AMD Radeon Memory Modules Spotted in Canada, Japan

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

AMD has released Radeon-branded DDR3 modules in Canada and over in Japan.

Typically when we mention the name AMD, we're talking about processors, chipsets and GPUs. That said, it seems a little strange connecting AMD to actual DDR3 chips – even more so seeing the actual sticks being held by human hands. But they're real, and apparently already on the market in some territories.

On Saturday, images of AMD Radeon-branded DDR3 modules -- photographed in Japan -- went live, but according to reports, the memory sticks actually went on sale in Canada a few weeks ago. That means they’re not only available to OEMs, but to retail consumers as well.

AMD's website reports that the Radeon Memory will come in three flavors: the Enterprise Series, the ULTRA PRO Gaming Series, and the Entertainment Series. The Enterprise version is marked as "to be determined," but the Entertainment version will operate at 1333 MHz with timings of 9-9-9; the ULTRA PRO Gaming version will operate at 1600 MHz with timings of 11-11-11.

Otherwise, all three versions will come in 2 GB sticks and a PCB height of 30.0-mm. The package itself will be a 240-pin socket type dual in line memory module (DIMM), and will be both lead-free (RoHS compliant) and Halogen-free.

"AMD Radeon DDR3 System Modules are ideally suited to our CPU and APU products," the company said. "Components are tested to the highest industry standards on AMD platforms to guarantee reliability and performance."

So far we haven't received anything official from AMD, but the chips are reportedly on sale over in Japan for around $20 USD apiece. We'll keep you posted.

Kevin Parrish
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50 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bavman
    Those are horrible timings. 1600mhz @ 11/11/11? I dont even think they make those here. Most 1600 ram kits are 9/9/9 and even go as low as cas7 for performance dimms.
    Reply
  • garage1217
    To the above, was just going to say the same.. those timings are a joke. My XMS 3 is currently running at 1600 with timings if 7 8 7 20 lol
    Reply
  • Not worthy of the Radeon logo. Thats terrible timings.
    Reply
  • NuclearShadow
    It really lacks creativity that they would re-use the Radeon name for the memory. I understand the desire for a familiar and recognizable name for marketing purposes but just slapping AMD on it and coming up with a new name would have been enough. It's quite interesting that they are making it now however. I wonder how competitive they plan to be against the big names and if this will have any effect on prices. One thing is for sure though they need to step up that performance.
    Reply
  • rantoc
    bavmanThose are horrible timings. 1600mhz @ 11/11/11? I dont even think they make those here. Most 1600 ram kits are 9/9/9 and even go as low as cas7 for performance dimms.
    Its poor timing for sure (CL9 is about standards) but the real world performance hit will be very very low is 95% of the cases especially on a Sandy Bridge system. Its memory management is superb! If the price is right on those modules there will be a market.
    Reply
  • If this is true, then the reason why is pretty obvious:

    Llano was the first chip ever that is actually memory bound, never before has putting fast memory in a machine actually made a significant difference, previously putting in DDR3 2133 was perhaps 5% faster than DDR3 1333.

    They may have aspirations of making uber-memory for their next gen products, rather than relying on memory makers to do it for them, they're taking matters into their own hands.
    Reply
  • pewtersbyte
    Huh? This must be a misprint. 1600mhz @11/11/11? Must be the other way around. Even if it was suppose to be 9/9/9, I would hardly call that "ULTRA PRO" settings/timings.
    Reply
  • JackNSally
    rantocIts poor timing for sure (CL9 is about standards) but the real world performance hit will be very very low is 95% of the cases especially on a Sandy Bridge system. Its memory management is superb! If the price is right on those modules there will be a market.
    Doesn't AMD's Llano like fast memory with tight timings? At least for the GPU part? I would consider buying a set if the price is around $20-25.
    Reply
  • MrBig55
    Since I live in Canada I would prefer to buy AMD memory than Kingston which formely was Canadian but is now chinese. Since it was bought by China, their products fell in quality, the warranty is no more lifetime but a mere 2 years old and I got several Kingston memory sticks that had problems (even one stick on a 2-sticks combo that didn't work, this is anormal for any company) or did not even worked the first time it was put into a computer...
    Reply
  • lp231
    ATi fanbois take note!
    To get the best out of your CFX setup, you must have AMD branded memory! This will give you a 50% performance boost on all of your games and other programs! Now if you are truly a ATi fan, don't forget our AMD theme case, mouse pad, tissue box, keyboard, and mouse!
    Oh, Ruby is not included. :D :P
    Reply