OCZ Platinum PC3-12800 6GB Kit Review - PAGE 1

In today’s PC market many users are looking for products that offer optimal performance, yet still have a low power envelope. This trend has led to better efficiency across all components, and as technology is continuously being reduced in size, a lower power requirement is needed. Some companies that have been at the forefront of this are AMD and Intel. Each of these companies has been reducing the overall power draw of their chips for years, and we are now at a point where a relatively powerful processor can be used in a small tablet style device. The reduction is not limited to the processor industry though, as memory has also seen some dramatic improvements in efficiency as well. Just a few years ago DDR memory required an average of 2.6 volts to run at their advertised settings, and now with latest DDR3 modules the requirement have been reduced to 1.65 volts.

The 1.65V rating has become the standard due to the power requirement of Intel’s latest processors. With the memory controller being integrated on the die, and a power rating stated by Intel to not exceed 1.65V, the memory industry had to meet that requirement to fully support the platform. This has led to a reduction across the board, and now you would be hard pressed to find a kit above the 1.65V rating. Memory companies have not stopped there though, and today we are going to be looking at a triple channel kit of Extreme Low Voltage (ELV) memory from OCZ that requires only 1.35 volts to run at their specified speeds.

The OCZ memory in this review is part of the Platinum series, which was introduced back in the DDR days, and has continued to evolve through each DRAM upgrade. The Platinum series uses high performance modules that don't carry the inflated premium of some of the more enthusiast grade products. However, they do offer excellent performance at a more manageable price point. Also, as part of the Platinum series, the memory uses OCZ’s Xtreme Thermal Convection heatspreader to reduce the temperature of the memory.