Seven 8 GB DDR3 Memory Kits For Your AMD A75 Motherboard

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.

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