Categories




Review Contents:
G.Skill 2x1GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Review
by 3oh6     |     January 29, 2008

Conclusion:

It goes without saying that the jury is still out on whether or not DDR3 is needed by everyone or anyone. The performance gains are there in the benchmarks shown today and the impressive bandwidth will certainly assist those using programs that rely heavily on the memory pushing large amounts of data. Unfortunately not everyone requires this much bandwidth and the price tag on DDR3 still plays a heavy role in purchasing decisions. DDR2 prices still haven't started to rise and until that happens, with the combination of DDR3 price drops, we won't see wide spread adaptation of DDR3.

With that said, there is nothing in the world of DDR2 that can touch what DDR3 can do. This particular sample of the G.Skill HZ's was incredibly impressive and showed that they really are higher rated memory disguised by a PC3-12800 sticker. Of course, not all kits of this memory are going to clock like ours did but believe it or not, some will clock better. The only down side if it is one is the fact that not even the current king of DDR3 memory clocking, the Asus Maximus Extreme, could even keep up with these modules at 8-7-6 timings. It was abundantly clear that the motherboard was holding this memory back from higher stable overclocks. In some limited benchmarking, this memory ran much higher frequencies and very low voltage. Be sure to keep an eye on the discussion thread as there are sure to be some impressive results from this memory in future benchmarking sessions.

With all this praise does come one negative, the heat sinks. They are very esthetically pleasing and the style of them is quite modern and elegant, but, they appear to be technologically behind the rest of the pack. Whether this actually effects performance is very tough to determine but one can't help but wonder if the thermal pad wouldn't be better replaced with a newer more effective solution. As it stands though, that is about the only flaw we could find in the G.Skill F3-12800CL7D-2GBHZ and Hardware Canucks proudly stamps the "Dam Good" award for the first time on a kit of DDR3 memory.



Pros:
  • Incredible overclocking headroom
  • Can run specification with no hassle or secondary adjustments
  • Impressive overclocking at all three 6-6-5, 7-6-5, and 8-7-6 timing sets
  • Relatively well priced compared to other DDR3 kits
  • Standard size heat sinks means no installation issues for any setup

Cons:
  • The only draw backs are the heat sinks and thermal interface material
  • Availability is limited in Canada to NCIX.com and stock is not on hand at this point in time but that will change very shortly...moving this out of the "Cons" section




So far the best DDR3 kit of memory we have seen with room to spare.



We like to hear feedback here at Hardware Canucks so feel free to bring up any questions or comments in the Discussion thread for the G.Skill 2x1GB PC3-12800 CL7 kit. Don't forget to keep your eyes on the discussion thread in our forums as future benchmark results with the G.Skill HZ's will be posted there as well.


Review by: Jody Bailey
 
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Bookmark to Slashdot!Stumble this Post!Reddit! Bookmark to Newsvine!
 

Latest Reviews in RAM
July 2, 2008
DDR3 has recently begun dropping in price and is looking to make its debut into consumers' everyday component buying mentality. 2x 2GB kits are becoming more and mo...
April 29, 2008
Corsair has long been known for producing some high-end memory kits and their Dominator line is as good as it gets. Today we take a look at the Dominator DDR3 1800M...
February 8, 2008
Patriot isn't one of the best-known memory manufacturers around but they have released one of the highest-rated DDR3 kits on the market with their PC3-15000 kit. Th...
LinkBacks (?)
LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/4337-g-skill-2x1gb-ddr3-pc3-12800-review.html
Posted By Date
NCIX FORUMS - ARE THESE D9GTS chips? - G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-2GBHZ PC3-12800 2GB... September 17, 2008
NCIXUS.com - Buy G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-2GBHZ PC3-12800 2GB 2X1GB DDR3-1600 CL7-7-7-18 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit - F3-12800CL7D-2GBHZ. August 30, 2008
Ram ??? ASUS P5E64 WS EVOLUTION - TheLab.gr August 14, 2008
DDR3 review series - PCSTATS.com August 5, 2008
techPowerUp! :: Review Database July 26, 2008
RAM DDR3: lista review e prove - UFA - United Forum Alliance July 25, 2008
Beste OC geheugen - HighFlow Community Forum July 23, 2008
techPowerUp! - The latest in hardware and gaming July 21, 2008
G.Skill DDR3 PC3-12800 2x1GB Kit Review July 19, 2008
Futuremark - News - Newsarticle July 17, 2008
G.Skill DDR3 PC3-12800 2x1GB Kit Review July 17, 2008
Help choosing decent DDR3 for 790i July 16, 2008