The next big leap in memory tech is here, but which kit are you going to choose?
When the i7 series was introduced to the world in November 2008, we were also treated to some new memory standards, including triple channel and 2GB modules as standard. Since then, while CPUs and hard drive technology have been moving along quickly, memory has stood almost still, until now. It seems the dawn of 4GB modules is upon us, with the release of modules by most of the big memory vendors, including offerings from G.Skill and new kid on the block Mach Xtreme.
Of course if you are the sultan of Brunei you might have already purchased a kit of Kingston 3 x 4GB modules rated at 1,600MHz, which came to the market at a whopping $1,300; out of reach of the average consumer. As the technology has matured, the price has gradually worked its way down around $400, which is more affordable but still a touch extravagant. The kits starting to enter the market now are not only 4GB sticks, but they are also high-performance modules, with the two kits we have today both rated at 2,000MHz. Is that even possible with 4GB sticks?
Mach Xtreme is a relatively new addition to the memory and storage market. They are offering premium products with graffiti-style designs. Check out their web site for more info on their designs. They have served up a 2 x 4GB, 2,000MHz kit with timings of 9-9-9-24 under the product name of Armor. This kit is rated at 1.65 volts. We notice the heatsinks on this kit are very tall, featuring an extended fin that is raised above the actual memory modules. This may be a clearance issue for users that already have a large third-party CPU heatsink. The modules are quite heavy and the build quality is impeccable; the Armor kit is easy on the eye and a great option for those that value appearance as much as performance.
G.Skill on the other hand is anything but new to the memory market. Over the past few years they have established themselves as a premium supplier with products that are both high performance and high quality, while maintaining an affordable price point. The kit from G.Skill is again a 2 x 4GB kit rated at 2,000MHz but with slightly tighter timings than the Mach Xtreme Armor kit of 8-9-8-24. The G.Skill kit is also rated at 1.65 volts. These modules fall under the G.Skill Trident brand, which is G.Skill’s premier brand, featuring the very heavy two-piece heatsink. These modules are again reasonably tall but much shorter than the Armor kit, posing less of a problem with large CPU heatsinks.
The timings are a set of values that determine the latency of the memory. Tighter timings (with lower numbers) indicate higher bandwidth and therefore higher performance. As the G.Skill kit is rated with tighter timings, we expected the G.Skill kit to perform slightly better than the Mach Xtreme kit, and indeed it did. In our testing we found that in all tests the Trident’s were some 25-50MHz in front of the Armor kit, which culminated into a massive 2,300MHz stable frequency when we started to overclock the modules.
Both of these kits are extremely impressive, featuring high-quality design, excellent performance and unbelievable overclocking. There can only be one winner though, and that is undoubtedly the G.Skill Trident. Not only is it cheaper than the Mach Xtreme but it also performs better. While we are happy to have affordable 4GB modules finally hitting the market, we hope the price continues to come down over the next few months.
G.Skill Trident F3-16000CL8D-8GBTDD available from G.Skill, retailing for $394.APC rating: 9/10 (Editor's Choice)Mach Xtreme Armor MXD3AX20008GK available from Mach Xtreme, retailing for $439.APC rating: 8/10 (Highly Recommended)