DDR3 Memory Kit Review Roundup – Corsair, Crucial, Kingston & More

• ASE Labs: Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-12800 Review:
  
  

  “Instead of tighter timings, I decided to see how fast I could get these modules up to. Memtest86+ reported that the modules were stable all the way up to 1860MHz. This was not the case, though. In further stress testing, the modules were only stable up to 1800MHz. Only is probably the wrong word to use since this is a jump of 200MHz on a 'mainstream' kit. Granted, the HyperX line isn't mainstream, but that's what Kingston is going for here. Your results may differ, but mine are very good. Again, this shows why a simple Memtest run will not give you a passing score alone.”

  
  Click here to read the full review.
  
  
  
• CPU3D: Crucial Ballistix DDR3-2000 PC3-16000 2Gb Kit:
  
  

  “For overclocking ... these modules easily reached 2000Mhz (1000Mhz x 2), proving that it can run at that speed. In order to achieve this, we had to overclock our aging Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (B3 stepping) to 3.5Ghz using a lower multiplier of x7 and the CPU FSB frequency was increased to 500Mhz. Voltages for CPU and NB was also increased for stability. We selected DDR3-2000 for the memory speed and ratios to 1:2, while keeping the memory timings to AUTO.”

  
  Click here to read the full review.
  
  
  
• Hardware Canucks: Mushkin Ascent 2x2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Kit Review:
  
  

  “Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who pretty much eats, breathes and sleeps memory; so for it to be considered exciting is definitely saying something. The second 2x2GB kit of DDR3 has been put through its paces here at HWC and unlike the first, this Mushkin Ascent memory thoroughly impressed. In all fairness, this is mostly due to the change in venue and the fact that the 790i chipset loves this memory. Clearly the overclocking backs this claim up because getting this kit so close to DDR3-2000 stable is something special in itself.”

  
  Click here to read the full review.
  
  
  
• TweakTown: Corsair XMS3 DHX 1600MHz 4GB Memory Kit:
  
  

  “We slapped our memory into an X48T-DQ6 to see if it would handle this; it not only handled 1600MHz but managed to shoot up to 880MHz or 1760MHz on the DDR3 scale. That’s very impressive, and it only needed 1.95v to do it. But this was the wall we hit and was with the fans attached. Using passive mode, 805MHz was the limit no matter what voltage we threw at it, so it seems cooling is the key here.”

  
  Click here to read the full review.