Mushkin Black Ascent 2x1GB DDR3-1800

Category : DDR3

Published by Jean-Luc Hadey on 16.09.08

With the Black Ascent 2 x 1 GB DDR3-1800 memory kit, mushkin presents DDR3 memory which is optimized for high-end systems. For about CHF 500.- you get two 1 GByte modules which can be driven at 1800 MHz clock at 8-8-7-20 timings with 1.85 volts.

First of all we thank Digitec for providing us with this test sample.



On the following pages we will show the strenghts and weaknesses of these modules.


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Technical details

The memory kit which includes two 1 GByte modules carries the latest cooling system which was developed by Celsia Technologies. They call it eVCI (enhanced Vapor Chamber Interface) and it works as followed:







Mushkin promises a increase in cooling efficency by 30 percent compared to the common heatpipe technology.

Manufacturer	Mushkin
Chips	Micron GTS
Type	DDR3
Capacity	2GByte (2 x 1 GByte)
Clock	DDR3-1800 MHz
Timings	8-8-7-20
VDIMM	1.85~1.85V
PCB	6-Layer PCB
Registred/Unbuffered	Unbuffered
ECC	No
Cooling	eVCI (enhanced Vapor Chamber Interface) Spreader
Warranty	10 years

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Test setup

Mainboard	Asus P5E3 Premium
CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo E8600
Graphics card	Asus ATI Radeon 4870 X2
Memory	Mushkin Black Ascent 2x1GB DDR3-1800
Hard disk	Western Digital RE 160GB
PSU	Corsair 1000 Watt
Optical drive	Plextor 712A
Operating System	Windows Vista x64 SP1
Graphics interface	DirectX 10
Graphics driver	ATI Catalyst 8.8

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Test results / overclocking

	System standard	Speicher standard	Speicher max. stable oc
Memory clock	1333 MHz	1800 MHz	2024 MHz
Mutiplyer x FSB / CPU clock	10 x 333 / 3.33 GHz	8 x 450 / 3.60 GHz	9 x 506 / 4.55 GHz
Timings	7-7-7-15 2T	8-8-7-20 2T	8-8-8-24 2T
VDIMM	1.85 Volt	1.85 Volt	2.05 Volt
Everest read	8595 MB/s	10800 MB/s	11567 MB/s
Everest write	7011 MB/s	9526 MB/s	10695 MB/s
Everest copy	7135 MB/s	9628 MB/s	10595 MB/s
Everest latencies	61.4 ns	49.7 ns	47.5 ns
SuperPI 1M	13.995s	12.644s	10.297s
SuperPI 8M	3m 02.797s	2m 37.359s	2m 10.421s
SuperPI 32M	14m 13.219s	12m 59.828s	10m 31.391s

Referring to overclocking we only publish "Prime and SuperPI-stable" values. Therefore we reached a maximum of 2024 MHz with 8-8-8-24 timings and a VDIMM of 2.05 Volt.





Splmann overclocking result - Black Ascent

1021 MHz 8.7.6.18 1T - 2.1VDimm



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Conclusion

With the Black Acent 2x1GB DDR3-1800 memory kit, Mushkin presents a high-end product which should find its right place in a high-end or overclocker's system. With only less changes in the BIOS we reached a reasonable clock of 2024 MHz with 8-8-8-24 timings and 2.05 volt.

For about CHF 500.- you get 2 GByte of high quality memory with enough overclocking potential. Therefore Mushkin has a very solid product in its portfolio which is a safe investment for hardware enthusiasts.


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Author: jl.hadey@ocaholic.ch
Redacted by: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch