Quake 3: Arena
It's debatable whether this benchmark still has any merit when it comes to testing video cards, but I find it useful when running our CPU and subsystem tests. Tests were run at the "Fastest" settings, at 640x480.
Unreal Tournament 2003
We used the scripts written by , which are excellent tools in testing various resolutions and detail levels. We selected the CPU test, which uses lower quality settings to offload the strain from the video card.
Both games scale appropriately when running in Dual Channel mode.
Final Words
I would have liked to have compared the ram to other 512MB sticks, so I apologize for the lack of comparison benchmarks. Still, what we have learned here today is that the Kingston HyperX PC3500 performs very well, and works fine in Dual Channel mode. Even when overclocked, the ram exhibited no signs of instability, and ran very well.
My complaints are minor. For one, it only overclocked a mere 8MHz over stock at default timings. I suppose since the ram is already running pretty fast, this is to be expected. Another complaint is the timings. 2-4-4-8 timings won't help you win any speed records, but that's what adjustments in the BIOS is for.
Pros: Good performance, nice ramspreaders, very stable.
Cons: Conservative timings, so-so overclocking.
Bottom Line: The price of the ram is what earns the recommendation. There are manufacturers that produce faster ram, but you'll be paying for it. The HyperX's performance is very good though, and add to the fact the the quality is high, you won't be let down. If you got any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
