Not too long ago, we had the opportunity to take a look at OCZ's Platinum EL PC-4800 Dual Channel DDR Kit. At the time of that review, I was running an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum motherboard, featuring the nForce3 Ultra chipset. Using that board, I was only able to take the PC-4800 up to 295 MHz (limited by the nForce 3 Ultra chipset), 5 Mhz short from its rated speed of 300 Mhz. I was a bit disappointed that I was not able to fully test the memory, as I was curious to see how far past 300 Mhz it could go. Well, times have changed, and so has my hardware. I recently upgraded to a DFI LanParty UT nForce 4 Ultra-D motherboard in hopes of being able to take full advantage of the PC-4800 (that, and the 7800 GTX was calling my name). Around the same time, OCZ announced the release of their new Platinum EL PC-4800 Elite Edition modules. If you remember, OCZ converted their PC-4800 line from the infamous TCCD chips over to the newer TCC5 flavor. Many people, however, were unhappy with this change, believing that TCCD chips were superior to the newer ones used. OCZ Technology listened to the cries of enthusiasts, and brought back the TCCD chips, branding them with the title of Elite. Today we will be taking a look at these new Elite modules, and comparing them to the older PC-4800 to determine once and for all if there really is a performance difference between the tried and true TCCD and the replacement TCC5 chips.

Here is what OCZ has to say in their description of the Elite modules:

"Making use of extremely rigid speed grading, the OCZ Platinum Elite Edition PC-4800 memory utilizes only Samsung TCCD chips and delivers the exceptional performance and reliability that enthusiasts demand.

The PC-4800 Platinum Elite Edition has been designed for ultra-high speed operation on AMD Athlon 64 platforms and is guaranteed to run at both DDR600 with 2.5-4-4-10 timings and DDR400 with 2-2-2-5 timings to meet the diverse needs of PC enthusiasts and overclockers.

All OCZ DDR-600 products are 100% hand-tested to ensure compliance with stringent quality standards. In addition, each OCZ PC-4800 Platinum Edition module also comes with a high quality copper heat spreader with a platinum mirrored finish. OCZ Platinum Edition memory modules are rated to handle up to 3.0V without invalidating the OCZ Lifetime Warranty so that performance enthusiasts can tweak their systems without worry."

Above we have a shot of the modules, complete with platinum mirror finish. Photos do not do these heatspreaders justice; they are simply gorgeous (and very difficult to photograph). The reverse side looks identical, with the exception of an identification sticker detailing the rated timings.

Before we continue, let's take a look at the specs, borrowed from OCZ's website.

The specs on the Elite modules are pretty much identical with those of the original PC-4800, with the exception of guaranteed TCCD chips and the ability to run DDR400 @ 2-2-2-5 timings. Personally, if you are going to spend the money for DDR600 modules, it would be silly to only run them at DDR400 spec. Under the special features list above, EVP stands for Extended Voltage Protection which is OCZ's commitment to enthusiasts, allowing for users to run their modules at voltage levels of 3.0V ?5% without voiding the lifetime warranty. ULN (Ultra Low Noise) is a technology that uses various printed circuit board (PCB) techniques to reduce the amount of electrical noise that is present in all high-speed integrated circuits.

Next up, we check out the test system, testing methods and benchmarks used...