Which DDR3 Memory Kit Is Right For You?
We've already seen that the best way to maximize the performance of AMD's Llano-based APUs is to increase memory data rate and minimize latencies. And yet, all of today’s modules are capable of reaching the architecture's highest DDR3-1866 multiplier.
The cheapest kit, PNY's XL8R DDR3-1600 CAS 9, required a deal-breaking CAS 11 setting to reach that data rate. At the same time, they only finished 2% slower than the fastest parts. So, how much cheaper are PNY’s modules?
Although we couldn’t get a U.S. price for Adata's kit, G.Skill’s closely-matching memory costs $15 more than PNY’s. That’s a significant 27% increase in price for a miniscule 2% increase in performance.
The average price of all modules, $73, sets the baseline for our value analysis. We used DDR3-1866 gaming performance to set the other half of our performance-to-price comparison.
A great price gives PNY a significant value lead, when paired with AMD’s A6-3650 APU. Corsair’s good price puts it in second place.
Which of these would we pick? It’s hard for us to recommend running anything at CAS 11, but the super-low price on PNY’s XLR8 MD8192KD3-1600-X9 makes a strong argument against any bias we have against loose timings. On the other hand, Corsair’s moderately-priced Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8R reached the same DDR3-1866 high mark at a mere CAS 8.
Given such a small performance difference, we could easily recommend either of these products, depending on your budget. And so, we will. Both kits receive Tom's Hardware Approved billing.
Related Stories :
- The AMD A8-3500M APU Review: Llano Is Unleashed
- AMD Now Shipping Quad-core Llano APU to OEMs
- Photoshop OpenGL, OpenCL Performance on AMD A300 APU
- Memory Scaling, AMD's Trinity APUs, And Game Performance
- Does Memory Performance Bottleneck Your Games?
- LGA 1156 Memory Performance: What Speed DDR3 Should You Buy?
- Core i7 Incompatible With Performance DDR3 Memory
- Corsair Announces Mac Performance Memory
- Kingston ships 4 GB performance memory kits
- OCZ unveils flashy "Reaper" performance memory
Where's the CAS7 DDR3-1333? Many of us are still trying to pin down how important timing are in the scheme of things …
Cool Review !! I liked it ! this review enforced my decision to choose Adata Ram-.
Where's the CAS7 DDR3-1333? Many of us are still trying to pin down how important timing are in the scheme of things …
They're not.
You're better off buying value RAM with decent timings and throwing that extra $$$ into a GPU. I promise your FPS will improve more that way.
Where's the CAS7 DDR3-1333? Many of us are still trying to pin down how important timing are in the scheme of things …
CAS 7? Most of the modules were tested at DDR3-1333 CAS 6.
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 17-10.html
Please read the article, thanks!
I have been looking at those Corsair kits for an upgrade and it's good to know they are approved.
As has been known for quite some time, there is virtually no performance gain on DDR3 RAM with lower CAS because DDR3 has plenty of bandwidth and frequency. The higher the frequency the lower the cycle time in real time, thus CAS 7 vs. CAS 9 is totally insignificant in system performance.
Is it a valid conclusion that, if the 8GB kits are good, then the corresponding 4GB and 2GB kits would be good to? Or will pricing make a difference there?
I have been looking at those Corsair kits for an upgrade and it's good to know they are approved.
Wish I found that Corsair CAS8 kit, but I did find the CAS9 version for $50, no rebate or shipping.
I bought the cheaper version G.SKill kit for $59 oh well :s can't wait for prices to drop again for a little splurge
Nice review guys!
I got the HyperX modules the A8 and the Vengeance are on my main rig. Now, I'm still intrigued about unganged when using a 4 module MoBo. I got the A8 with 4 modules in unganged at 1600 CL9 and it runs pretty well, but i wonder how that compares to this 2 modules MoBo.
Cheers!
I think the black horse here is 30-40$ 1333 value ram.
Still llano isn't strong enough to give any reason for faster twice as expensive (or more) rams.
IMHO who the hell would like to buy 60$ ram for a budget apu targeted more at htpc than anything.
P.S. 8GB of RAM in htpc or lowend rig *poke in the head*
Uhhh... I have recently bought some cheaper 4GB Mushkin Redline 997013 1600 7-8-7-24 with the Frostbite Head spreader and lower voltage at Newegg, for $44 + shipping, I felt that was a good choice for the price.
I think the black horse here is 30-40$ 1333 value ram.Still llano isn't strong enough to give any reason for faster twice as expensive (or more) rams.IMHO who the hell would like to buy 60$ ram for a budget apu targeted more at htpc than anything. P.S. 8GB of RAM in htpc or lowend rig *poke in the head*
The CPU in that APU is a fairly good one, not everyone needs a graphics card.
They're not. You're better off buying value RAM with decent timings and throwing that extra $$$ into a GPU. I promise your FPS will improve more that way.
I agree more or less. I would rather get non-registered ECC memory and a good video card. An FPS or two isn't going to affect me much. Was burned by factory-overclocked DDR2 that started failing randomly after a few months. I decided that my data was a lot more important than speed.
8gb of DDR3 is soo cheap now there isn't a reason to not buy 8gb of DDR3.
Why choose the A6 with its less demanding GPU part? Surely the A8 line would be a more suitable testbed?
Why choose the A6 with its less demanding GPU part? Surely the A8 line would be a more suitable testbed?
Different editors get different CPUs and rarely complain about the supplier's decision.
The CPU in that APU is a fairly good one, not everyone needs a graphics card.
What is your point ? This article was not about CPU neither my comment .
Focus of this article was that expensive as hell ram will boost your graphical experience with integrated GPU. In my opinion gains do not justify the price mere 4 fps?
Next generation will bring more muscle to the stage article like that may be justified then. For now I'd advice everyone unsure to go with quality value ram and spend extra money towards stronger processor.
Still results here are staggering compared to regular desktop setups where highend +100$ rams give marginal (bellow 1fps) advantage over 1333 cl9 value rams.
You cant deny this review (and any RAM review these days) is a total waste of life.