G.Skill Sniper 8GB CL7 DDR3 memory review - Introduction

Posted by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 06/05/2011 01:00 PM [ 0 comment(s) ]

G.Skill DDR3 Sniper C7 1600MHz 8GB

When we review memory DIMM modules often it's all about memory timings and the highest frequency possible, especially the latest high-end generations memories can manage 2000+ MHz, P67 and Z68 motherboards already can support 2133 MHz slices of DDR3 lovin.

Trust to be told here though is that all our reviews indicate that after 1600 MHz performance you will need to seek really hard to see a noticeable difference in performance. Hence most of our recommendations always have been this: it's better to get more memory than faster memory the better choice over faster memory.

And in that trend memory manufacturers have started to increase the density of DIMM modules. Where 1 and 2GB DIMM modules have been the standard, we now see very good progress in 4 GB DIMM modules.

Today we'll do things a little different, G.Skill designed another 8GB low voltage DDR3 kit (2x 4GB) that can be set at 1600 MHz yet still run a CAS latency of 7. And that is truly interesting because the denser the ICs get, the higher latency typically gets.

So against all rules and odds, next to that, prices caved in completely last year, right now is a very good moment to pick up some extra or new memory as the 8GB kit we test today for example only costs 120 EUR. The Sniper CAS7 kit offers 8GB in dual-channel with that memory clocked at 1600 MHz CL7, alternatively you can pick up a CAS9 Sniper kit as well, for only 80 EUR, that's 10 EUR per GB of 1600 MHz memory, yeah that's dirt cheap alright.

The end results will be very interesting, our test suite software will be run of the mill, we'll simply take all standard PC configurations and processors and compare this memory seated on a Core i7 2600K / Z68 chipset setup and evaluate it to the baseline performance of other chipsets/processors and their respective reference baseline performance.

Will these dual-channel 4GB DIMMs actually perform, will it be stable, will it be easy configurable ? Sure, heck yeah .. let's have a peek.

G.Skill DDR3 Sniper C7 1600MHz 8GB

13 pages 1 2 3 4 next »

G.Skill Sniper 8GB CL7 DDR3 memory review
G.Skill designed another 8GB low voltage DDR3 kit (2x 4GB) that can be set at 1600 MHz yet still run a CAS latency of 7. And that is truly interesting because the denser the ICs get, the higher latency typically gets.

G.Skill 2x4GB CL7 1600 MHz Trident DDR3 review
We feel that more memory is rather important, and in that trend memory manufacturers have started to increase the density of DIMM modules. Where 1 and 2GB DIMM modules have been the standard, we now see very good progress in 4 GB DIMM modules. Today we\'ll do things a little different, G.Skill designed a 8GB low voltage DDR3 kit (2x 4GB) that can be set at 1600 MHz yet still run a CAS latency of 7. And that is truly interesting because the denser the ICs get, the higher latency typically gets.

G.Skill Flare DDR3 2000 MHZ C7 AMD kit review
We test and review the G.Skill Flare DDR3 2000 MHZ C7 AMD kit. These kits are optimized for AMD platforms preferably with the new six-core X6 processors, and in specific some ASUS motherboards. The kit we'll be testing today obviously comes from that series and is a 2,000MHz CL7-9-7-24 1.65V 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3 kit with its latest Flare heatsinks.

G.Skill Phoenix PRO 120GB SSD review
The SSD tested today once again is the Phoenix series from G.Skill. After we tested their 100GB Phoenix SSD (which received a very positive review) G.Skill instantly requested if we would like to review the 120GB PRO model. Both drives pretty much are the same thing, same controller ... The 100GB Phoenix uses Samsung memory though but the trick is that there is 20GB extra volume space available on the new 120GB Pro (compared to the 100GB model) for nearly the same price. A new Firmware for the SandForce 1200 based controller that is inside this 120GB model simply reserves less NAND flash memory for its data-compression scheme. As a result the overall write performance could be a tiny bit slower, but only a few percent as best. It however will give you 20 GB more space to play around with at the same price. And since price per GB is everything in the land of SSDs -- this certainly is a significant for any vendor and for you as an end-user.