Double-Data-Rate (DDR) memory has become an industry standard over the years and there is a 90% chance that any new computer purchased in the year 2004 will boast this kind of memory. This memory type has become so popular due to its modest price tag and extremely superior performance. The fastest DDR specification to be officially released by JEDEC is DDR400 (PC3200), which as the name suggests, operates with a 400MHz DDR clock. However, for quite some time now memory manufacturers have been promoting tweaked out modules that can operate above this specification.

This is nothing new as memory manufacturers have been selling tweaked modules since the SD-RAM days. Today there is a much bigger market for these kinds of products as gamers, enthusiasts and overclockers alike have realized the important roll in which memory plays. While the JEDEC specification stopped at DDR400 the industry certainly has not. Major players in the memory industry are all heavily competing to bring the fastest possible memory modules to the market.

Recently PC4200 or DDR533 became the fastest DDR memory speed known to man, and the overclockers loved it. Hitting high front side buses with a 1:1 processor/memory ratio is something all overclockers dream about. However, as it goes in the overclocking industry, fast is never fast enough and these speed freaks are always looking for better solutions. Today Corsair, a well known and respected memory manufacturer, may just have this solution as they unveil their PC4400 (DDR550) memory.

These TwinX DDR550 memory modules are designed strictly for overclockers. Every XMS module built must pass a stringent battery of tests at its rated speed before being shipped. XMS4400 modules are tested at 550MHz with 3-4-4-8 latency settings at 2.75V. All XMS4400 modules are tested in an ASUS P4C800-E dual channel DDR motherboard based on the Intel 875P "Canterwood" chipset. TwinX kits are tested as a matched pair, and physically packaged together immediately after passing these tests, guaranteeing that the customer receives a product that has been verified in the dual channel environment.

Corsair released four PC4400 products: 1GB TwinX modules with either black or platinum heatspreaders and 512MB XMS modules with either black or platinum heatspreaders. The price of these modules will be quite step given their extreme frequency rating. Valued at around $430 this memory really is premium stuff and it will be interesting to see if it can do what Corsair say it can. Actually proving this may become more difficult than I had anticipated. Corsair had similar problems when testing this ultra high speed memory.

Corsair commented in their press release that their XMS4400 TwinX modules are so fast it became difficult to find test platforms for the modules. Corsair Vice President of Product Development, John Beekley said These modules really test the limits of most CPUs and motherboards. Our XMS4400 products substantially raise the performance envelope for extreme overclockers. Corsair has designed and recommends these modules be used with the Intel 875P Dual-Channel DDR chipset. Today I will be testing the Corsair TwinX1024 PC4400 (DDR550) memory modules with both the AthlonXP and Pentium4 processors through the use of the nForce2 and 875P chipsets.