What a way to finish off a review of memory and only here at Hardware Canucks will you find action like that. In all honesty though, we just had a blast working with this kit of memory, and I think it showed. When we were all done with the review we really wanted to add something else that showed the potential this kit had in it. The Extreme Overclocking section was the icing on a stellar cake all around. The Redline name - yet again - managed to live up to the bill, despite the very reasonable admission charge. In a time where high performance memory doesn't come from mid-range kits, it is quite refreshing to see the Redline heritage break that mold.
Even without the 1000MHz 7-8-7 i7 920 record breaking SuperPi 32M run, this kit of Mushkin Redline Ascent memory performed in spectacular fashion. The 6-7-6 stable overclock at stock voltage was impressive, but even more impressive was the substantial stable overclock achieved at 6-8-6. Running DDR3-1926 at CL6 with reasonable voltage wasn't something we expected so soon in the i7 life cycle, but what a pleasant surprise it was.  Naturally there is a draw back to the Redline Ascent memory, and unfortunately it is the Ascent heat sinks. The Ascent heat sinks are not only a major feature Mushkin offers with this particular kit, they are the only thing that separates these modules from the standard Redline memory of the same specification. The inability to run 6 DIMMs will factor in some people's purchasing decision, and the added cost - albeit small - is still an added cost that the consumer is paying in order to lose usability. At the same time, the Ascent heat sinks do bring a sense of prestige and power just from the aesthetics alone. This may also be a positive for some builders trying to achieve that certain "look" to their build that the standard Redline heat sinks don't bring to the table.
So there are definitely some decisions to be made when looking for your next kit of DDR3-1600 memory, but you can't argue with the price, performance, and overclocking of the Mushkin Redline Ascent 3x2GB PC3-12800 6-7-6-18 memory. For what would be considered the thick of the mid-range kits, the Redline Ascents definitely bring a high-end value based on the results we obtained today. I mean, where else are you going to be able to run 900MHz+ at CL6 for daily use, then turn up the voltage a little and run DDR3-2000 at 7-8-7 for some benching while staying under $250 USD? Pros:- Outstanding stock specifications, first to market at DDR3-1600 CL6
- Excellent preliminary overclocking results based on our single kit
- Outstanding price for the potential in the memory
- Beautiful and beefy looking Ascent heat sinks
Cons:- As much of a positive, the Ascent heat sinks are a bit of a negative as well
- We may have raised expectations on the overclocking headroom with our results
- Only a single Canadian retailer at time of publication
We would like to thank Mushkin, Inc. including Nick and Sean for making this review possible. Keep up the great support work in the Mushkin forums and around the net guys!
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