- Joined
- Nov 6, 2001
- Location
- Illinois
A little BH5/6 FAQ
I've been seeing lots of BH5/6 related questions lately, so I decided I would write up a little FAQ that would help answer peoples questions.
What is BH5?
BH5 is a type of memory chip that was produced by Winbond up until September 2003. These chips are unique in the fact that these chips are able to run at extremely low latencies (2-2-2-5-1T) and still run at a fairly high FSB. There is currently no chips on the market that has been able to replicate these kinds of timings at the same FSB. These chips are also able to handle quite a bit of voltage.
What is BH6?
BH6 is a very similar chip when compared to BH5. These chips are also able to run the tight timings of BH5. The only real difference between BH5 and BH6 is noticed by overclockers. BH6 usually needd more voltage to achieve a higher overclock.
Does Winbond still manufacture BH5/6?
Unfortunately, no. Winbond stopped producing BH5/6 in September 2003. They were replaced with the CH5 chip. CH5 can run timings almost as tight as BH5 (2-2-3-6 usually) but arent able to overclock as high as a BH5/6 chip can.
Why did Winbond stop producing BH5/6 and switch to CH5?
Cost was the main reason for switching from BH5/6 to CH5. The CH5 chips are cheaper to make due to the fact that they are less complex to manufacture than BH5/6 chips.
Will Winbond ever produce a similar chip again?
There have been some rumors that Winbond would again produce a chip with similar qualities to BH5. According to the rumors, the chips would be called BH4, and be able to run low-latency at high speeds. Again, this is just a rumor.
Is there still BH5/6 on the market?
Yes, but in very limited quantities. As of 3/21/04, the only modules on the market with these chips are Mushkin 2-2-2- Special (BH6), OCZ Platinum Limited Edition (BH6), and Kingston HyperX 3200 Non-A (BH5, not a guarantee) (If you know of others, please let me know)
I think I have BH5, but I am not sure. How can I find out?
There are a few ways that you can go about this. The guaranteed way to find out is to look at the chips on the memory module. If your modules have heatspreaders on then, you will have to remove them (use a small screwdriver to slide the clips off, then pull off the heatspreaders). Be forewarned though, removing the heatspreaders will void the lifetime warranty that is included with most memory, so be careful. After removing the heatspreader, take a close look at the writing on the chips. If they say "Winbond BH5" somewhere on the chips, then you have BH5 chips. If they have some other chip manufacturer's name on it, then it isnt Bh5. If it has the memory maker's logo on it, then the chips have been remarked, and you will need to use another method.
Another way to check is to pop the modules into your comp and test it. Go into the BIOS, and set your timings like the following...
Cas-Latency: 2
RAS to CAS Delay: 2
RAS Precharge: 2
Cycle Time: 6
Exit the BIOS and reboot. If you are able to boot into your OS, thats a good sign. Next, run a memory benchmarking program, such as Memtest86. If you are able to pass Memtest with no errors, then it's almost certain that you have BH5. Just to be 100% sure, give your system a mild overclock, then run Memtest again. If no errors arise, then it is sure that you have BH5.
Hopefully this will guide will help answer some of the question that have been posted quite a bit lately. I'm sure I forgot to include some stuff with this little FAQ, so if you have some information to contribute, please post it
I've been seeing lots of BH5/6 related questions lately, so I decided I would write up a little FAQ that would help answer peoples questions.
What is BH5?
BH5 is a type of memory chip that was produced by Winbond up until September 2003. These chips are unique in the fact that these chips are able to run at extremely low latencies (2-2-2-5-1T) and still run at a fairly high FSB. There is currently no chips on the market that has been able to replicate these kinds of timings at the same FSB. These chips are also able to handle quite a bit of voltage.
What is BH6?
BH6 is a very similar chip when compared to BH5. These chips are also able to run the tight timings of BH5. The only real difference between BH5 and BH6 is noticed by overclockers. BH6 usually needd more voltage to achieve a higher overclock.
Does Winbond still manufacture BH5/6?
Unfortunately, no. Winbond stopped producing BH5/6 in September 2003. They were replaced with the CH5 chip. CH5 can run timings almost as tight as BH5 (2-2-3-6 usually) but arent able to overclock as high as a BH5/6 chip can.
Why did Winbond stop producing BH5/6 and switch to CH5?
Cost was the main reason for switching from BH5/6 to CH5. The CH5 chips are cheaper to make due to the fact that they are less complex to manufacture than BH5/6 chips.
Will Winbond ever produce a similar chip again?
There have been some rumors that Winbond would again produce a chip with similar qualities to BH5. According to the rumors, the chips would be called BH4, and be able to run low-latency at high speeds. Again, this is just a rumor.
Is there still BH5/6 on the market?
Yes, but in very limited quantities. As of 3/21/04, the only modules on the market with these chips are Mushkin 2-2-2- Special (BH6), OCZ Platinum Limited Edition (BH6), and Kingston HyperX 3200 Non-A (BH5, not a guarantee) (If you know of others, please let me know)
I think I have BH5, but I am not sure. How can I find out?
There are a few ways that you can go about this. The guaranteed way to find out is to look at the chips on the memory module. If your modules have heatspreaders on then, you will have to remove them (use a small screwdriver to slide the clips off, then pull off the heatspreaders). Be forewarned though, removing the heatspreaders will void the lifetime warranty that is included with most memory, so be careful. After removing the heatspreader, take a close look at the writing on the chips. If they say "Winbond BH5" somewhere on the chips, then you have BH5 chips. If they have some other chip manufacturer's name on it, then it isnt Bh5. If it has the memory maker's logo on it, then the chips have been remarked, and you will need to use another method.
Another way to check is to pop the modules into your comp and test it. Go into the BIOS, and set your timings like the following...
Cas-Latency: 2
RAS to CAS Delay: 2
RAS Precharge: 2
Cycle Time: 6
Exit the BIOS and reboot. If you are able to boot into your OS, thats a good sign. Next, run a memory benchmarking program, such as Memtest86. If you are able to pass Memtest with no errors, then it's almost certain that you have BH5. Just to be 100% sure, give your system a mild overclock, then run Memtest again. If no errors arise, then it is sure that you have BH5.
Hopefully this will guide will help answer some of the question that have been posted quite a bit lately. I'm sure I forgot to include some stuff with this little FAQ, so if you have some information to contribute, please post it
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