What exactly makes memory "overclockable"?

[r_manic]

From the news feeds:

The kit was specifically designed for overclockers and enthusiasts using Intel platforms and has timings of 9-9-9-27. The memory is for Intel P55 chipset platforms and comes in a 4GB kit that uses a pair of 2GB modules.

The part number for the kit is PVV34G2250LLK and Patriot uses aircraft-grade aluminum for the heat spreaders. The heat spreader design allows for fast heat dissipation and the RAM is hand-tested for quality and backed with a lifetime warranty.

Ok, so it supposedly handles heat better. But what's the basis for any memory manufacturer when it comes to overclockability?

 

[pepperman]

Its all the marketing; most manufacturers now include decent heatsinks on their products which allow increased overclocking capability, but when a company claims it, its mostly just marketing.

A non-overclocking kit can likely be OCed to the same levels as one "specially" designed for it.

 

[treefrog07]

From what I've read the memory chips are manufactured in large sheets, and there are inconsistencies in the physical properties of each memory chip during the actual manufacturing, so most of the chips yielded will likely meet the minimum standard for speed and voltage, but some will be able to sustain higher voltage and speeds. Those memory chips are assembled into the sticks of RAM and tested to ensure they can run faster than the minimum - overclocked, and then sold at a premium to enthusiasts.

 

[Guest]

What treefrog said. For more, look up JEDEC on google. Some of these super high memory sticks are just saying they CAN go that high. The problem is, there is no JEDEC standard for it so getting it to run that fast is all on the end user, and not everything works at those speeds. It's really pretty hit and miss.