requires tweaking, but what memory doesn't9/15/2011 5:37:04 AM
Pros: will do 1600 and beyond. will boot at 1.5v with no switcheroo shenanigans, at least on our boards.
Cons: will not do 1600 @ 1.5v, 9-9-9-24. If you go to Corsair website, you are advised to set voltage to 1.65v to obtain 1600 stable. We found on 5 sets, ga-z68x-ud3h-b3 boards, that timings also must be loosened to 11-11-11-29 or you cannot use an SSD caching drive. I don't want to lay all blame on this memory, but it is on the QVL. Without the caching drive, rated timings still seemed to be "iffy" with long delays on boot.
Overall Review: Once set properly, Z68 with caching drive boots into windows in <18 seconds and will do 90-105 gflops in intel burntest.
This board is essentially the same with BIOS F3 through F9 in regards to memory compatibility.
Other boards may have better compatibility.
I would advise people with SSD caching drives to
a) set timings loose
b) install raid and OS and boot into the OS at least twice c) shut down and attach clean SSD (ie zerodisk it if you have attempted already to use it)
d) use Intel RST software to flag and use the SSD as a caching drive in windows.
e) cross fingers and reboot
Pros: Ram looks great!! Performs great, clocks where it is supposed to automatically. works great with my APU build. Great price from newegg of course.
Cons: almost too tall with the heatsinks to allow the hard drive cable to plug in but it worked after moving the RAM to the inside slots on my motherboard.
Overall Review: The height of these might cause problems in smaller cases depending on where your hard drive sits and how many slots you are using or able to use in your motherboard.
Pros: This is a great module for anyone looking at fast, gamer/enthusiast oriented RAM without breaking the bank. On first boot in a test system it was recognized right away although not at the correct speed or timings (see other thoughts).
After a 4 hour stress test using benchmarking software there were no errors in either reading or writing cycles. I was able to achieve 300 MBs read speed and 230 MBs write speeds in the same software.
The attached heat spreader kept the RAM cool to the touch after testing and will add a nice custom look to any system.
Cons: The height of the heat spreader will be a con to some who use large, third party air coolers, or on a motherboard where the memory layout interferes with large GPU's.
I would advise doing some research before buying this RAM if you plan on using such an air cooler. Some aftermarket cooler manufacturers include a database of compatible memory with their products so its worth the effort.
Overall Review: The system I was testing did not recognize the correct speed or timing of this module, however I have come to the conclusion that this was a fault of the motherboard and not the RAM. After changing the values in the systems BIOS and a subsequent reboot, it read just fine.
Overall Review: Bought this to upgrade my son's computer that was running 4gb of pc 667 ram.
To be honest I have not noticed any performance benefits yet, but he really only plays a few Lego games, Minecraft and surfs the web.
This was a great price and is red which fits in with the theme of his PC.
XMP set up flawlessly on his Z77 motherboard.
He's happy.
Pros: its ram, not much to say, its stable. haven't had the need for any overclocking as my pc can run everything,
Cons: ram doesent really get hot unless you are overclocking and have the voltage adjusted higher than usual, which brings me to the con, the heat-spreaders are a bit taller than what i think is necessary, i have a zalman CNPS9900MAX cpu cooler and i had to bend a few of the fins of the heatsink so it could clear the first stick of ram.
Overall Review: i hate having to modify parts to get them to fit correctly. This is a problem with the heat-sink and not the ram. so no eggs subtracted.. however be aware that your cpu cooler might not fit if your ram is too tall.
Pros: This installed easily and got a 7.8 WEI rating with a new ivry bridge i5! That's FAST! XMP worked great, just remember to turn it on in your motherboard's BIOS.
Cons: none
Overall Review: The coolers could definitely take up too much room if you have an aftermarket cooler or certain other case accessories. They're HUGE! Almost 2x the height of a typical GSkill set.
Pros: will do 1600 and beyond. will boot at 1.5v with no switcheroo shenanigans, at least on our boards.
Cons: will not do 1600 @ 1.5v, 9-9-9-24. If you go to Corsair website, you are advised to set voltage to 1.65v to obtain 1600 stable. We found on 5 sets, ga-z68x-ud3h-b3 boards, that timings also must be loosened to 11-11-11-29 or you cannot use an SSD caching drive. I don't want to lay all blame on this memory, but it is on the QVL. Without the caching drive, rated timings still seemed to be "iffy" with long delays on boot.
Overall Review: Once set properly, Z68 with caching drive boots into windows in <18 seconds and will do 90-105 gflops in intel burntest. This board is essentially the same with BIOS F3 through F9 in regards to memory compatibility. Other boards may have better compatibility. I would advise people with SSD caching drives to a) set timings loose b) install raid and OS and boot into the OS at least twice c) shut down and attach clean SSD (ie zerodisk it if you have attempted already to use it) d) use Intel RST software to flag and use the SSD as a caching drive in windows. e) cross fingers and reboot