It's great to see how individual memory stacks up against the competition under stock configurations, but we're also going to show how it compares when overclocked. With performance in mind, we're going to compare the maximum overclocked results of the various DDR2 DIMMs we've tested in the past which are listed below. Remember, just because memory is clocked fast doesn't mean it's the best thing for a computer. Timings are also important, and getting the right ratio of both is the real key to performance-based overclocking!

Maximum Overclocked Speeds and Timings - PCstats Results
Intel System Results	Module Memory Size	Timings	Max Speed	Ranking
Corsair Twin2X1024-8000UL	512MB	5-4-4-9	957 MHz
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400 PRO	1024MB	5-5-5-12	935 MHz
Crucial Ballistix PC2-5400	512MB	5-5-5-10	860 MHz
PDP Systems Patriot PC-4200 DDR2 XBL	1024MB	5-4-4-9	765 MHz
PQI Turbo PQI25400-1GDB	512MB	4-4-4-12	730 MHz
Corsair Twin2X1024-4300C3	512MB	4-4-4-12	700 MHz
Crucial Ballistix PC2-4200	512MB	4-4-4-10	660 MHz
Mushkin PC2-4200	512MB	4-4-4-12	625 MHz

Who says 1GB memory modules cannot overclock well? ;-) The Corsair Twin2X2048-6400 Pro PC2-6400 DDR-2 memory modules overclock extremely well and come in only second to Corsair's own PC2-8000 memory!

Good 1GB memory modules for those who need it!

As applications and games become more complex, they will inevitably require more resources. At the moment, 1GB of total system memory is good enough for most applications. Although, judging by what we are starting to see happen with some games this year, I think we're on the cusp of transitioning to a minimum 2GB installed system memory. This is certainly true at the moment only for Battlefield 2. That game sees a decent performance jump when more than 1GB of total system memory is installed.