By: Jonathan Kwan
October 18, 2013
When it comes to talking about the latest RAM from Kingston, we must turn to the ANPV version of the Bible, also known as the APH Networks Paraphrased Version. Specifically, I want you to turn to Revelation Chapter 13, where John describes his vision of the beast. "My custom built PC stood on the edge of the desk. And I saw a HyperX Beast coming out of the shipping box. It had six teeth and two fins, with two metal plates on its integrated circuit memory chips, and on each module a Kingston branding. The HyperX Beast I saw resembled a G.Skill Ripjaws-X, but had color like those of the night, and a pattern like that of something we have not seen before. The motherboard gave the HyperX Beast its current and its voltage and had great importance. Both modules of the HyperX Beast were attached by two plastic clips at a right angle to the motherboard, and were connected using two hundred and forty golden pins. The custom built PC was started, and the motherboard worked with the HyperX Beast. The processor and hard drive swapped data with the HyperX Beast because the motherboard had given authority to it. People also overclocked the HyperX Beast and asked, "Who is like the HyperX Beast? Who can benchmark better against it?"" What can I say? For this reason, and in everything we know, we did what was described to see if the HyperX Beast is everything it claimed to be. Read on to find out what we have found!
Our review unit of the Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2133 2x8GB dual channel kit arrived in a familiar FedEx Large Pak made from Tyvek polyethylene -- at least, that is what I think it is. Of course, the soft material transfers any bumps and bruises straight through. To ensure everything arrives safely, as usual, the good people at Kingston provided extra protection by adding an extra layer of protection with a small, brown corrugated cardboard box inside. Using the International Economy service, everything arrived smoothly and quickly into our hands, which is to be expected. I mean, at least it came a lot quicker than it did for us to write this review, haha.
As always, Kingston uses almost OEM-like packaging for their retail products. I am quite a fan of it, because it cuts down on waste. Interestingly, unlike standard clamshell or blister packaging with inserts implemented by many other memory manufacturers, Kingston resorted to using the tried-and-true method of having a PET shell and clear plastic cover. You won't find any fancy window inserts either; everything you need to know about this product is printed on the sticker in front. Another large plastic label with the Kingston HyperX branding seals the package shut. As you can see in our photo above, the two modules that make up the Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2133 2x8GB are placed horizontally next to each other behind the clear plastic cover, so we can enjoy looking at the fancy looking heatsinks without opening even opening it.
Before we move on, let's take a look at the product description of the Kingston HyperX Beast KHX21C11T3K2/16X 2x8GB DDR3 RAM, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
XMP TIMING PARAMETERS
• JEDEC: DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9 @1.5V
• XMP Profile #1: D3-2133 CL11-12-11 @1.60V
• XMP Profile #2: D3-1600 CL9-9-9 @1.5V
SPECIFICATIONS
CL(IDD): 9 cycles
Row Cycle Time (tRCmin): 49.5ns (min.)
Refresh to Active/Refresh: 260ns (min.)
Command Time (tRFCmin): 260ns (min.)
Row Active Time (tRASmin): 36ns (min.)
Maximum Operating Power 2.460 W* (per module)
UL Rating: 94 V - 0
Operating Temperature: 0oC to 85oC
Storage Temperature -55oC to +100oC
A screenshot of the memory tab in CPU-Z with Kingston's HyperX Beast KHX21C11T3K2/16X 2x8GB installed. The SPD timings table in CPU-Z reads standard JEDEC specifications programmed into the memory, as well as Intel XMP data for running the memory at various speeds. Using the latest BIOS revision, our Intel Desktop Board DZ77GA-70K motherboard used for testing had no issues detecting and working with the Kingston RAM right out of the box. The Kingston HyperX Beast KHX21C11T3K2/16X 2x8GB retails for approximately $185 at press time.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Installation, Test System
3. Benchmark: AIDA64 CPU
4. Benchmark: AIDA64 FPU
5. Benchmark: AIDA64 Memory
6. Benchmark: PCMark 7
7. Benchmark: 3DMark 11
8. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0
9. Benchmark: SuperPI 1M, Cinebench R11.5
10. Overclocking and Conclusion
