Patriot Viper 3 DDR3-2400
Limited availability of Patriot’s top-rated PV316G240C0KRD kit forced us to look long and hard for a sub-$200 price, but a vendor that'd ship to the U.S. was eventually located in Canada. We’ve seen even lower prices in Asia and Europe, but those sources have since vanished.
Standing 1.625” tall, each 8 GB module is detected as DDR3-1600 CAS 11 the first time you boot up. Its DDR3-2400 CAS 10-rated performance settings are easily configurable though XMP selection in firmware of most enthusiast-class motherboards. A 10% voltage increase is required to keep the modules running there, and that’s why non-enthusiast motherboards typically lack XMP.
Some AMD-compatible motherboards also lack Intel’s XMP technology, but most have workarounds such as the D.O.C.P. mode found on our Asus test board. Anyone whose motherboard supports manual configuration can also use that option to configure these kits appropriately.
Keep your receipt! Though Patriot’s lifetime warranty has earned the firm great respect with overclockers, language in its policy could allow the company to deny a claim to anyone who can’t authenticate their original purchase.