Conclusions
Kingston Hyper-X PC2-8500
Kingston has put together a quality PC2-8500 kit at a great price. Their new DDR2 heatspreaders are functional and look great. I had no issues getting these DIMMs up and running at their rated specifications. The modules have a bit of overclocking headroom at their default 5-5-5 timings, able to clock to 1120MHz or just shy of PC2-9000. I was impressed by their ability to clock an impressive 1020MHz at much tighter 4-4-4-12 timings as well. These overclocks were achieved with only small increases in vDIMM.
It would have been nice to see enhanced performance profiles programmed into the modules, but this is not an issue for the majority of enthusiasts who are not afraid of the BIOS. This has become a pretty standard feature and I’m sure Kingston will implement this into future Hyper-X products.
At only about $75 and with a lifetime warranty, the Hyper-X PC2-8500 kit is an excellent value. I’m happy to award this kit with Icrontic’s “Stamp of Approval”. I’d like to sincerely thank Kingston for sending us this sample.
Pros:
- Functional and attractive heatspreaders
- Great price
- Lifetime warranty
- Great frequency scaling at 4-4-4 timings (PC2-8160 achieved)
Cons:
- Not a lot of overclocking headroom beyond 1066MHz at 5-5-5 timings.
- Not “Enhanced Performance Profile” (EPP) programmed
Corsair XMS2 PC2-8500
Corsair’s XMS2 kit employs a functional cooling solution that makes good contact with the ICs. Enhanced Performance Profiles also help to make the setup of the modules a breeze for those with an EPP compatible motherboard. I was pleased to see that there is a fair bit of overclocking headroom on tap. It was able to maintain stability at 1180MHz at only 2.2V and 5-5-5-18 timings. That is PC2-9440—very good considering the low voltage needed to achieve this frequency. It didn’t scale quite as well at tighter 4-4-4 and 3-3-3 timings in our tests, but higher frequencies improve performance much more than tighter timings.
Overall, I was impressed with the XMS2 PC2-8500 kit. At only $70 after rebate and with a lifetime warranty, it is an excellent value. There is really nothing negative I have to say about this kit. I would highly recommend it, and am happy to award it with Icrontic’s “Outstanding Product Award”.
Pros:
- Functional heat spreaders and good IC contact
- Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) enabled
- Good overclocking headroom, PC2-9440 frequencies achieved
- Lifetime warranty
- Great price
Cons:
- None
Corsair Dominator PC2-8500
Corsair’s DHX cooling system is the best I’ve seen to date, cooling both a specially designed PCB as well as the modules themselves. BGA based DDR2 modules conduct quite a bit of heat back into the PCB, so this is a very intelligent design that will likely prolong the life of just about any IC under the hood. The combination of the unique cooling solution and black PCB also make this kit the best looking of the lot. Enhanced Performance Profiles also help to make the setup of the modules a breeze for those who are not comfortable tinkering in the BIOS.
The TWIN2X2048-8500C5D kit I tested was version 3.1. The kit worked exactly as advertised—I had no issues getting it running at its rated specifications. I must admit though, I was expecting greater overclocking headroom given that this kit is of the ‘Dominator’ variety. It was only able to manage a 33MHz overclock above its rated 1066MHz frequency and 5-5-5-18 timings. Voltage increases did not provide any additional headroom, unfortunately. It did pretty well with tighter timings, managing to reach an impressive 975MHz at 4-4-4-12.
Overall, the Dominator PC2-8500 kit is a high-quality product at a reasonable price. It gets Icrontic’s “Stamp of Approval”. I’d like to sincerely thank Corsair for sending us this sample.
Pros:
- DHX system is a fantastic cooling solution
- Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) enabled
- Good frequency scaling at tighter 4-4-4 timings
- Lifetime warranty
Cons:
- Not much overclocking headroom beyond 1066MHz
OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-8500
Thanks to OCZ’s very functional ‘Heat Pipe Conduit’ system, the Reaper HPC PC2-8500 kit keeps nice and cool. The heat spreaders made excellent contact and the heatpipe fits into a machined groove for optimal contact. The HPC system coupled with black PCB make the Reaper HPC an awesome looking kit as well. This kit is also EPP enabled to provide quick setup for those with supporting hardware.
When it comes to overclocking, OCZ delivers. Able to clock to 1220MHz with only 2.3V, or a very impressive PC2-9600 (1200MHz) with only 2.2V. Those looking to overclock will be able to take advantage of these high frequencies and won’t have to enable memory dividers as quickly as with other kits. Not many kits can break the 1200MHz barrier. It should also be noted that OCZ’s kit is rated for only 2.1V to reach PC2-8500 frequencies. Most kits need 2.2V—another plus.
Priced at about $135, it is the most expensive kit that we tested today. It is a very high quality kit, though and you get what you pay for in this instance. I’m sure that as DDR2 prices continue to drop, we’ll see this kit become more affordable as well. I was impressed by the OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-8500 kit. Put simply, it is a great high quality kit with plenty of tweaking potential. I’m happy to award it with Icrontic’s “Outstanding Product Award”.
I’d like to sincerely thank OCZ for providing us with this sample.
Pros:
- OCZ’s excellent HPC cooling system
- Great heatspreader contact
- Lots of overclocking headroom on tap, able to hit an impressive PC2-9760 or 1220MHz at 5-5-5 timings and only 2.2V.
- EPP Profile Enabled
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
- A bit pricey at around $135.
Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500
Crucial has won me over with their Ballistix PC2-8500 kit. It is hands down, the best enthusiast DDR2 memory I have tested to date. The overclocking headroom present in these modules is nothing short of incredible. I kept increasing the frequency, and these DIMMs just kept delivering. I was amazed to see 1200MHz or PC2-9600 at only 2.2V and an incredible 1300MHz once I started pumping the volts. That is PC2-10400—just awesome. It is clear that Crucial has employed some variety of Micron D9 in these sticks. Judging by their response to vDIMM, I’d wager a guess that they are D9GKX. Being a subsidiary of Micron Technology certainly has its advantages, and it is pretty clear that some high binned ICs made their way into this product. I was just as impressed with their overclocking at tighter timings, achieving 1180MHz at 4-4-4 and 900MHz at 3-3-3 timings.
Crucial has EPP programmed their Ballistix kits, so those not planning to overclock will be able to get these up and running quickly if they have an EPP compatible mainboard. Crucial also covers all of their memory products with a lifetime warranty. At only $89 with rebates that can take them as low as $65, this kit truly redefines “bang for the buck”.
It was unfortunate that the heatspreaders didn’t make very good contact with the ICs on the kit I had in the lab. I’m hoping this was just a bad batch or two that made it to stores.
Taking into account the incredible tweaking potential and fantastic price of these modules, I would consider the Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 the enthusiast 2GB kit to buy. As such, I’m awarding it with Icrontic’s “Golden Fedora” award. A special award reserved for the best of the best.
Pros:
- Incredible overclocking headroom, 1300MHz achieved at 5-5-5 timings
- Great frequency scaling at tighter 4-4-4 and 3-3-3 timings (1180MHz and 900MHz achieved respectively)
- Responds well to vDIMM increases
- Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) enabled
- Attractive heatspreaders and black PCB
- Lifetime warranty
- Great price
Cons:
- Heatspreaders not making proper contact with ICs on our kit
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