Kingston DDR3-2000 Nehalem memory kit tested

Product Kingston HyperX DDR3-2000 Core i7 kit
Web site www.kingston.com

RIGHT AFTER the Core i7 launch, with its combination of a new three-channel configuration and memory voltage limitations, memory vendors started coming out with newly optimised "lower voltage yet decent speed 3-channel DDR3 memory kits for the new kid on the block.

We've all seen in our first Core i7 965 Extreme test that the Qimonda kits nicely handle low latency CL7 DDR3-1333 speeds with full two DIMM loads on all three channels while keeping stock voltage.

Those results were pretty impressive for un-tuned Auto settings and lowest possible voltage presets. Now, what happens if we push things up? We got hold of Kingston's fast new DDR3-2000 3-channel kit with 3GB capacity, i.e. three one-gigabyte DIMMs matched together. Rated at that speed CL9 at a bit higher 1.65 volts, the maximum recommended for Core i7, these modules should push the top of the performance when it comes to benchmarketeering results (short: benchmarks). Compare them with their 2-volt. same-speed siblings for Nforce platforms - the lower voltage is an obvious benefit.

We installed these lovely modules into the initial Core i7 testbed, the Asus P6T Deluxe with the freshest BIOS, Asus GTX280 graphics card and a current Vista64 setup. Again, all settings in BIOS were initially at default - which meant CL10-9-9-24 at DDR3-1866, the highest initial clock we could get without overclocking the base CLK and with standard 1.5 volts in this case, lovely as the DIMMs don't heat up at all. And yes, command rate 1 worked fine.

Here's the comparison of Sandra 2009 results with the DDR3-1333 CL7 CR2 setup on the same three channels:

DDR3-1866, mem latency 53 ns:

DDR3-1333, mem latency 64 ns:

So OK, for a 40 per cent memory clock - and equivalent CPU uncore clock - speedup, we get about 20 per cent more bandwidth performance. Not bad. Do remember this is at a cost of running only three modules with minimum per module capacity, just eight memory chips, compared to six DIMMs with sixteen DRAMs in the DDR3-1333 case. Yes, record benchmark speeds for an 'automatic' lazy couch potato configuration. In fact, these numbers are so high that the Core i7 is pretty sure of keeping the memory benchmark crown long after even AM3 DDR3-enabled Phenom II comes out.

In summary, yes you do get extra speed, not really that it matters much on an already well fed (from the memory path) Core i7, but those 28GB/s numbers are painfully high for any previous-generation 'enthusiast' to watch.

The Good Record speed without any tuning
The Bad No you can't keep it up with six modules
The Ugly Don't touch anything above 1.7 volt memory voltage on a Core i7

Bar Geezer's Assessment