Page 10 - Overclocking and Conclusion
Ever since Intel’s Sandy Bridge Core processors hit the market, overclocking has been quite easy for us reviewers. Overclocking memory used to involve tuning the front side bus or base clock of the processor to precisely measure the maximum attainable RAM speed. Since then, the processor’s from Intel have had locked down base clocks, and also capped safe voltages. Thus the only way to test the RAM modules is to pump up the voltage to 1.65V, and see if tested modules can notch an entire step up. When Kingston marketed the HyperX Fury, its top feature was to allow for “automatic overclocking” as dubbed by Kingston, which is said to push to the highest frequency published. Of course, reviewers here at “APH Netoworks” do not strive for automatic overclocking, and we will push this unit a bit more. First, I went and tightened up the timings at stock frequency. We first tried to push 9-9-9-24 on the Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FK2/16 2x8GB DDR3, but unfortunately it was just a tad too much for the Fury -- I would be impressed if that pulled through, but it was definitely not expected. Our final result is a timing of 10-10-10-27 with a command rate of 1T, which is a little bit faster than the CL10 certification by three periods in the cycle time. Next, we moved to a higher frequency at still reasonable clock timings. We are able to achieve DDR3-2133 easily with the HyperX Fury, with a clock timing of 11-12-12-33, and a command rate of 1T. While it is possible to push it further to DDR3-2400, I felt the resulting timings were pretty high, so it is really your call.
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So is this a Nick Fury of RAM? I can safely say it sure is. Everything about the Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FK2/16 2x8GB DDR3 is clean, conservative and, for the most part, predictable. Calling a product predictable in this case is not necessarily a bad thing either. In terms of the design, the HyperX Fury is quite a bit more low-key, both figuratively and literally. The aesthetic choices that have gone into the looks has meant the Fury is not an eye-catcher, but still stylish nonetheless. Available in color themes that will fit into practically any build, the HyperX Fury is also quite low in terms of clearance, and thus will not get in the way of most aftermarket processor coolers. As for performance, the Kingston HyperX Fury delivers on almost every front. Of course, there are tests and benchmarks that are closer in terms of final results, but for every test that truly pits memory units against memory units, the HyperX Fury comes out on top. Not to mention, the overclocking capabilities are quite formidable for a unit that is meant to be more wallet-friendly than hammer-pounding performance. Lacking Intel XMP does hurt the HyperX Fury a bit in terms of ease of overclocking, but Kingston’s default JEDEC programming is not a letdown either. Unfortunately with the way DDR3 prices are, wallet-friendly can still pack a punch on the bottom line. At press time, the Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FK2/16 2x8GB DDR3 can be found for as low as $170, and prices vary depending on the color that you purchase. Considering less than a year ago, the Kingston HyperX Beast KHX21C11T3K2/16x 2x8GB DDR3 could be found for about fifteen dollars more, and is now closer to around $230, Kingston’s budget intentions are diminished by the market for the time being. With all that said, the Kingston HyperX Fury is still a great performer of memory, and its sleek clean looks make it a very smart purchase for your next build.
Kingston 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.
The Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FK2/16 2x8GB DDR3 is truly a furious competitor in terms of performance and looks in the memory market today.
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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 8
7. Benchmark: 3DMark
8. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 8.0
9. Benchmark: SuperPI 1M, Cinebench R15
10. Overclocking and Conclusion
