Does Low Latency Memory Really Make Your Mac Go Faster?
by Opetek on Dec.23, 2009, under Hardware
Originally posted April 25th, 2008, by rob-ART morgan, mad scientist
Updated May 1st, 2008, with “video to layers” test similar to Corsair’s
Corsair’s press release and “white paper” made a big splash in the news. They claimed as much as a 19% gain in Photoshop performance when a 4GB kit of CAS 5 memory was replaced with their 4GB kit of CAS 4 memory. We were skeptical so we tested the Corsair modules against various brands of “normal” latency SODIMM memory kits in our “Penryn” MacBook Pro 2.6GHz laptop.
First we ran a memory benchmark. We used a specially built version of STREAM to run in 64 bit parallel multi-threaded mode and use 2.7GB of RAM.
Next we ran three real world apps that gobble up over 3GB of RAM and use all available CPU cores.
Finally, we ran a test similar to that offered by Corsair as proof of speed gains. They used Photoshop to convert a video to layers. We took an Apple ProRes 422 movie file and converted the first 500 frames. We rebooted between runs to defeat caching and averaged three runs. They claim this test produced the fabled 19% speed gain when shifting from CAS 5 to CAS 4. We saw vitually no gains.
GRAPH LEGEND
All memory was PC2-5300 667MHz 200pin SODIMMs
Corsair C4 = Corsair VSA4GSDSKIT667C4 CAS 4, 4GB (2 x 2GB) kit
OWC C4 = OWC OWC53C4DDR2P4GB CAS 4, 4GB (2 x 2GB) kit
Corsair C5 = Corsair VS2GSDS667D2 CAS 5, 4GB (2 x 2GB) kit
OWC C5 = OWC OWC53C5DDR2P4GB CAS 5, 4GB (2 x 2GB) kit
CONCLUSION
The Corsair CAS 4 low latency memory is ”oh so slightly” faster than the Corsair CAS 5 “normal” latency memory. Ditto for OWC’s CAS 4 versus CAS 5.
The STREAM benchmark showed a 5% increase comparing CAS 4 memory to CAS 5 memory. But in the REAL WORLD, the average gain for three memory intensive apps using low latency memory was 1%. Though consistent, it’s not significant in my estimation. Without a stopwatch, you would not notice the difference.
We saw nothing close to the 19% gain in Corsair’s Photoshop test published in their “White Paper” when they compared a CAS 5 four gig kit with a CAS 4 four gig kit. I think somebody in their lab either goofed or moved a decimal point.
If you are getting ready to upgrade from 1GB or 2GB to 4GB — and you want to squeeze every drop of speed out of your MacBook Pro or MacBook or iMac, then maybe low latency memory is worth getting. If you already have a CAS 5 “normal” latency 4GB kit installed, then it’s NOT worth trading up for a CAS 4 kit.
And if you do go for a low latency CAS 4 kit, take a look at OWC’s 4GB CAS 4 kit which is priced lower than the Corsair CAS 4 kit.
BIG MAHALO
Thanks goes CanadaRAM and OWC for providing various and sundry memory sample memory kits.
For the record, we tested five brands of CAS 5 memory (Corsair, DMS, Kingston, OWC, and Patriot). They all performed within tenths of each other. We decided to graph only the OWC and Corsair since we had samples of both CAS 4 and CAS 5 from those memory makers.
Royal Battle - Hardware: Apple vs. Other Manufactures
by Opetek on Dec.19, 2009, under Hardware
I just got the new (to me) old late-2007 model of Macbook Pro. Here are some small things I like about Apple’s hardware… briefly
- Keyboard: automatically adjust back-lit (it doesn’t matter much to me since I am a 10-finger typer
) - Monitor: automatically adjust brightness as ambient light changes
- Trackpad: multi-touch, and gestures (even though Synaptics does have this technology, somehow they disable this feature (???) )
- Battery: nice compromise between powerful and mobile (lasts up to 7 hours), indicators in front (with new model), able to be swapped to another when laptop in sleep
- AC adapter: magnetic-safe, nice design to pack up wires
- Heat air vent: hidden in the back (with my late-2007 model)
- Sensors: ease to monitor all the values (iStat)
- Speakers: loud enough, and louder with software amplifier (mPlayer, VLC)
- Body: aluminum case, unibody (late 2008)
- Remote: IR remote for media, alarm (nice feature with discontinued iAlarm software)
- Nice close/open lid mechanism
- Nice Apple logo in the back of monitor with light
- Nice slot-loading DVD/CD drive
Here are what I don’t like or need to get used to:
- Keyboard: lack of insert key (I used it a lot to paste text in Terminal in Linux), combined keys (page up, page down, home, end), less sensitive (even though it’s very soft-pressed), small arrow keys
- Less of USB ports (might be essential to some people, i don’t need that much)
- Does not have nice touch-sensitive buttons (I like these buttons from other laptops’ manufactures)
- Mini DisplayPort (in new models): free, but less popular than HDMI interface, need adapter
How to install Ubuntu 9.04 on an Intel-based Mac laptop
by Opetek on Nov.29, 2009, under Mac Os X, Operating Systems
(Last update on September 7th, 2009 for Snow Leopard)
Many thanks to Richard Cavell for this very details instruction: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?s=de17cb633331c3cf76cee5e1c9d19175&t=1192296
Loccy’s BetterBrowser for HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1)
by Opetek on Sep.05, 2009, under Dev-Zone, HTC Dream, Mobile, Puzzle
Release notes/changes for 1.4/1.4.1
- fix to force close on mobile sites when double tap zoom cycle goes back to the “all the way out” setting
- double-tap/triple-tap anywhere on a page to zoom
- setting to change triple tap delay value in advanced settings (so the lower the setting, the more responsive double-taps are, but the quicker you have to get your triple-tap in!)
- setting to change double-tap behaviour, between the existing zoom cycle, and also now just a simple zoom out only setting (so if you want to just keep it simple, and have double-tap to zoom in, triple tap to zoom out,
the latter will be the setting for you). How many zooms this will result in per cycle will depend on the page you’re viewing. - change to double-tap zoom cycle behaviour - now zooms ALL the way out to give a true page overview, and also introduces an intermediate step between page overview and 1:1 zoom (this is a nice level for sites with
big fonts, eg. aintitcool.com) - click title bar (or top of screen) to bring down the address/search bar
- click top left of screen to go to home page. Click it a second time when on the home page to exit the browser completely (or double-click from elsewhere).
XBox - Project Natal: A Revolutionary New Way to Play
by Opetek on Aug.28, 2009, under News
Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun — the only experience needed is life experience.
How to Register the G1 without a SIM or Data Plan
by Opetek on Aug.25, 2009, under HTC Dream, Mobile
0. If you have an official RC29 or lower phone, type the following command on the phone keyboard to enable adb:
<enter>setprop persist.service.adb.enable 1<enter>
1. Download the SDK and unzip contents to a directory on your computer.
http://code.google.com/android/download.html
2. Download the USB Driver and unzip contents to a directory on your computer.
http://dl.google.com/android/android_usb_windows.zip
3. Connect the phone using the USB cable provided with the phone to your computer and direct your computer to search for drivers in the location you unzipped the drivers in.
4. Open a Run command prompt (WIN+R) and type cmd, then go to the directory where you unzipped the SDK and go to the “tools” directory. In the command prompt type: adb.exe shell
5. Type in the shell session and you should see the menu change on your phone:
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.Settings
6. Configure Wifi settings on your phone and the phone should be able to connect to the network, remember to WAIT for the phone to verify it has connected the network before exiting the screen, else you’ll have to redo the shell command in order to access the screen
7. Register the phone and watch everything sync.
Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook with A-GPS, HDMI Port And 10-Inch Glass HD Ready Display
by Opetek on Aug.25, 2009, under New Products
Nokia has introduced new Windows-based Booklet 3G netbook, which features Intel Atom processor, 10-inch glass HD ready display, about 2cm thin, 1.25kg weight, all-day computing (up to 12 hours battery life), Bluetooth, 3G/ HSPA, Wi-Fi, HDMI port and A-GPS, encased inside an ultra-portable aluminum chassis, providing users a rich experience of a full-function PC.
