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When it comes to stability during overclocking, keeping components cool is the number one priority. While hefty heatsinks and cleverly designed fans are available to keep your processor and video card cool, what can be done to keep your memory at a constant temperature? The answer is quite simple, slap on some ramspreaders. Much like the ramsinks on a video card, ramspreaders, when used properly, aid in the dissipation of heat from the chips on your memory module. There are several different brands of ramspreaders available, and truth be told most are the same.
 
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If the PC Toys name sounds familiar, chances are you have visited CompUSA lately. PC Toys has a huge presence in many CompUSA stores. The Washington-based company has only been in business for a short time, but they are not new to the scene. PC Toys is a sister company to long-time Viperlair supporter, . PC Toys manufactures products, while The Coolerguys are an online store which sells many parts at competitive prices. The Coolerguys doesn't only sell PC Toys products, however, as they stock products from Vantec, Lian-Li and Coolermaster, along with many others.
Ed. Note: I've been told by our friends at that these heatspreaders are made by a Taiwanese company by the name of Neng Tyi, that markets under name Nexus. Nexus provides heatspreaders to such companies as OCZ, Mushkin, and several others. Truth is, I though these heatspreaders looked very familiar. Sudhian has reviewed the , and if you look closely, you'll see the similarities. Thanks for the heads up Mark. - Hubert
PC Toys obviously set out to make the best looking heatspreaders on the market with their DDRMAXX series. The set that I was sent is anodized a very sharp blue color that simply looks amazing. The PC Toys logo is etched on both sides of the spreader to prevent counterfeit products from being distributed as well as to give the products a more distinctive look.
Attaching the spreaders to your memory is a fairly simply process, as long as you take your time. There is a strip of adhesive material on each side of the spreaders. Simply peel back the adhesive on each side and slowly line the memory up between each spreader and close the spreaders at the same time. Then gently squeeze the spreaders to make solid contact across the entire length of the module. Once done you should have something that looks like this...
I know the ramspreaders look tiny on my module, and there is a reason for this. The ramspreaders are normal size, but my memory is not. I use registered ECC memory which tends to be about 33% taller than normal memory modules. Either way, the performance of the heatspreaders will not be effected, as they are still touching the memory chips as they would on any other module.
Testing a heatspreader is not a very easy task. You can't measure temperatures of the memory chips before and after, due to the heatspreader completely covering each chip. The heatspreaders aren't designed to aid in overclocking as much as they are designed in keeping the memory at a constant temperature either. I decided the best test would be a marathon. I overclocked my registered ECC Corsair memory to 160 MHZ and loaded up Memtest. I then recorded how long it would take to get an error without the spreaders. I had time to go for a jog, eat dinner, sleep and wake up and go eat breakfast before the memory finally locked at 17 hrs and 22 minutes. With the ramspreaders the system didn't lock at 160 MHZ during a 24 hour period, thus proving that they are of much value if you are looking for a more stable overclock.
Final Words
While heatspreaders will not help you achieve a higher overclock, it does make ordinary memory look good, while dissipating heat while overclocked, to allow for stable operation for a long period of time. I am going to give them a recommendation, and leave it at that. Many thanks go to Bill @ Coolerguys for the hook up.
Pros
Easy Installation
Look Good
Great for heat dissipation
Cons
Look Ghetto on my ECC memory
Will not help you overclock much more
Bottom Line
The DDRMaxx Ramspreaders are a fairly priced, easy to install component. If you want to add a little something to your system, this may be the answer.
Agree? Disagree? Discuss it in our forums
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PC Toys Ramspreaders: Got hot ram? Maybe some ramspreaders may help. Well, maybe they may or may not help much, but they do look pretty nice. We checkout some blue ones by PC Toys.
