If you want the Formula One racing car of memory modules, this RAM kit from Corsair is what you're after.
Corsair is the ultimate name in performance memory, releasing modules with stratospheric frequencies year after year. The secret is an amazing binning process that helps differentiate the good chips from the bad and results in a product that enthusiasts worldwide lust for.
The latest release from the iconic GTX series are the aptly named GTX 6. Featuring a base frequency of 2,625MHz and timings of 9-11-10-30, this kit is so high octane that no motherboard in the world claims to support the frequencies it offers. The biggest bottleneck in reaching such frequencies is the capabilities of the memory controller inside the CPU, so Corsair have used 1GB modules to help ease the load on the CPU. The result is much higher speeds than normally achievable.
We paired these sticks with an ASUS Maximus III Formula and a Gigabyte P55A-UD7 and found both boards were easily able to touch 2,800MHz and achieved 2,900MHz with a little persuasion. These speeds are in another world from everything else we have tested in the past; the downside though is the 1GB module density. You would need 6 of these modules to reach 6GB of memory and running 6 sticks would certainly hurt both your overclock and your wallet.
Drawbacks aside, this kit is designed for raw speed and to reach the full potential you need extreme cooling. When we added a splash of liquid nitrogen into the mix, taking the memory past -100 degrees Celsius, they screamed past 3,000MHz and ended at a final frequency of 3,030MHz.
Corsair have taken a humble memory kit and turned it into a formula one car. This kit is impractical in so many ways, but that’s not the point: it’s the fastest memory kit in existence and we love it.
Available from Corsair, retailing for $150 per stick.APC rating: 8/10 (Highly Recommended)