10-08-08
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#1 (permalink)
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PC Gamer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near Soton uni
Posts: 659
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Unique Rep: 75
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[Bit-tech] 4GB DDR3 Memory Roundup - Part 1
The article
Quote:
Introduction
For the most part we've avoided DDR3 reviews to date, favouring DDR2 until now simply because of the price of 4GB kits. Why would you want 2GB of extremely fast memory when 4GB of DDR2 for a fraction of the price will stop you from hitting the wall or a slow hard drive pagefile that much sooner?
With the inevitable arrival of Intel's Core i7 and the AMD socket AM3 CPUs in the near future, both of which will be DDR3-based, we decided to take a look at some 4GB kits to get you off the ground - if you were to buy now, they'd still be an investment for future upgrades.
We intend this to be a first part of, well, a few. You see we started with just three kits then as things happen an article grows and more and more of our memory partners wanted to get involved. At the time of writing the current count is seven including already tested, en-route or interested. It's important to note that we're not just concentrating on performance and simply comparing apples to apples - this isn't a test of who is fastest = better. We are covering all bases: latency differences, price and specifically its relation to performance, aesthetics and cooling, warranty and support - everything that matters.
With the huge amount of testing involved we've attacked the first couple of kits that have come our way: From Corsair we have a 4GB (2x2GB) kit with DHX heatspreaders, rated to 1,600MHz (PC3-12800) at a typical latency set of 9-9-9-24 at 1.8V. From G.Skill we have two kits: the first is a pre-release 4GB (2x2GB) kit with Thermaltake heatspreaders and heatpipes, rated to 1,800MHz (PC3-14400) at a typical latency set of just 8-8-8-21-1T at 1.9V. The second is already on the shop shelves - it's a 4GB (2x2GB) kit with G.Skill Pi-heatspreaders that's rated to 1,600MHz (PC3-12800) at a typical latency set of 7-7-7-21 at 1.8-1.9V.
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Final Thoughts
The G.Skill F3-12800Cl7D-4GBPI is a solid product with great performance potential and overclocking that's good value compared to the competition. We like the Pi heatspreaders and the lifetime warranty offered by G.Skill, although on the whole it's not an extra special product.
If you're interested in the super high end and want 2x2GB of memory - keep an eye out of the G.Skill F3-14400CL8D-4GBGT1 "GT1s" because they should be among the best there is. The price should be very competitive, the cooling is actually no noisier than Corsair's Dominator with fans overhead but the RamOrbs will certainly cause at least some of you reading to turn your noses up - it'll be a field splitter.
Our recommended product has to be the Corsair TW3X4G1600C9DHX though. With virtually the same performance potential of memory twice the price, the best passively cooled memory solution out there, a lifetime warranty and a superb support forum, it's the DDR3 product that bridges the gap between itself and DDR2. If you're upgrading to DDR3, on any board - get some of these modules and have some fun.
G.Skill F3-12800Cl7D-4GBPI
* Performance
* 8/10
* Features
* 7/10
* Value
* 8/10
* Overall
* 9/10
G.Skill F3-14400CL8D-4GBGT1
* Performance
* 9/10
* Features
* 8/10
* Value
* 8/10
* Overall
* 8/10
Corsair TW3X4G1600C9DHX
* Performance
* 8/10
* Features
* 8/10
* Value
* 10/10
* Overall
* 9/10
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must read for those why is getting DDR3 RAMs
CPU
Core2Quad Q6600 G0 @ 3.4Ghz 378*9 24\7 |
Motherboard
Abit iP35 Pro |
Memory
8GB (4x2GB Corsair XMS2 6400) 756Mhz 5-4-4-15 1.9v |
Graphics Card
BFG gtx260 OC2 MaxCore 216SP 896MB |
Hard Drive
WD Raptor 74GB ADFD & WD SE16 500GB AAKS |
Sound Card
onboard ALC888 |
Power Supply
Corsair Hx620w |
Case
Antec P182 |
CPU cooling
Thermalright Ultra120eXtreme with 2 Yate Loon fans |
GPU cooling
stock gtx260 ones + PCI slot exhaust |
OS
Vista Ultimate 64bit SP1 |
Monitor
22" LG L226WTQ, 3000:1, 2ms |
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[Bit-tech] 4GB DDR3 Memory Roundup - Part 1
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