Test Setup:

Memory:

• OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 Flex II 4GB kit - 5-5-5-18-2T
  
• Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red PC-6400 4GB - 4-4-4-12-2T

Common Components:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (45nm, 6MB L2 cache, 9.5x1,333MHz; 3.16GHz)
  
• Asus P5Q Deluxe (0803 BIOS)
  
• ATI Radeon HD 4850
  
• Corsair VX 550 PSU
  
• Seagate 7200.9 250GB SATA hard drive
  
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP1
  
• ATI Catalyst 8.7 WHQL

We tested the OCZ at 1,066MHz at the fastest timings we could set - a common performance overclock - as well as the absolute fastest we could run it - 1,141MHz. Unfortunately our Asus P5Q Deluxe would not stretch to 1,150MHz and be stable enough to complete the testing, whereas we found 1,142MHz worked very well for all the 2D tests. The 3D tests we had to drop the overclock down again to 1,124MHz to be stable in the games tests.

The full set of BIOS changed we used with the P5Q Deluxe are below: