Spectek PC-100 ECC SDRAM
Reviewed by CPU-ZILLA  (29 June 99)

SDRAM Specifications
Features	Intel PC-100/PC-66 Compliant Single 3.3v ± 0.3v power supply. Nonbuffered fully synchronous; all signals measured on positive edge of system clock. Internal pipelined operation; column address can be changed at every clock cycle. Quad internal banks for hiding row access/precharge. 64ms 4096 cycle refresh. All inputs, outputs, clocks LVTTL compatible.
CAS Latency	3 @ 100MHz
Clock Cycle Time	min. 8 ns @ CAS Latency 3 min. 12 ns @ CAS Latency 2
Operating Temperature	25ºC to 70ºC (Ambient)
Power Dissipation	8 W
Part Number	PM16M7218YL-100CL3

<Introduction><The Test><The Good><The Bad><Conclusion><Rating>

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Introduction

"Why did the RAM cross the road? Because it needed to have its bits corrected". Well, if that didn't even put a smile on your face, I must say that I made a poor attempt at telling jokes. Anyway, I am just trying to cool off as I was in a foul mood today, and I really do not know why I feel that way sometimes. I must have waken up at the wrong side of the bed this morning. In a similar way, RAM chips do behave the same if they are not used properly. I have often heard of problems from users pairing different types/brands of RAM in their system. Although technically they should work, but sometimes, it is even more unpredictable than my mood.

SpecTek™ is a company based in the United States which specializes in memory solutions for a wide range of needs from supplying modules for PC motherboards to developing custom RAM for specific needs. It is located in a 170,000 square foot facility in Idaho. Since it is a division of Micron Electronic Inc., it packages DRAM chips supplied to them directly from Micron (which is also based in Idaho). Thus, you can expect quality RAM from them, since they also perform burn-in and testing besides packaging.

Well, I guess we know enough about Spectek already, let's go directly to the tests, as I really have nothing else to say about the RAM.

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The Test

In the tests, I went back to my favourite MSI 6163 motherboard with the Pentium II 350 CPU. This is largely due to the fact that MSI 6163 is one of the most overclockable boards around. With its wide range of available FSBs to choose from, I was able to test the RAM using bus speeds as high as 148MHz. However, this kind of overclocking could not be achieved with the already well-known Pentium II-350 processor which was touted as the next best chip for overclocking. I was fortunate to get the chip with the SLSpec SL37F to test out the overclocking. Well, good news, as what I've expected in my previous review, this chip is also very overclockable, and in fact, performs much better to the previous SL2WZ. This is due to the fact that the batch I received was of a later production date, and thus better yields may have led to more overclockable chips. I believe this chip is available in abundance and is now in the form of the newer SECC2 packaging. Do remember that overclocking to such high FSB speeds, you are stressing all your components above their limits, and may lead to disastrous consequences.

Test Configuration
Processor(s):	Intel Pentium-II 350 SL37F, 2.0V
RAM:	1 x 128MB Spectek ECC SDRAM DIMM 1 x 128MB MIRA SDRAM DIMM
Hard Drive(s):	Quantum Fireball EX 6.4GB
Video Card(s):	Creative Graphics Blaster TNT 16MB
Bus Master Drivers:	Windows 98 Bus Mastering Drivers
Video Drivers:	Creative Riva TNT detonator drivers v1.09
Operation System(s):	Windows 98 (build 4.10.2222A)

Benchmark Results for Spectek 128MB ECC SDRAM

Front Side Bus / CAS Latency	SiSoft 99 CPU Memory Bandwidth (MB/s)	SiSoft 99 FPU Memory Bandwidth (MB/s)	Business Winstone 99
100 MHz / 3	225	226	19.7
100 MHz / 2	229	229	20.0
129 MHz / 3	288	289	22.9
129 MHz / 2	298	295	23.4
133 MHz / 3	296	298	23.5
138 MHz / 3	309	313	23.7
143 MHz / 3	324	324	24.1
148 MHz / 3	327	328	-

Benchmark Results for MIRA 128MB non-ECC SDRAM

Front Side Bus / CAS Latency	SiSoft 99 CPU Memory Bandwidth (MB/s)	SiSoft 99 FPU Memory Bandwidth (MB/s)
129 MHz / 3	297	300
129 MHz / 2	308	305
133 MHz / 3	313	312
138 MHz / 3	322	323
143 MHz / 3	338	335

For the sake of comparison, the benchmarks performed using the Spectek RAMs were not ECC enabled. Although I've found that enabling the ECC did absolutely nothing to the performance and overclockability of the system. Looking at the results, this must be the first review you have ever read about RAM overclocking. However, this time round, I was able to overclock the system to higher FSBs, contrary to what I could do in my previous Pentium-II 350 review. I suppose this is due to the fact that the chip I obtained was not as overclockable as I thought. Although I was able to hit the 138MHz FSB barrier at 2.2V, the performance was already too unstable for me to correctly pinpoint on the exact fault of the system, whether it was the CPU, RAM or something else which prevented me from reaching higher bus speeds. However, I was pleasantly surprised running with this new batch of PII-350, and I am pleased to say that the system was stable, even at 138MHz. It is great to finally see the full potential of our 5-star board!

Comparing the two different brand of SDRAM (Spectek and MIRA), I was surprised to see that there was actually a large difference in terms of speed. The MIRA memory bandwidth measured using SiSoft Sandra 99 was significantly higher than Spectek. Although I was quite proud of my MIRA SDRAM, I was disappointed that it did not even reach 148MHz FSB. On the other hand, the Spectek RAM was able to hit 148MHz FSB but that was after several trials. The system was too unstable to run any serious benchmarks, although I was able to squeeze out some memory benchmark figures. At least this gives us an idea that Spectek does have the potential of reaching 148MHz bus speed, but probably limited by the CPU. In the benchmarks, I have included some Business Winstone results, just to give you an idea of how fast the system is running. Do take note that the Winstone scores are not only affected by RAM performance, but the entire system.

To give you a better idea of how well the Spectek RAM performed, I've consolidated the two memory benchmarks in the following chart.

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The Good

Judging from the performance of the RAM, I must say that it is indeed very surprising to witness how well it performed at high speeds. On the other hand, you can even use it up to 129MHz at CAS Latency 2 although Spectek specified the RAM to be CAS 3 at 100MHz. This shows that the RAM quality is indeed pretty high. When we talk about overclocking CPUs, the overclocking is performed on just the CPU alone. But, when RAM is stressed beyond its specifications, all 18 (16 in the case of a non-ECC version) pieces of RAM on the module must perform simultaneously at the specified speed. Imagine overclocking 18 pieces of chips and expect all to perform at the required speed, not an easy feat. Hence, I am impressed to see how well the Spectek SDRAM performed. I was taken aback when someone reported that his Spectek 8ns RAM could not even work at 75MHz FSB at CAS Latency 2. Well, this review demonstrates otherwise as the it was boosted all the way up above 100MHz at CAS 2, and I'm very sure the person would be pleasantly surprised. :)

At this point, the question arises, do we really need PC-133 SDRAM when current PC-100 SDRAM are already good enough for the job? I don't think I shall answer that question directly, since most of you should know well enough that using overclocked components are not exactly wise for critical systems. However, for the overclockers and hobbyists, this is an excellent low cost alternative to PC-133 compliant RAM. I really doubt anyone would encounter problems running their Spectek RAM at 133MHz using CAS 3. And what's more, the price is also very competitive among other PC-100 SDRAM. In addition, you are actually purchasing Micron SDRAM, although the packaging says otherwise. However, if you need high performance, then you may want to wait for CAS 2 versions of PC-133 RAM. Anyway, we still have yet to see the emergence of PC-133 motherboards in the market. And for all we know, Intel may use the costly high performance RDRAM for their next generation of motherboards. Only time will tell which direction we should follow, but for now, we shall wait patiently.

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The Bad

There's not much I can say here, except that it did not perform as well as the Mira SDRAM, which is actually a Mitsubishi RAM underneath the packaging. Although benchmarks indicated that Spectek was slower, it managed to redeem itself by reaching a higher bus frequency than Mira.

One thing I observed during the tests was when the RAM was overclocked, it tend to be slightly hotter than usual. Comparing the heat generated from both Spectek and Mira, I found that Spectek was a little warmer than Mira. Of course I didn't make any accurate measurements with proper tools, but I was quite sure that Spectek was warmer. Remember, human fingers are also very good thermometers. If we can tell whether a person has fever by placing our palm on their forehead, we should be able to tell which is running warmer, since the difference between a normal and feverish forehead is only about 1º-2º C. Anyway, it does make sense when we say Spectek is warmer since Micron DRAM die size is always smaller than most of the other DRAM manufacturers. Hence, heat dissipated from the die is quite intense on such a small area. However, I don't see the point in using a heatsink for the RAM as it is still very cool in comparison to other components.

Another point to note is the heat generated by the BX chipset. Overclocking the chipset to over 40% of its specified limit does render the system unstable. If you do plan to overclock your system, make sure there's adequate cooling to your chipset. Also, your AGP graphic card might get toasted in the process, so be careful.

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Conclusion

When I was given the task to write a review on the Spectek SDRAM, I didn't know I could go so far. The Spectek RAM is indeed very impressive with its low cost and high performance being its best selling point. Since the RAM chips used are the same as the non-ECC version, I believe the non-ECC version should have the same performance. However, I do believe there are better RAM out there in the market that could perform better, just as what we saw in Mira. Still, for budget conscious shoppers, Spectek should remain as one of the favourites with its availability and competitive pricing.

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MOTHERBOARD RATING

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