VisionTek Ultimate Performance PC3-17000 Memory Review - PAGE 6

not too shabby, i guess. still, at the same time, it is rather 'meh'.

you guys still havent gotten your hands on low voltage RAM, have you? i said it before, and ill say it again...i would REALLY love to read a review on those sticks. in particular, this one, as it looks to be the only kit that runs at 1.25 volts

hahah hiigaran why're you so keen on low-voltage ram?

i mean, it offers no performance benefits (does it overclock more?), it isnt like RAM pumps out a ton of heat (i can see it helping a bit for laptops, but not so much desktops), and the small difference in voltage will make a negligible effect to ones power bill.... am i missing something?

^ if it overlocks more thats awesome and im all for it (would buy for that reason alone), but if a component can be passively cooled, im of the opinion heat really isnt an issue.

Yup Chris, I thought these modules were average. BTW, It seens Crucial is making these for Visiontek (heat spreaders are eerily similiar)

quote ashantiqua

hahah hiigaran why're you so keen on low-voltage ram?

i mean, it offers no performance benefits (does it overclock more?), it isnt like RAM pumps out a ton of heat (i can see it helping a bit for laptops, but not so much desktops), and the small difference in voltage will make a negligible effect to ones power bill.... am i missing something?

for about 5 bucks more, i feel it is worth it. yes, there are absolutely no performance benefits to it, and the energy saved looks small, considering its only about 4 to 6 watts. as for heat, im sure we all know that a little heat can make a big difference as a gamer, enthusiast, or overclocker.

as for the power bill, yep, also going to have a negligible effect. just like the gold efficiency power supplies. but in a few years, they pay themselves off. there are two forms of thinking here - get cheaper parts now, or pay a little more so that you save money in the long run. i am a firm believer in the latter.

also, while i can say for certain whether it will overclock better or not, i would assume so, considering that the modules would had to have been made more stable to run at the lower voltage in the first place, meaning that the parts themselves should be more stable, and because of the lower heat, it should have more tolerance for overclocking, compared to another stick of higher voltage.

quote hiifive

considering that the modules would had to have been made more stable to run at the lower voltage in the first place, meaning that the parts themselves should be more stable, and because of the lower heat, it should have more tolerance for overclocking, compared to another stick of higher voltage.

what i was thinking. lower stock voltage = better quality modules.

i wonder though, what are the tolerances of low voltage ram? can i take it to, say, the voltage of a non-low voltage ram stick for overclocking purposes?

damnit, now im clamoring for a low-voltage ram review.

well if a module can be stable at a lower voltage, it is of better quality.

as for whether it can withstand higher voltages, im not sure. if you compare it to processors with ever decreasing manufacturing processes (32nm, 22nm etc), you see that the smaller it gets, the lower the vCore, but at the same time, they can overclock more, with less of a voltage increase. even then, their maximum temperature is lower. perhaps it works similarly here.

Ahhhh, do not look at the voltage when buying new DDR3. They all work at 1.5 to 1.6 volts some less. Look at the cas rating and frequency. The days of cursing 2 volts through memory are over and even at 1.65 volts the memory will never get hot. most memory will not need anything over 1.65 volts.

well yeah, obviously, but when comparing sticks with the exact same performance, thats when you can look at other stuff.