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The memory modules are packaged in a blister pack is pretty much standard these days. One of the first things thats stands out is the large and mean-looking heatspreader, which is a great bonus and should be more than enough to effectively cool the memory.
Installation
No problems with installation. Just make sure you align the notch correctly with the DIMM slot on the motherboard. And remember to hold the ram modules on the sides, avoiding the contacts where possible.
Test Setup and Procedure
| Processor | Intel Core i5 – 650 @ 3.2Ghz (LGA 1156) |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte P55 USB3 |
| Ram | Crucial Ballistix DDR3-2133 Dual Channel 4Gb Kits |
| Graphics Card | Geforce Geforce GTX 460 OC (1Gb GDDR5) |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 250Gb (8Mb Cache) 7,200rpm SATA-II |
| Optical Drive | LG x24 DVD-RW Re-writer SATA |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-D14 |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake ToughPower 650W |
| Chassis | Lian-Li Pitstop T60 Test Bench |
| Network | Netgear WG111v2 / Onboard 1Gbit ethernet |
| Monitor | 23″ Samsung (1920×1080) – HD 1080p |
| OS | Windows 7 Ultimate |
To test the memory modules, we used a test rig based on the above components. As you can see, it’s a decently spec’d system, enough for what we need. Here are some of the benchmark software which we’ll be using:
- Sandra Pro Business 2010
- CPU-Z and Everest
- ScienceMark 2
- PC Mark Vantage
We enabled XMP in the BIOS options of the motherboard, which actually makes ram run at the lower speed of DDR-1600. This is fine, because we now know that the ram is running at the optimised settings … matching the motherboard.
