Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 2 PC3-15000 Review - PAGE 1

Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors hit the consumer market less than a month ago, but we are already seeing optimized products available for the new 6 series platform. The memory kit we are looking at in this review is one such product, designed for Intel's second generation Core processors with a maximum voltage rating of 1.65V. This will allow this kit to be safely used in combination with any Intel-based motherboard that supports dual-channel DDR3 memory. The support is not limited to just Intel's Sandy Bridge platform though, as it is also designed to work with AMD's AM3-based motherboards.

The kit we are looking at is Patriot’s high-end 8GB Viper Xtreme Division 2 series DDR3 memory.  The Division 2 memory kit is optimized for use with the Intel 6 series platform, and utilizes a custom designed heatsink that integrates a copper core with an outer aluminum heatshield for optimal cooling efficiency. Additionally, the kit comes with a high frequency rating of 1866MHz and supports timings of 9-11-9-27, which should increase the memory's overall performance.

Since the introduction of memory rated above 1600MHz, the enthusiast community has debated if buying memory at higher frequencies is worth the added premium. The consensus to-date has been that the performance increase is relatively small, and buying such memory is not necessarily a worthwhile investment. This does not hold so true nowadays though, as the price of DDR3 memory has drastically reduced over the last six months; even an 8GB kit of high-performance memory can now be purchased for a very low premium. The pricing trend is either going to continue or at least stay at its current position, but regardless of the future price, now is a good time to be in the market for a new kit of memory.

The Division 2 looks promising and is an 8GB kit that retails for reasonable $159.99, but let's run it though some benchmarks and see if the performance makes it the proper upgrade choice.