ADATA XPG V2 2800MHz 8GB Memory Kit Review

1. Introduction2. ADATA XPG V2 2800MHz Memory3. Configuring the BIOS4. System Configuration5. SiSoft Sandra6. MaxxMem27. Cinebench R11.5 64 bit8. Super Pi9. Overclocking10. Closing Thoughts11. View All Pages

It's ADATA's turn to add to the barrage of high-speed memory kits entering the limelight now that Intel's Haswell processors have been released. Can version two of the company's XPG kit prove that it is memory with strong overclocking potential?

Available in eight and sixteen gigabyte capacities with speeds as high as 3100MHz, ADATA's refreshed XPG memory line-up is targeting overclocking enthusiasts and high-performance benchmarkers. Today we will be looking at the second fastest kit in ADATA's memory catalogue – a set that is rated for a frequency of 2800MHz with 12-14-14-36 timings.

With a 2oz copper, 8-layer PCB and eye-catching gold heatsinks, can ADATA's XPG V2 2800MHz memory kit offer the performance that will catch the attention of hardened overclockers?

Specifications:

• PC3-22400 (2800MHz).
• Timings: 12-14-14-36.
• Voltage: 1.65V.
• Dual Channel Kit: (2x4GB).
• XMP 1.3 Ready.
• Lifetime Warranty.

ADATA ships the memory in a simple clamshell package. The kit does not feature any kind of cooling fan as we have seen offered by high-speed sets from the likes of G.Skill.

The ADATA XPG V2 memory modules are covered by a uniquely-shaped, gold heatsink that is designed to transfer heat away from the memory chips, and add an attractive touch to the modules. With Asus' range of Z87 motherboards utilising gold heatsinks, matching the XPG V2 memory with other components is a possibility.

Giving a capacity of four gigabytes per DIMM for our 8GB kit, eight memory chips are situated on one side of the PCB, with a spacer occupying the other.

Measuring in at a maximum of 43mm-tall, the gold heatsink of ADATA's XPG V2 memory modules features a finned design that is intended to distribute heat away from the PCB and chips. The heatsink is made of two separate parts which are then united by virtue of their mounting locations and a small clip.

As well as the gold kit that we received, ADATA's XPG V2 memory is also available with a tungsten grey-coloured heatsink.

ADATA puts its brand name and the XPG product logo on either side of the memory modules' black PCBs. The XPG V2 memory kit on show today operates at a DRAM frequency of 2800MHz with timings of 12-14-14-36.

If required, each heatsink can be removed with relative ease, allowing the black PCB to exist in a less-interfering form factor.

The ADATA XPG V2 memory kit's appearance is well-suited to a motherboard with a similar colour scheme, such as Asus' Z87-K or ASRock's Z87 OC Formula, but other shades used on the board's slots are likely to cause an awkward mismatch.

We are using the ASRock Z87 OC Formula motherboard to test today's memory kit. It supports RAM from many manufacturers and gives us a large amount of flexibility to tinker with memory multiplier, base clock and timings settings. It has also reached the highest DRAM frequency of all the Z87 motherboards that we have tested.

Our full review of the ASRock Z87 OC Formula motherboard can be read here.

The fully-functioning XMP profile configured the memory kit for use at its 2800MHz frequency and correct timings.

Windows and CPU-Z registered the memory's functioning settings as correct.

Our system's CPU-Z validation running at a 2800MHz DRAM frequency can be found here.

We are using an Intel Core i7 4770K processor with an ASRock Z87 OC Formula motherboard to test today's memory kit.

The ADATA XPG V2 8GB memory kit's stock speed is: 2800MHz 12-14-14-36 @ 1.65V.

Note: CPU and CPU Cache frequencies for the Avexir Core Extreme Series 3000MHz comparison memory are different. This is due to the Avexir memory's use of a 102.3MHz BCLK which then increases CPU and CPU Cache speeds. Due to this fact, the Avexir Core Extreme Series 3000MHz memory kit's results for CPU-intensive benchmarks will be omitted.

Z87 Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K.
• Motherboard: ASRock Z87 OC Formula.
• Graphics Card: nVidia GTX 760 2GB.
• System Drive: 500GB Samsung 840 Series SSD.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i.
• Case: NZXT Phantom 630.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Comparison memory:

• 8GB (2x 4GB) Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 2 2133MHz (11-11-11-30).
• 8GB (2x 4GB) Avexir Core Extreme Series 3000MHz (12-14-14-35).
• 16GB (2x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400MHz (10-12-12-31).

Software:

• MaxxMem 2.
• SiSoft Sandra 2013.
• Super Pi.
• Cinebench R11.5 64 bit.

SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software.

Sandra is a (girl’s) name of Greek origin that means “defender”, “helper of mankind”. We think that’s quite fitting.

It works along the lines of other Windows utilities, however it tries to go beyond them and show you more of what’s really going on. Giving the user the ability to draw comparisons at both a high and low-level. You can get information about the CPU, chipset, video adapter, ports, printers, sound card, memory, network, Windows internals, AGP, PCI, PCI-X, PCIe (PCI Express), database, USB, USB2, 1394/Firewire, etc.

Native ports for all major operating systems are available:

• Windows XP, 2003/R2, Vista, 7, 2008/R2 (x86)
• Windows XP, 2003/R2, Vista, 7, 2008/R2 (x64)
• Windows 2003/R2, 2008/R2* (IA64)
• Windows Mobile 5.x (ARM CE 5.01)
• Windows Mobile 6.x (ARM CE 5.02)

All major technologies are supported and taken advantage of:

• SMP – Multi-Processor
• MC – Multi-Core
• SMT/HT – Hyper-Threading
• MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2, AVX, FMA – Multi-Media instructions
• GPGPU, DirectX, OpenGL – Graphics
• NUMA – Non-Uniform Memory Access
• AMD64/EM64T/x64 – 64-bit extensions to x86
• IA64 – Intel* Itanium 64-bit

ADATA's 2800MHz modules are almost tied with Avexir's 3000MHz kit in the Sandra memory bandwidth test. The 2800MHz CL12 kit cannot match the bandwidth of the slower-clocked, but lower latency Corsair and Patriot kits.

Cache bandwidth paints a similar picture to the memory bandwidth test. ADATA's 2800MHz XPG V2 modules trail the 3000MHz chips from Avexir by around 2.2%.

As we have observed in the past, the high-frequency memory kits show excellent latency results. In Sandra's Cache and Memory Latency test, ADATA's XPG V2 memory kit is able to take a clear second place, outpacing the next contender – Corsair's 2400MHz Vengeance Pro set – by almost 5%.

MaxxMem2 PreView is a handy, free program to rate memory performance. It can be downloaded over here.

Even at 2800MHz, the loose timings of ADATA's XPG V2 memory kit sink it to bottom place in MaxxMEM2's bandwidth results.

Latency performance of the ADATA set is again very good, beating the performance of Corsair's 2400MHz kit by around 5.6%

CINEBENCH R11.5 64 Bit is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more.

CINEBENCH is the perfect tool to compare CPU and graphics performance across various systems and platforms (Windows and Mac OS X). And best of all – it’s completely free.

Cinebench's results give an indication that it is a program that likes a good balance between a high DRAM frequency and tight timings.

The high-speed ADATA kit sits one hundredth of a point better off than Patriot's considerably slower, but tighter 2133MHz CL11 part. Corsair's 2400MHz CL10 kit takes top spot thanks to its tight timings, for a high-speed set of memory.

Super Pi is used by a huge audience, particularly to check stability when overclocking processors. If a system is able to calculate PI to the 2 millionth place after the decimal without mistake, it is considered to be stable in regards to RAM and CPU.

We used Super Pi’s '16M' benchmark setting.

Super Pi puts the 2800MHz set of memory from ADATA on an equal performance level to Patriot's tighter 2133MHz part. With a 2400MHz DRAM frequency and Cas Latency of 10, Corsair's Vengeance Pro set of memory is able to outperform the XPG V2 sticks by a single second (0.45%).

With memory modules of this calibre, it is fair to assume that a large proportion of the user base will be looking for the kit's highest attainable frequency with good enough stability. That doesn't mean that the ability for the overclocked kit to run every benchmark with stability is crucial, but it does place an importance on being able to boot and run at least some tests flawlessly.

We will be tweaking the base clock to fine-tune the memory overclock. Due to the above point, and the fact that the processor frequency will be different to when the RAM was running at stock speeds, there is little point in showing comparison benchmarks. Instead, we will use a single run of Super Pi 16M to verify stability.

After breezing past the 2933MHz divider, we opted for the 1.25x CPU strap so that we could use a BCLK around the 125MHz-mark for our overclocking attempts. The 1.00x CPU strap would require the maximum Haswell memory multiplier and a high base clock which may have limited the sticks' overclocking headroom.

To eliminate base clock bottlenecks, we used a number of increased voltages for the CPU and system. With each increase in the base clock, the CPU multiplier was dropped to a level which put the frequency near its stock level.

The tweaks applied included a 1.7015V DRAM voltage, various CPU voltage increases and setting changes for BCLK overclocking stability, and a CPU input voltage of 1.900V. ASRock's automated settings proved favourable for overclocking performance and didn't require changing.

Timings were loosened to 14-15-15-40-2T so that we could push the frequency barrier.

The highest Super Pi 16M-stable memory overclock that we achieved with the ADATA XPG V2 memory modules was 3048MHz. This consisted of a 127MHz base clock, 100:133 BCLK:DRAM frequency ratio, and an 18x memory divider.

The memory didn't throw up any errors or show reluctance to boot during testing. A little voltage tweaking (with active cooling, perhaps) would possibly increase these results even further.

We did manage a maximum bootable memory frequency of 3117MHz using a 167MHz base clock. As confirmed by Super Pi rounding errors and more than one BSOD, this setting was clearly unstable though, and very reluctant to boot into Windows at times.

Our validation running at a 3048MHz DRAM frequency can be viewed here.

ADATA's XPG V2 2800MHz CL12 8GB is a solid set that shows good overclocking headroom. The looser timings, in comparison to many slower kits, have an impact on performance, but some tweaking should allow the deficit to be minimised or negated.

With loosened timings and a voltage increase, we were able to push ADATA's 2800MHz XPG V2 memory sticks past the 3GHz barrier. This is a good result for a product which is already clocked at a very high DRAM frequency.

The maximum stable overclock that we achieved was 3048MHz which is an increase of almost 9%. We were able to boot at 3117MHz which is an 11.3% increase, but this configuration was largely unstable. With enhanced cooling and more precise tweaking, there is a clear potential for the XPG V2 memory kit to operate at over 3100MHz with stability.

Style is a big factor for the XPG V2 memory modules. While the gold colour may not appeal to all, there is the option for a tungsten grey version. ADATA's heatsink design is very eye-catching and I think that a black-coloured version would be welcomed by enthusiasts to whom appearance is very important.

Another key point is compatibility with motherboards. Given that Haswell processors and Z87 motherboards support 2800MHz frequencies without problems, the likelihood of configuration problems occurring with the XPG V2 modules is low.

According to ADATA, the 2800MHz XPG V2 8GB memory kit carries an MSRP of £275. This is around £75-95 higher than the retail prices of currently-available 2800MHz kits from the likes of Team Group, Avexir, and Corsair. It is also more than £100 less expensive than current 3000MHz kits, such as the Avexir Core Extreme Series memory modules.

The 8GB ADATA XPG V2 2800MHz memory kit needs to retail for a price that is closer to that of competing parts. At around £200, ADATA's modules may be priced favourably enough against higher-speed (for example, 3000MHz) parts to make enthusiasts and benchmarkers save some money and put the XPG V2 2800MHz memory kit's overclocking potential to good use. Extreme overclockers, on the other hand, are likely to opt for the fastest kit available without showing much regard for price differences. Perhaps ADATA's 3100MHz version will be more suitable for their requirements.

Pros:

• Eye-catching design.
• Good heatsinks.
• Solid overclocking potential.
• Can hit 3GHz.

Cons:

• Heatsinks may cause CPU cooler interference.
• Need tweaking to obtain the best performance.
• The kit needs a price drop when it hits retail.

KitGuru says: A strong, high-speed memory kit with solid overclocking potential. A retail price nearer to £200 will make the kit a more desirable prospect for enthusiasts and benchmarkers.

 

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