RAM News - Page 31

Computex 2012 - Yesterday we had an early visit to the Corsair suite where we were introduced to a range of new products that were being displayed.

First up is Corsair's Dominator Platinum memory which is still in development, but is being announced today. It's still a little while out from shipping, but at this stage the modules are able to operate at overclocked speeds of 3000MHz DDR at CL12.

Besides the obviously impressive speed, the modules also include a swappable light bar which allows you to pick a color that suits the rest of the parts inside your PC, Corsair also claims that the ICs are all hand screened. Then you get DHX cooling, but the big deal with this memory is that it includes Corsair Link compatibility that allows you to check RAM temperature along with the other parts inside your system that also work with Corsair Link.

Without good RAM, your system overclock isn't really going to get off the ground. That's why Team Group has released their latest RAM clocked at 3000MHz which allows for 24,000Mbps data transfer rate. The timings are also really tight so as to provide the best possible experience for users. The timings are set at CL11-13-13-35.

The RAM is compatible with Intel's Z77 chipset and is equipped with the latest XMP v1.3. With this kind of speed, don't exactly expect capacity records. The chips can go up to 8GB by using two 4GB sticks. If you have to have the very fastest, there is nothing that can compete with this RAM as it stands. The full press release is below:

After revealing Xtreem DDR3 2800 CL11 dual-channel memory module ahead of any one in the market, Team Group Inc., one of the leading memory manufacturers in the world, beats everyone else once again by rewriting the history of over-clocking memory market.The limited version of Xtreem DDR3 3000 CL11 designed with higher standard is making the impossible possible!

Micron have announced that they have begun shipping the very first engineering samples of "fully functional DDR4 DRAM modules" in DIMM form factor to their major customers. Micron expects to have DDR4 ready for mas production by Q4 2012, where fast adoption of the new DDR4 tech will be scooped up by key industry players next year.

DDR4 focuses on reducing power consumption, while at the same time offering a performance increases over DDR3. The memory was developed in conjunction with Taiwan's Nanya, where they've used Micron's 30nm process node.

The new sticks, 4 Gigabit, 512MB DDR4 x 8 memory chip is offering memory densities up to 8GB for a single DIMM. This means we're looking at DDR4 hitting us with systems capable of 32GB of RAM in the mainstream, with 64GB and 128GB hitting up the high-end. Micron plan on making the memory chips with x8, x16, and x32 solder connections, which should reach clocks from 2.4-3.2 billion transfers per second, or "effective GHz" as the memory vendors like to say.

Yesterday we visited the friendly folks at the ADATA headquarters here in Taipei where we were introduced to some new products. The one product we want to focus on right here is its upcoming Intel Ivy bridge memory kit for the new Z77 Express platform.

The new Gaming Series RAM from ADATA is rated at 2666MHz DDR3 and comes in a capacity of 32GB which is four 8GB modules in dual-channel mode since that is what Z77 motherboards support. The timings at this rather high memory speed come in at 12-13-13-35 at 2T. ADATA is said to be working with ASUS to bring the cache latency time down from 12 to 11 before this memory kit actually makes it way to the market.

As you can see in the picture above, the memory at this stage of development requires active cooling to operate 100% stable. It's not sure at this stage if ADATA will bundle a memory cooler with their RAM or if they can figure out how to make it run stable without active fan cooling and just the passive installed heat spreaders.

With the launch of Ivy Bridge successfully completed, other companies now get to launch their new equipment that compliments the features of Ivy Bridge. One of the first up in the RAM department is G.SKILL. G.SKILL is no noob when it comes to high performance RAM, so these new sticks are expected to amaze.

And, they do! The modules feature some innovative features such as removable heat spreaders and are overclocking headroom, even with their already high stock speed. The new modules range from from 2400MHz 8GB to 2800MHz 16GB. According to the release, "the TridentX 2800MHz 16GB kit has successfully achieved DDR3 3320MHz speed," so these modules are no slouches.

The full press release can be seen below:

Gigabyte have come along way over the years. Gone are the years of motherboard manufacturers not endorsing overclocking, to employing, listening and catering to the entire enthusiast and overclocking market. It's a great move, and I applaud Gigabyte for doing so.

The latest news comes from Taiwanese power user "Coolaler" who has smashed Gigabyte's previous memory overclocking record with his Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H motherboard. He pushed his memory up to an insane 1530MHz (which is 3060MHz in dual-channel) with 4 DIMMs.

I will add that it's not too hard to hit high overclock results on 1 or 2 DIMMs, but 4 DIMMs? That's another challenge altogether. Nice work, Coolaler!

CeBIT 2012: G.Skill has shown off a bunch of new RAM at CeBIT this week and it all looks great. The first kit we see is an expansion to the Ripjaws Z series with a 4x 4GB kit sitting on the much loved ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard running at a blistering 2666MHz DDR.

The massive speed does come at the cost of some more relaxed timings, but CL10-12-12-31 at 1.65v isn't anything to turn away from. Considering the speed and the sheer amount of RAM that's on offer, this is no doubt a kit for people who want both speed and a large amount of RAM.

Along with that we've got the Ripjaws Z 2400MHz DDR kit running on, of all motherboards, a Biostar one. Honestly Biostar isn't the first company that comes to mind when I think of a performance motherboard, but it handles the CL11-11-11-30 at 1.65v 16GB with no issues at all.

G.Skill hot on the heels of their RipjawsZ series quad-channel DDR3 memory announcement, have again staked their claim of pushing the boundary with RAM. Today brings the announcement of their insanely hot looking 64GB kit of DDR3 memory built specifically for Intel's X79 platform.

The 64GB kit comes at DDR3 2400MHz CL10 speeds, with 8GBx8 sticks to build up to an amazing 64GB of RAM. G.Skill have tested every single memory module, with each stick being hand-tested, hand-picked by G.Skill's legendary R&D team. All the chips in this range are highly selected and tested with G.Skill's rigorous internal validation process that ensures maximum stability, while maintaining a decent overclocking headroom.

As always, G.Skill memory comes with a lifetime warranty, as well as the G.Skill technical team always at your fingertips through online forums, telephone and e-mail.

Earlier today in Taipei we attended the Intel Innovation & Research Forum 2011 where bigwigs from Intel Labs were in town to showcase what they have in store for the future of computing. Besides announcing further cooperation with research institutes in Taiwan, they also had some super techy and nerdy demonstrates on display in the showcase area of the event.

One demonstration that quickly caught our attention was the Hybrid Memory Cube display which was showcasing potential future memory technology in the mainstream running at a stunning 1Tb/s or 128GB/s.

Not only is the memory able to operate super-fast at around 12 times faster than DDR3-1333 (10.66GB/s) and DDR4-2667 (21.34GB/s) at around 6 times faster, it also uses less power per bit. DDR3-1333 uses 53.98 pj/bit and Intel's HMC Gen1 512MB Cube uses just 7.78 pj/bit.

AMD have just announced the first retail availability of AMD-branded memory in North America, as they've partnered with Patriot Memory LLC and VisionTek Products, LLC. AMD Memory branded products will help customers with their DRAM selection when buying a new system.

It is all part of AMD's development of personal computer platforms, they've used the AMD OverDrive performance optimization tool to test and optimize DRAM in conjunction with the company's APUs, CPUs, GPUs and chipset platforms. Paul Jones, CEO of Patriot Memory says:

Patriot Memory will bring over two decades of experience and expertise into this ecosystem. Our proven ability to deliver the best technology at the most competitive prices will help pave the way to success for this memory line.