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 Patriot Viper II Sector 5 PC3-1600 4GB Memory Kit
Patriot brings DDR3 memory to 2GHz, pair that to some tight timings and a name that brings up images of Aliens, these just might fit your next build of that extreme PC you have been dreaming about.
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Just when you thought DDR3 and Triple channel memory were synonymous, Intel takes us back to Dual Channel memory with the latest CPU's based on the LGA-1156 socket. Keeping pace with Intel, the memory manufacturers had to go back and pair up their memory once again.
With DDR3 memory coming down in price and the new CPU's requiring it, it's popularity has grown. Performance has been good as of late, and apparently some good head room to boot. Performance isn't what we saw when DDR2 came into it's prime over DDR. Still, with the added head room, DDR3 memory CAN be made to be fast, very fast indeed.
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sent us over a few sticks to plug into the P55 based board we had been playing with. These are their Viper II Sector 5 series (we really do like the chosen name :) ) which include a new logo design along with some quite large Heat Sinks to keep them cool. markets the Viper II Sector 5 series as part of their Extreme Performance lineup that has been tested specifically on the P55 chipset, lets take a look at some specifications to see what they pack:
Specifications
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PC3-16000
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CL 8-8-8-26 timings (at 2000MHz)
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1.65V
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Advanced Aluminum Heat Shields
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Specifically tested for P55 chipset
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ready
The DDR3 standard is 1.5V, there is more then one blog (and an unofficial Intel memo) out there about 1.65VDimm or higher causing damage to the Core i7 CPU and while I love to read blogs, lets just say they are not all accurate... The Patriot Viper II Sector 5 memory operates just fine at 1.5 VDimm, they just give you a little head room (there is that phrase again :p). Obviously you want to bear in mind that a higher voltage for a long period of time will possibly reduce the life expectancy of your gear, its just a sad side affect of OC'ing. The timings on the Sector 5 memory is the best I have seen (stock) for DDR3 to date.
A quick glimpse at DDR3 standards and the performance behind them:
Chips and Modules
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Standard name
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Memory clock
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Cycle time
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I/O Bus clock
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Data transfers per second
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Module name
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Peak transfer rate
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DDR3-800
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100 MHz
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10 ns
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400 MHz
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800 Million
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PC3-6400
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6400 MB/s
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DDR3-1066
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133 MHz
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7.5 ns
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533 MHz
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1066 Million
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PC3-8500
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8533 MB/s
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DDR3-1333
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166 MHz
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6 ns
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667 MHz
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1333 Million
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PC3-10600
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10667 MB/s
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DDR3-1600
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200 MHz
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5 ns
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800 MHz
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1600 Million
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PC3-12800
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12800 MB/s
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*Courtesy of
As you can see, the Patriot Viper II Sector 5 Modules we have are beyond the high end of the DDR3 spectrum, PC3-16000 is rated as 2000MHz.
As normal since DDR memory evolved, SPD will set the timings if you let things go about their own attrition. In the case of the these Patriot Sector 5 modules, they clock in at 7-7-7-20 using only 1.5V. For our baseline test, we will leave this be, as most will probably do to start out.
Now that we got that out of the way, lets go over the modules in a little more detail. Patriot continues to “upgrade” their look, The black Heat Spreaders with the Red decal is a good look. The Patriot Viper II Sector 5 memory adds a nice aesthetic to anyone building a windowed / plexi case.
Patriot, like most manufacturers today, are RoHS compliant with their chips, which basically means you can eat them and not die from led poisoning etc... The packaging of the Patriot Viper II Sector 5 memory modules is done nicely with “Sector 5” prominently displayed, a reference to Alien technology maybe? Either way, once you get inside you see the modules with their large heat spreaders and flashy decals.
The heat spreaders are ribbed Aluminum with “risers” coming off the top. While we at VL have never been able to prove the addition of heat spreaders are of value, I suppose its better to have them then not, just in case you know :).
Testing Phase
I will be testing these modules on the following setup:
Base DDR3 Test bed:
MSI P55-GD80
HIS IceQ3 3850
WD 250GB 7200RPM SATA-II
Intel Core i5 750
Cooler Master RP-500 PSU
Windows 7 Ultimate (x86) / Ubuntu 9.10 (32 bit)
I will be comparing the Patriot Viper II Sector 5 memory modules to the previously reviewed Super Talent Extreme Performance PC-12800 DDR3 Memory Modules (9-9-9-27).
I do understand that Patriot will have an advantage going into this test, as they not only have better timings stock, they are built for Dual memory configurations while the Super Talent memory modules are built for Triple DDR3 configurations... In the end I don't believe the dual VS triple is a big deal, the timings of course should be.
Test suite:
Everest Ultimate
- Memory Read
- Memory Write
- Memory Copy
Phoronix Test Suite
- FFMPEG
- Memory Read
- Memory Write
- GnuPG (2GB File)
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