Seven 8 GB DDR3 Memory Kits For Your AMD A75 Motherboard

Turning DDR3 Into Graphics Memory

The biggest surprise in AMD’s Llano architecture was its integrated GPU's ability to play real games. And by real games we mean the kinds of titles that people who call themselves enthusiasts like to play. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is actually viable at high quality and 1680x1050. What you need to understand, though, is that gaming performance is largely affected by the memory you drop into a Llano-powered machine, as discussed in Chris Angelini's launch coverage page, “Making Memory Performance Matter Again.”

Of course, the most recent titles are more demanding than Call of Duty. However, we're still able to play them at lower resolutions and detail levels. That's something no other integrated GPU has ever done satisfactorily. We've always been impressed by the graphics quality of Call of Duty, given how low-impact it seems to be on hardware. So, we're also testing some of the more demanding titles in our suite in order to put today's memory kits through the ringer.

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8 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 Rated Settings
Row 0 - Cell 0 Data Rate (MT/s)TimingsVoltage
Adata XPG DDR3-1600+ AX3U1600PC4G8-2P16008-8-8-241.65 V
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8R16008-8-8-241.50 V
G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM16008-8-8-241.50 V
Geil Evo Corsa GOC38GB1866C9DC18669-10-9-281.50 V
Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3P1K2/8G16009-9-9-271.50 V
Mushkin Enhnaced Redline 99700016007-8-7-241.65 V
PNY XLR8 MD8192KD3-1600-X916009-9-9-241.65 V
Reference DDR3-1333 C913339-9-9-241.50 V

Note that we also include some basic DDR3-1333 CAS 9 in today’s round-up, intended to set a performance baseline in our charts. The real question, then, is: how much more speed will these low- to mid-priced modules bring to our games?

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
  • hmp_goose
    Where's the CAS7 DDR3-1333? Many of us are still trying to pin down how important timing are in the scheme of things …
    Reply
  • _Pez_
    Cool Review !! I liked it ! this review enforced my decision to choose Adata Ram-.
    Reply
  • whysobluepandabear
    hmp_gooseWhere'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.



    Reply
  • Crashman
    9519239 said:
    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/reviews/llano-apu-memory-performance,3017-10.html

    Please read the article, thanks!
    Reply
  • Rizlla
    I have been looking at those Corsair kits for an upgrade and it's good to know they are approved.
    Reply
  • beenthere
    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.
    Reply
  • ojas
    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?
    Reply
  • ChromeTusk
    9519243 said:
    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.
    Reply
  • nforce4max
    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 ;)
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    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!
    Reply