Foxconn Black Ops - Raw, Unadulterated Power

Maximum Fully Stable Overclocks

E8500

2x1GB Corsair 2133MHz kit @ 533x7.5 CAS 9-9-9-25 1N

The Samsung based version 4.1 kit from Corsair has a stock speed of 2133MHz @ CAS 9, providing a formidable challenge for the X48 boards. We managed to get a 1N command rate stable at DDR3-2133, albeit with a very high level of VMCH (1.85V) pushing the board beyond 24/7 settings. 2N operation proved a little easier at 1.7VMCH and scaled to 537FSB, equaling the raw MHz of the Cell Shock kit at CAS 9 1N instead of CAS 8 2N (Cell Shock). Unmodified P5E3 boards can hit a stable 550FSB and 2200MHz memory speeds with this kit, so the Black Ops is trailing by around 15FSB or so in this department.

Considering the stock rating, this impressive kit from Corsair is best used with the NVIDIA 790i chipset due to its asynchronous bus clocking capability, allowing the 2133 MHz speed to be obtained at a lower processor FSB speed. We will be pushing a few boards with this kit over the coming weeks to see just how far these modules can really go. The 2133MHz stable shot shown above came in at 1.95Vdimm so there is room for more speed; we just need a board that can really do it.

2x1GB Cell Shock 1866MHz @537x7 CAS 8-8-8-25 2N

Our 2x1GB Cell Shock kit managed an impressive 537FSB stable @ CAS8 2N, only a few MHz below what we managed on a modified ASUS P5E3 Premium. The chipset voltages required to run both of these kits fully stable are not recommended for 24/7 operation, but show that the Black Ops board certainly has a few aces up its sleeve. In fact, it trails only to a board that has been in the market for a while, certainly not a bad first attempt from Foxconn in the high-end market.

2x2GB Corsair 1600MHz kit @ 8.5x470FSB

This is quickly becoming our favorite memory kit for everyday use. Although CAS 9 does not appear immediately attractive, the chips used on these modules (similar to the Corsair 2x1GB kit above) provide an easy load for the MCH to drive. This allowed us to run at 1880MHz or so with our E8500. If you're looking for a 2x2GB kit to team with this board, we'd suggest you look no further at this time, although we have an interesting kit from Patriot in the labs.

QX9650

2x2GB Corsair 1600MHz kit @ 8.5x455FSB

The 2x2GB kit from Corsair received another outing this time with our QX9650. 455FSB was just about all the board could muster with 1.26VTT for stability. We were quite surprised that 4GB held up so well at this speed. In fact, using 2x1GB kits did not provide us with any advantage for stability so this 2x2GB kit is what we recommend for a 24/7 PC running 64-bit Vista.