard with Dual Channel DDR 1 memory.
But it is also about speed and latency. Making that simple is beyond my ability, so if you are really interested but ignorant about the technicalities, have a look at some of the memory reviews done on Tech sites.
Basically, it means that this memory is quick at assessing data, and also quick at getting ready for the next chunk of memory coming down the line.
Imagine a sprinter who can run 100 metres in 9.7 secs. That is fast - but he'll not be ready to run another race that fast for a day or two. But if the same sprinter can do the 9.7 secs and then five minutes later be ready to do it all over again, you would be impressed!
Top class memory is also about being clockable. Adjust the settings on your motherboard, and the memory can go even faster than it says it can! - that is 'overclocking' to the geeks. That's like pressing a button on your sprinter, and suddenly he does each 100 metres in 9.1 secs.!
Kingston, Crucial, Mushkin, Geil, OCZ and Corsair are the major players in this type of high quality memory. While each has their own following, Corsair rates highly for reliability, stability and quality.
4 Corsair The Recommendation. ******************************
So which of you reading this, should go out and buy these modules?
Those who are high power gamers probably bought these a year ago, and have already moved on to new motherboards, DDR2 and have sold these modules on Ebay for 25 % of what you paid for them!
Those who have just invested £200 in the latest - and cheapest - PC available in PCW, will not be able to justify spending £150 on new memory.!
But somewhere in between, are a large number of people, who bought a nice new PC last year, and have found it struggling when you try to handle 7 or 8 large digital pictures from your camera, all at once. Your 256 MB of memory - that the salesman told you would cover your needs for the next 20 years - needs help. The oomph you will get from these modules will be terrific.
Or if you are just building your very first PC, and looking for components that take you near to the top of the performance tree but not to the top of your agreed overdraft facility, these are well worth considering.
Though expensive, Corsair memory comes with a lifetime warranty. Not only does this give you peace of mind when using them, it also creates a good market when you are selling them, and going higher.
I have used Corsair for 4 years now, and have no problems whatever.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
This sounds great but I don't think it's for me. I have 1Gb on my PC and I can play all the games on the market and run video. It was well explained but I think it's only for the avid gamer. Dave
Chouchinciao 03.05.2006 23:33
Yes, yes I remember the Ford Corsair. But like you I have survived to experience this version, though in my case thanks to my son who explains all this guff (sorry, technology) to me!
susie191 02.05.2006 11:51
I loved your lead in. And Im happy to snigger and say Im too young to remember the Corsair. Having just bought a Dell, I hope there'll be no need to size up, not this year at any rate :-) Susie x
This is the classic that made the Corsair reputation for innovation; performance and ... more
reliability. The XMS Series is Corsairs premium DDR1 memory family. Corsair XMS memory is engineered and tested for superior performance; especially in the demanding
This part delivers outstanding performance at high clock speeds. It has been tested ... more
extensively in a variety of motherboards commonly used in gaming rigs. This memory has been verified to operate at 200 MHz (DDR400) at aggressive latencies of 2-3-3-6.
Postage & Packaging: £8.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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