Verdict: Relatively cheap RAM in expensive times
The CPU can be thought of as the engine of a PC; roughly speaking, the bigger the number of the CPU, the faster it goes. The same, however, isn't true of RAM. In motoring terms, it's more like tyres. RAM with faster speed ratings doesn't automatically make your system quicker, but it enables you to push the FSB of your CPU higher. For example, if you intend to run with a 200MHz FSB, then you'll need PC3200.
PNY's PC3200 RAM is a no-frills product. There's no attractive heatspreader, and it runs at comparatively slow (3-8-4-4) latency timings. However, the performance benefit of 'go-faster stripes', such as heatspreaders, have always been marginal, and in our RAM Labs test we found that lower latency timings didn't provide significantly more performance than higher timings.
The PNY modules didn't produce any massive surprises in testing. They were slower than any of the PC3200 modules included in the Labs test in the Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory game test - 3fps behind the quickest, the Mushkin Level II PC3200. When it came to video encoding, the PNY scored a reasonable 1.92 but in the Paint Shop Pro image editing test it was slightly faster.
CONCLUSION
When it comes to RAM, similar performance levels means that we prioritise value. Although RAM prices have risen steadily since our roundup four issues ago, our Labs test winner, the Crucial CT6464Z40B is still cheaper than the PNY PC3200 DDR RAM, and so retains its crown.
