Corsair Microelectronics is a well-known company in the PC overclocking and performance community. Their XMS (eXtreme Memory Speed) line of memory modules is probably some of the best memory on the market. The CMX512-3200C2 memory is no exception to this product line. Each module is capable of the 400MHz clock speed required for the PC3200 standards and has a CAS latency of 2. To help with the cooling of the modules at such high speeds, Corsair includes aluminum heat spreaders on top of each side of the modules to allow better heat dissipation from the surface of the individual memory chips.

The modules tested were two 512MB PC3200 DDR DIMMs. They were placed in a Shuttle SB51G X PC system running the Intel 845GE chipset with an Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz with a capable 533Mhz frontside bus but only running the memory at 333MHz. Scores from the PCMark2002 for memory were an amazing 5,872. This was compared to a score of 3,859 from a system running Corsair XMS PC2700 memory at 333 with an AMD Athlon XP2000+.

The CMX512-3200C2 modules are an excellent choice for any system running the Intel 845 chipset to provide both stability and performance. The modules are also an excellent choice for individuals who may have Athlon based system who want to overclock their systems for additional performace. The 400Mhz running speed of the memory should allow for extra headroom for anyone try to overclock an Athlon CPU while still allowing for stability from the memory bus. You definitely get what you pay for when buying Corsair XMS memory. The only drawback to Corsair XMS memory is the limited number of retailers carrying the modules.