DDR3 memorija polako kuca na vrata, no proći će još dosta vremena dok se ovaj tip memorije ne udomaći na tržištu. Za to vrijeme glavni izbor većine korisnike pada na DDR2 memoriju koja je s vremenom zbog usavršavanje tehnologije izašla iz okvira predviđenih JEDEC-ovim standardima. Zahvaljujući nVidiji i proizvođačima memorija namijenjenih entuzijastima i gejmerima, mogućnosti koje nude DDR2 memorije visokih performansi mogu uz odgovarajuću opremu danas iskoristiti i korisnici koji ne znaju ručno overclockati.

OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel spada upravo u skupinu DDR2 memorija koje mogu iskoristiti manje iskusni korisnici. Ako imate matičnu ploču baziranu na nForce 680i SLI čipsetu, ova memorija automatski će nakon ugradnje proraditi na 1066 MHz uz latencije CAS 5-5-5-15 što, kako smo vidjeli u testovima, daje i solidan boost u performansama. Ako pak nemate ploču s nVidijinim najskupljim čipsetom ili jednostavno znate dovoljno da bi memoriju sami overclockali, iz OCZ-ovih Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition ručno možete izvući i još bolje performanse nego što je predviđeno EPP postavkama. 930 MHz uz CAS 4 Command Rate 1T, 970 MHz uz CAS 4 Command Rate 2T i maksimalnih 1140 MHz uz CAS 5 Command Rate 2T su doista odlični rezultati, pogotovo ako znamo da OCZ nema ništa protiv ako ovu memoriju nahranite s 2.35 volta. Bitan faktor u cijeloj priči je dakako i doživotno jamstvo što nam jasno govori koliko OCZ vjeruje u kvalitetu svojih proizvoda.

Kao šlag na kraju dolazi cijena. Kit s dvije identične gigabajtne pločice OCZ-ove Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition memorije u domaćim je trgovinama moguće nabaviti po cijeni od oko 1300 kn. To je dakako puno više od cijene generičkih DDR2 modula istog kapaciteta, no istovremeno i osjetno manje u odnosu na cijenu sličnih ili čak prema specifikacijama slabijih memorija visokih performansi. Sve navedeno čini OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel memorijski kit odličnim izborom za sve one koji traže memoriju izuzetnih performansi po pristojnoj cijeni.

Conclusion

DDR3 memory is slowly entering market, but some time will pass until this new memory type becomes major industry standard. If you are buying memory upgrade or new computer today, your choice will most probably be DDR2 memory which through time evolved beyond original JEDEC specifications. Thanks to NVIDIA and manufacturers of high-performance memory modules, today even average users who don’t know how to fiddle with BIOS settings have means how to experience performance boost gained from using high-speed memories.

OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel falls in this category – its a high-speed memory (ok, to be precise, dual-channel memory kit) which even average user can use to almost its full extent. If you have nForce 680i SLI based motherboard, this memory will be automatically configured to work on 1066 MHz with CAS 5-5-5-15 2T latencies which in turn results with a nice performance boost. On the other hand, if you motheboard is based on chipset which doesn’t support EPP profiles or you simply know how to overclock manually, you can easily squeeze even more performance from OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition modules. We managed to achieve 930 MHz at CAS 4 CMD Rate 1T, 970 MHz at CAS 4 CMD Rate 2T and maximal clock of 1140 MHz at CAS 5 CMD Rate 2T with our test samples. These results are really excellent, especially considering the fact that OCZ doesn’t mind if you "feed" your Platinum modules with 2.35 volts. Of course, we must not forget that these modules also have life-time warranty, a true testament of how much faith OCZ puts in its products.

As the end we have one more sweet feature of this memory – price. OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel memory kit containing two identical 1 GB modules in croatian stores has a price tag of about 1300 kn. Of course, that is about two times higher than price of two generic 1 GB DDR2 800 MHz modules, but at the same time considerably lower than competing products with same or weaker specifications. All said makes OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel memory kit excellent choice for all users who are seeking DDR2 memory with exceptional performance at a fair price.