System memory or RAM is a storage repository for the CPU to quickly access data. Some data is flushed after it is used while other data resides in RAM while the PC is on. Choosing the correct type and speed of RAM is just as important as the capacity. Over the last few months RAM prices have fallen sharply making high speed, low latency RAM affordable for most users. Today we are taking a look at the Kingston DDR3 HyperX T1 12GB triple channel memory kit. A big "Thank You" goes to Kingston for providing us with this review unit.

Setup

About the Product

The following information was provided by the Kingston web site and used for general specifications.

SPECIFICATIONS
CL(IDD) 9 cycles
Row Cycle Time (tRCmin) 49.5ns (min.)
Refresh to Active/Refresh 160ns (min.)
Command Time (tRFCmin)
Row Active Time (tRASmin) 36ns (min.)
Power (Operating) 1.410 W* (per module)
UL Rating 94 V - 0
Operating Temperature 0o C to 85o C
Storage Temperature -55o C to +100o C
*Power will vary depending on the SDRAM used.

FEATURES
• JEDEC standard 1.5V (1.425V ~ 1.575V) Power Supply
• VDDQ = 1.5V (1.425V ~ 1.575V)
• 667MHz fCK for 1333Mb/sec/pin
• 8 independent internal bank
• Programmable CAS Latency: 9, 8, 7, 6
• Programmable Additive Latency: 0, CL - 2, or CL - 1 clock
• Programmable CAS Write Latency(CWL) = 7 (DDR3-1333)
• 8-bit pre-fetch
• Burst Length: 8 (Interleave without any limit, sequential with
starting address “000” only), 4 with tCCD = 4 which does not
allow seamless read or write [either on the fly using A12 or
MRS]
• Bi-directional Differential Data Strobe
• Internal(self) calibration : Internal self calibration through ZQ
pin (RZQ : 240 ohm ± 1%)
• On Die Termination using ODT pin
• Average Refresh Period 7.8us at lower than TCASE 85°C,
3.9us at 85°C < TCASE < 95°C
• Asynchronous Reset
• PCB : Height 2.401” (61.00mm) w/ heatsink, double sided
component

Now that we got basic information out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the Kingston DDR3 HyperX T1 12GB triple channel memory kit.

Closer look

Front Shot		Ram Modules

The packaging for the memory modules doesn't need much. It shows the modules protected under a clear cover as well as the speeds of the memory and the part number of the kit. Pulling off the cover you get a clear view of all three modules. These puppies are tall too. Measuing just over 2.4" tall. Be warned that if you have a large CPU heatsink and fan there will be clearance issues. This isn't just an issue with the Kingston ram, it is with all taller memory modules.

Single Ram Module

Taking a closer look at one of the modules, you can see there are ridges in the fins of the heat spreader. This is done to increase the surface area of the heat spreader and help dissapate heat more efficently. The memory kit we are reviewing only supports one profile for Intel's XMP (Extreme Memory Profiles) which bumps the multiplier to 16x and gives the speed of 1600 MHz.

Size Comparison

Didn't I tell you these modules were tall? Compared to the Gskill module picutred the Kingston modules are almost twice as tall. By the way the Gskill module doesn't fit under the ThermalTake FRIO CPU cooler either.

Testing

Test System

For testing purposes we used the AIDA64 benchmark tool as well as ran the Cache & Memory benchmark. The benchmark tool was ran three times with a reboot between each run; the three tests were averaged to get our result.

Kingston Ram results		Gskill Ram Results

As you can see the Kingston and GSkill modules are neck and neck inn FinalWires AIDA64 memory and cache benchmark. With results this close I doubt you'd see any real performace gain.

Results

Here we use an average of Finalwire's AIDA64 benchmark suite. Each of the tests were run three times and an average was taken. In the memory copy test Kingston's T1 modules averaged 21305 MB/s over Gskills 19096 MB/s results. In the write tests both modules were within 5 MB/s of each other with Kingston pulling slightly ahead with 19644 MB/s and Gskill result of 19641 MB/s. The read test however shows quite a bit of difference with the T1 modules taking the lead with 18533 MB/s and the Gskill modules coming in at 15282 MB/s.

Conclusion

The quality of memory can either make or break a system build. In this review Kingston proves to be good quality memory with good transfer speeds and latency of under 4.1 ns. So why should you choose one memory module over the other? That's a good question and for which there really isn't a good answer. Asking around I've come to find out that a lot of the times it's brand preference. One manufacture has done well by the user so they stick to that brand and even more so today, cost is a huge factor. Ram prices have fallen significantly since the launch of DDR3 and an 8 GB kit can be purchased for less than $100.00 typically.

The T1's heat spreaders help keep the Ram running at top speed. Heat can cause all sorts of strange things to occur. The heat spreaders that they used allowed me to hit 2133 MHz with this ram while I was only able to jump to 2018 MHz with the Gskill kit that we tested against. As far as Ram goes, this kit is as good as it gets for Ram in the 1600MHz arena and for those users overclocking the extra boost you can get is well worth the price.

Some pros we found:

Heat spreaders
High Overclockability
Low Latency

Some cons we found:

None