Samsung Green DDR3 8GB 1600mhz 30nm Memory review

The Samsung Green DDR3 8GB 1600mhz memory has blown us away in the labs. We have tested many 1,600mhz memory kits in recent months and achieving a stable overclock to 2,133mhz with slightly looser timings would be considered a success.

The Samsung Green 1,600mhz kit overclocks easily to 2,400mhz without having to loosen the primary timings! This memory is going to really shake up the enthusiast sector.

We actually achieved a result just shy of 2,800mhz although we needed 1.72 volts and the timings had to be slackened from 11-11-11 to 14-14-14. The sweet spot was 2,400mhz as the relatively tight default timings could be maintained without corruption of data.

Overclockers in the UK are pushing this product hard, and we can see why. The 8GB kit we reviewed today is priced at £53.99 inc vat. If you are looking for a Quad Channel kit, then they also stock 4x4GB for £101.98 inc vat … an ideal solution for the X79 platform.

We do love the G.Skill Trident X memory (10-12-12), however a 16 GB 2,400mhz kit from OCUK costs £199.99 inc vat. This is twice the price of 16GB of Samsung Green memory, which we have shown today will overclock to the same speed @ 11-11-11 settings.

Another added bonus with this Samsung Green memory is the diminutive size of the PCB. When they are installed, they are almost level with the memory clips on the motherboard. This means that even the biggest CPU coolers with 14 cm fans will not get in the way. ‘Fit and forget' really is the nature of the game with these 30nm sticks.

This is clearly some of the best memory on the market, the only downside is that you need some bios knowledge to get to 2,133mhz or 2,400mhz. There is no easy to select XMP profile.

You can get this memory from Overclockers in the UK. £53.99 for an 8GB kit (2x4GB) or £101.98 for a 16GB kit (4x4GB).

Pros:

• Small is an understatement.
• good out of the box performance.
• can overclock to 2,400mhz with the same timings.
• we achieved almost 2,800mhz with loose timings.
• 1.35 voltage.
• can take voltage to 1.7 without a problem.

Cons:

• no heatspreader.
• If you want to run at 1,600mhz there are cheaper options.

Kitguru says: Look under the skin and its a 2,400mhz kit in disguise. We don't think it can get much better than this.

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