Kingston DDR3-RAM 4GB PC3-12800 HyperX Kit (KHX1600C9D3K2/4G)

Zitat: Pros: + Great performance + Low profile + Lifetime warranty Cons: - High voltage - Loose timings The Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3K2/4G kit of memory impressed me with its performance and quality, but one issue I did run into was stability. I had to set the voltage to the maximum required setting of 1.9v at all times to run them at the listed stock timings of 9-9-9-27. I manually set the voltage at 1.7v when I first installed the memory and raised the voltage slowly until stability was achieved. However, before the 1.9v mark, my computer would crash during any program that stressed the system, such as gaming or benchmarking. I assume that some kits can run stable below 1.9v, but the set I received could not. With the voltage aside, the HyperX kit ended up on par with or ahead of both the Corsair and OCZ kits in most of the benchmarks and was also able to average a few more frames per second in Left 4 Dead across most resolutions. Along with the great performance, Kingston also offers a lifetime warranty, and 24/7 tech support, which adds some extra buying incentive. Also, for those who have clearance issues with large after-market coolers, the low profile heatsinks are a nice feature over the finned versions found on other modules. The price on this kit is set a bit higher than some other similar DDR3 memory on the market, but at just over $100 dollars, they are still at a competitive price point. All of this combined really makes them a good option for anyone looking to set up a new, or upgrade an existing, AM3 system. If you are looking to build an i5 system though, this memory will unfortunately not work due to the high voltage requirement. When it came to overclocking, I was able to reach 1744MHz with only a small adjustment to the timings, which required the voltage to be set at 2.0v. Once at this speed, I thought I would have a lot of room left before I hit the ceiling, but any setting I ran over 1744MHz would result in a system crash or boot failures. I tried raising the voltage, adjusting the timings, changing the command rate and the Northbridge frequencies, but in the end the result was always the same. At the overclocked level, the HyperX kit performed very well and benchmarked at times close to the i5, but I still would have liked to see this kit overclock higher. As stated before, I believe this was largely due to the excessive memory voltage requirement. The KHX1600C9D3K2/4G kit of memory might not come with all the bells and whistles that some other kits include, but they are solid performers that I would recommend to all but the most demanding overclockers.