Sometimes it’s good to get more than you
bargained for.
While hard drive prices have soared
recently, memory is really cheap. Because of that, where really high quality
memory used to be a luxury, it’s now well worth spending a little extra to get
something special.
Take the new Ares series from G.Skill.
They’re around $105 for two 4GB sticks, giving you 8GB on any system running a
64-bit operating system. In addition they’re specified to work at CL9-11-10
timings, on a 2133MHz clock, or PC3-17000 as memory makers like to designate
this speed. Given that the baseline memory clocks are 1333MHz, that’s 60%
higher if your board allows you to set the system up to achieve those levels.
The problem is that to use all that extra
memory headroom usually involves some manual tweaking, although G.Skill has included
XMP (eXtreme Memory Profile) in the SPD tables, so if your motherboard
understands those then your laughing.
G.skill Ares DDR3 2133MHz 8GB Kit
But I’m fudging the issue here, because
there is only one real purpose to these modules and that’s overclocking. Being
able to set the memory configuration to 1333MHz gives you aoverclocking
potential on the memory of 60% before you exceed G.Skill’s operating range. A
CPU that can do that without some exotic cooling will be doing very well, but
it show the potential in here.
Actually, to confuse matters further, I
delved into the SPD table that G.Skill had placed on the Ares, to see what
options it came pre-programmed with. There are eight different settings, six of
which are JEDEC and two XMP.
The maximum JEDEC is 838MHz, clock doubled
to 1676MHz at CL11. Those liking tighter timings could punt for a 900MHz mode
at CL6, but it’s the XMP options that really interested me. They both offered
CL9 timings and need 1.65V. One offers 1107MHz or 2214MHz clock doubled, and
the other was for 1133MHz, equivalent to 2266MHz. 2133MHz mode was nowhere to
be seen, and the AMD Bulldozer system I used it on looked at these and then
chose a 3:10 ratio on a 668.9MHz base to arrive at a 2207.4MHz working speed.
So based on all that, the PC3-17000 rating
is something of an undersell, as it’s probably closer to PC3-18000, all things
considered.
Those wanting to pay slightly less might
want to consider the orange variant (the review ones are blue), as these are
marginally cheaper for CL11 timings but the same 2133MHz clock. All Ares sticks
are tested as being compatible with a range of Intel P67 and Z68 motherboard,
although I’m sure they’ll also work wonderfully on other Intel systems and AMD
too. The only requirement is that the board supports 1.65V for these in XMP modes,
and 1.5V for JEDEC timings.
Overall, these are great. The specification
is top notch, the price most competitive and the heatsinks make the modules low
enough to fit under the shadow of an oversized CPU cooler. What mode could you
want?
|
Details
Price: $105 (systo.co.uk)
Manufacture: G.Skill
Website: www.gskill.com
Required spec: System that takes dual-channel 240-pin DDR3,
ideally P67 or Z68 based
Product code: ARES F3-2133C9D-8GAB
Specifications
Model Number: F3-2133C9D-8GAB
Series: Ares
System: Desktop
System Type: DDR3
Main Board: Intel
M/B Chipset: P67 / Z68
Capacity: 8GB (4GBx2)
Multi-channel Kit: Dual-channel kit
Tested Speed: DDR3-2133 MHz
(PC33-17000)
Tested Latency: 9-11-10 2N
Tested Voltage: 1.65V
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Type: 240-pin DIMM
SPD Speed: 1600 MHz
SPD Voltage: 1.5V
Warranty: Lifetime
Fan Included: No
Features: Intel XMP (Extreme Memory
Profile) Ready
|
Quality: 9
Value: 8
Overall: 9
Verdict
Very high performance memory at a bargain price |
