Page 10 - Conclusion
Normally, in this section, we will be overclocking the memory modules to see how much more we can squeeze out of the product beyond manufacturer specifications. But special thanks to Sandy Bridge processors, and these being DDR3-2133 RAM -- which is the highest divider second generation Core CPUs are designed to run at -- it rendered this section is largely irrelevant. And that is good news for reviewers too, because it saves me some work, haha. (Hey, at least I am being honest!)
Okay, I did not skirt around this topic just like that. There is still one more thing we can do beyond frequency changes. Any enthusiast would be curious to know if the 9-11-9-28 latencies can be adjusted for our benefit. From what I can see with my kit, the G.SKILL Ripjaws-X F3-17000CL9D-8GBXLD 2x4GB dual channel kit did not like it changed one bit. In other words, 9-11-9-28 is what you have been promised, and 9-11-9-28 is what you will get. At DDR3-2133, I think that is quite fair.
With that aside, the G.SKILL Ripjaws-X F3-17000CL9D-8GBXLD 2x4GB dual channel memory kit is quite an appealing product. And let me tell you exactly why. From a physical perspective, what we have here is a pair of RAM built on a desirable black PCB (Okay, no one can see that once it is installed, but those are just the minor details) with a sharp red medium profile heatsink (You can actually see this after it is installed if you have a windowed case, and no Noctua NH-D14 to block your view). But the beauty of G.SKILL's PC3-17000 Ripjaws-X is not just skin deep. This is 8GB of ultra high performance memory. While fast 4GB kits can easily be found everywhere, 2x4GB DDR3-2133 kits are far and few in between. In fact, at most major US online retailers at press time, this is the one and only. Now if you are concerned about the law of diminishing returns, then the PC3-17000 Ripjaws-X is not for you. I will make it clear to you straight up that buying the fastest available memory will not dramatically increase your system performance. We already proved that in our benchmarks in the past seven pages. In that case, you are probably better off in buying some DDR3-1600 instead and spend the difference on a better video card or faster CPU. But if you already have all the best components installed, and want to push your system to its limits and squeeze out every extra point in every other benchmark out there, then we are talking. For around $200 retail at press time, if you are looking for the fastest (And pretty much only) DDR3-2133 8GB kit money can buy, G.SKILL has some high quality, high performance memory in store for you.
G.SKILL provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
Since April 30, 2007, Number Ratings have been dropped for all CPUs, motherboards, RAM, SSD/HDDs, and graphics cards. This is to ensure the most appropriate ratings are reflected without the inherent limits of using numbers. Everything else will continue using the Number Rating System.
More information in our Review Focus.
If you are looking for a DDR3-2133 2x4GB kit, you really don't have much choice at this time -- the G.SKILL Ripjaws-X F3-17000CL9D-8GBXLD is the kit to buy. But even if you had a choice, I am sure your money will still be on this set.
Do you have any comments or questions about the G.SKILL Ripjaws-X F3-17000CL9D-8GBXLD 2x4GB RAM? Drop by our Forums. Registration is free, and it only takes a minute!
Page Index
1. Introduction and Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Installation, Test System
3. Benchmark: AIDA64 CPU
4. Benchmark: AIDA64 FPU
5. Benchmark: AIDA64 Memory
6. Benchmark: PCMark Vantage
7. Benchmark: 3DMark 11
8. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0
9. Benchmark: SuperPI 1M, Cinebench R11.5
10. Conclusion
