What a relief it is to see something come out of a shipping box other than a clear molded plastic container with two modules secured inside. The thought of having to put a "package" section together with virtually identical photos from the last memory review and the review before that was not going to be the highlight of the week here at HWC. Instead, G.Skill has presented us with a rather simple but quite elegant package that is worth more than just a couple photos.

The shiny and colorful cardboard package is about the size of a standard X1650 or 7600GS video card and less than 3/4" thick. Our sample had the pleasure of taking "Turbulent Air UPS" and showed up with a couple bruises as evidence. The second image shows the damage to the closing tab of the top cover and we can see that the package is slightly squished. This is actually a good thing as we get to see if the damage to the outside equates to interior harm.

Opening the top flap reveals the window looking into the package, providing us a nice view of two perfectly placed modules. It doesn't appear that the pressure taken from the outside has equated to any damage on the inside. Not only is the package pretty, but it appears to be able to take a solid check into the corner boards and show no ill-effects. The backside of the package has a couple lines of marketing copy with a whole lot of 100%'s. There is also a sticker describing the specifications of the modules inside along with their complete part number.

Inside we found not only the memory but a little care package from G.Skill which is a nice touch. Enclosed are a G.Skill sticker and a small G.Skill plastic logo with an adhesive backing. G.Skill also includes a small pamphlet that provides e-mail addresses for technical support, the address of their tech support forum, RMA contact information, and the G.Skill official web site. Being given all of this information with the product is not commonly found and provides evidence to their claims of helping their customers in their mission statement. Aside from the care package, we also have a couple of sticks of some lovely looking DDR3 memory enclosed in a very secure plastic container. Apparently every memory review has to have a molded plastic package at some point. This would easily explain why the memory wasn't harmed despite the beating that the package took.

With this being the first G.Skill package seen here at HWC, we have to say we were impressed and give the package an enthusiastic two thumbs up. Upon pulling the modules from their secure plastic shell, we can see that the esthetics from G.Skills wonderful web site and superb package are extended to the modules themselves. Perhaps it is just the fact that they are flat black, but the slick heat sinks just come off as very elegant in appearance. It might just be the raised silver trim or G.Skill logo, but whatever it is, these modules just exude class. The heatsinks are held firmly in place with a set of clips along the top despite the fact that there is no thermal adhesive underneath. Aside from the silver trim and raised G.Skill logo, they are quite simple and very traditional in construction. Toward one end of the modules is a sticker that provides all the details we want to know about the memory including specifications and the complete part number along with their serial number.

It is an interesting approach that G.Skill has taken with these modules and despite the trend moving towards larger heat sinks and more elaborate cooling methods for memory, G.Skill has held their ground with the traditional heat spreader. Some may view this as falling behind or not keeping up while others see it as marketing integrity. How much do the large heat sinks on the many recent modules really help the memory? Is the traditional heat sink all that is actually necessary? It wasn't too long ago when many users swore by the "naked module with active air" theory of cooling. Either way you slice it, G.Skill has stuck with what seems to be working for them and the result is a very stealthy module that provides a modern esthetic twist to a traditional design. We already know that the installation section will be very straight forward and lacking any kind of discussion. Before that though, let's have a few more looks at these modules as they are just too easy on the eyes and the camera.

What really is a mystery is the fact that more manufacturers haven't gone to a dark PCB for memory modules. Corsair and Crucial have but there are still so many manufacturers out there that haven't made the jump to a dark PCB with G.Skill being one of them. Would a dark PCB not just set these modules off? Perhaps we are getting a little superficial so let's move on to more discussion about function.

As mentioned earlier, the heat sinks are clipped at the top which makes these a two piece design that is closed at the top. Closing the top off has never sat well with me as this basically prevents the hot air from being able to rise out from underneath the heatsink. In theory, it just builds up under the heatsink and doesn't really aid in cooling at all. From the side we can see that the memory, like all other 2x1GB DDR3 kits we have looked at thus far, is single sided. This simply means that there are ICs on only one side of the module and the backside is all but a bare PCB. The IC side appears to be aligned perfectly with the spongy thermal pad which again, is very traditional in the sense that this use to be the norm but most manufacturers have moved on to more innovative designs utilizing better thermal adhesives and not the thermal pad that G.Skill employs on these modules.

Debating on whether this traditional heat sink design and attachment method hinders performance of these modules is all but argumentative because there simply isn't any evidence to prove either side of the table. The newer, large and small, heat sinks all seem to be open at the top and most have begun to utilize or at least experiment with different thermal interface materials. It could be to G.Skills advantage to begin looking for alternatives to be sure that they don't fall behind. It doesn't have to be fancy and could very much maintain a similar look to these modules but opening up the top with clip less heatsinks on each side and a cured on thermal adhesive may provide a benefit to their modules.