Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2
Kingston hardly requires an introduction as a memory manufacturer. As the world's largest memory manufacturer you will find Kingston products available at almost every computer retailer. If a product uses memory then Kingston likely makes such a product. Headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, Kingston has grown from its beginnings with a single product in 1987 to $3.4 Billion in sales last year and an offering of over 2000 memory products. Kingston is by far the world's largest independent memory manufacturer, and it is more than 3 times larger than #2.
Kingston today manufactures memory at four manufacturing locations: US, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. The four manufacturing plants have more than 35 Surface Mount Technology (SMT) lines for producing virtually every kind of memory available in the world. This includes the DIMMs, SO-DIMMs, and flash memory that are of most interest in the Computer and Digital Imaging markets. Within these product categories, Kingston manufactures a full range of products, from OEM parts to their popular Value RAM series to enthusiast-oriented HyperX products.
While Kingston is one of the first names to pop into mind when anyone mentions memory, it is not the first name most computer enthusiasts might think of when it comes to high-end memory. Yet, Kingston always provides competitive high-end products in their HyperX line, and they are large enough to often be first to market with new memory technology. Today's review of Kingston DDR3-1333+ memory rated at 7-7-7 timings is an example of that.
For memory that is charting new territory the packaging is not really new. You will find the low-latency HyperX DDR3-1333 in the traditional Kingston double kit tray with a clear cover and an adhesive ID label.
The DIMMs themselves are also typical. The only feature that makes them stand out in appearance is the familiar blue heatspreader that identifies this as top-line HyperX memory. Of course the specs begin to tell us that this is the fastest DDR3 we have yet tested with the best timings on the market.
If the specifications look a little strange, recall that DDR3 is lower voltage, higher speed and slower timings than DDR2. The chart below summarizes some of the differences in the official JEDEC DDR2 and DDR3 specifications.
JEDEC specifications are a starting point for enthusiast memory companies. However, since there was never a JEDEC standard for memory faster than DDR-400 then DDR memory running at faster speeds is really overclocked DDR-400. Similarly DDR2 memory faster than DDR2-800 is actually overclocked DDR2-800 since there is currently no official JEDEC spec for DDR2-1066. DDR speeds ran to DDR-400, DDR2 has official specs from 400 to 800, and DDR3 will extend this from 800 to 1600 based on the current JEDEC specification.
The Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 is the first DDR3 we have tested with a rated 1333 or higher speed. It also offers lower latency than any DDR3 we have seen so far.
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1375 with be available in the 2GB kit we are reviewing here, as well as in a 1GB kit consisting of a matched pair of 512MB DIMMs. Kingston will also sell single 1GB and 512MB DDR3-1375 DIMMs. Kingston will announce this DDR3-1375 low latency memory at Computex on June 5th. As we were finishing this review we asked Kingston when this new DDR3 memory will be available for purchase. They told us distributors have the memory or will be receiving it shortly, and that readers should be able to buy the new low-latency DDR3 on launch day, June 5th.
Pricing for the low-latency DDR3 kits is set by sellers, and it is normally lower than the manufacturer's suggested price. Kingston has set the following MSRP for the new DDR3 low-latency kits:
2GB (2 x 1GB) kit $518
1GB (2 x 512MB) kit $256
Single 1GB DIMM $268
Single 512MB DIMM $134
This HyperX DDR3-1375 7-7-7 memory is Kingston's top-of-the-line product, but Kingston will also be launching DDR3 Value RAM. We don't yet have specifications or pricing for the Value RAM product.
Kingston hardly requires an introduction as a memory manufacturer. As the world's largest memory manufacturer you will find Kingston products available at almost every computer retailer. If a product uses memory then Kingston likely makes such a product. Headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, Kingston has grown from its beginnings with a single product in 1987 to $3.4 Billion in sales last year and an offering of over 2000 memory products. Kingston is by far the world's largest independent memory manufacturer, and it is more than 3 times larger than #2.
Kingston today manufactures memory at four manufacturing locations: US, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. The four manufacturing plants have more than 35 Surface Mount Technology (SMT) lines for producing virtually every kind of memory available in the world. This includes the DIMMs, SO-DIMMs, and flash memory that are of most interest in the Computer and Digital Imaging markets. Within these product categories, Kingston manufactures a full range of products, from OEM parts to their popular Value RAM series to enthusiast-oriented HyperX products.
While Kingston is one of the first names to pop into mind when anyone mentions memory, it is not the first name most computer enthusiasts might think of when it comes to high-end memory. Yet, Kingston always provides competitive high-end products in their HyperX line, and they are large enough to often be first to market with new memory technology. Today's review of Kingston DDR3-1333+ memory rated at 7-7-7 timings is an example of that.
For memory that is charting new territory the packaging is not really new. You will find the low-latency HyperX DDR3-1333 in the traditional Kingston double kit tray with a clear cover and an adhesive ID label.
The DIMMs themselves are also typical. The only feature that makes them stand out in appearance is the familiar blue heatspreader that identifies this as top-line HyperX memory. Of course the specs begin to tell us that this is the fastest DDR3 we have yet tested with the best timings on the market.
| Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 Memory Specifications |
|
| Number of DIMMs & Banks | 2 DS |
| DIMM Size | 1GB |
| Total Memory | 2 GB (2 x 1GB) |
| Rated Timings | 7-7-7-20 at DDR3-1375 |
| Rated Voltage | 1.7V (Standard 1.5V) |
If the specifications look a little strange, recall that DDR3 is lower voltage, higher speed and slower timings than DDR2. The chart below summarizes some of the differences in the official JEDEC DDR2 and DDR3 specifications.
| JEDEC Memory Specifications | ||
| DDR2 | DDR3 | |
| Rated Speed | 400-800 Mbps | 800-1600 Mbps |
| Vdd/Vddq | 1.8V +/- 0.1V | 1.5V +/- 0.075V |
| Internal Banks | 4 | 8 |
| Termination | Limited | All DQ signals |
| Topology | Conventional T | Fly-by |
| Driver Control | OCD Calibration | Self Calibration with ZQ |
| Thermal Sensor | No | Yes (Optional) |
JEDEC specifications are a starting point for enthusiast memory companies. However, since there was never a JEDEC standard for memory faster than DDR-400 then DDR memory running at faster speeds is really overclocked DDR-400. Similarly DDR2 memory faster than DDR2-800 is actually overclocked DDR2-800 since there is currently no official JEDEC spec for DDR2-1066. DDR speeds ran to DDR-400, DDR2 has official specs from 400 to 800, and DDR3 will extend this from 800 to 1600 based on the current JEDEC specification.
The Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 is the first DDR3 we have tested with a rated 1333 or higher speed. It also offers lower latency than any DDR3 we have seen so far.
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1375 with be available in the 2GB kit we are reviewing here, as well as in a 1GB kit consisting of a matched pair of 512MB DIMMs. Kingston will also sell single 1GB and 512MB DDR3-1375 DIMMs. Kingston will announce this DDR3-1375 low latency memory at Computex on June 5th. As we were finishing this review we asked Kingston when this new DDR3 memory will be available for purchase. They told us distributors have the memory or will be receiving it shortly, and that readers should be able to buy the new low-latency DDR3 on launch day, June 5th.
Pricing for the low-latency DDR3 kits is set by sellers, and it is normally lower than the manufacturer's suggested price. Kingston has set the following MSRP for the new DDR3 low-latency kits:
2GB (2 x 1GB) kit $518
1GB (2 x 512MB) kit $256
Single 1GB DIMM $268
Single 512MB DIMM $134
This HyperX DDR3-1375 7-7-7 memory is Kingston's top-of-the-line product, but Kingston will also be launching DDR3 Value RAM. We don't yet have specifications or pricing for the Value RAM product.
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Kozusnik - Thursday, December 6, 2007 - link
Kingstone ram is some of the best ram you can put into your computer by asking me i use it in every computer i build!begsh - Saturday, June 23, 2007 - link
are you really achieved this??i have same modules and they cant get even 1400 at 7-7-7, with mobo asus p5k3 and 0403 bios.
any tips?
Night201 - Friday, May 25, 2007 - link
http://www.memory4less.com/m4l_itemdetail.asp?rid=...">Seems pretty Expensive: ~ $500MadBoris - Saturday, May 26, 2007 - link
P.S. Some of the recent reviews almost seem a bit minimalistic. Hope it's not a trend of things to come. Not to be critical, but I would like to see anandtech provide fresh content, perspectives and methodologies like I've grown accustomed to.Wesley Fink - Monday, May 28, 2007 - link
We would appreciate it if you could share specifics of what would constitute a non-minimalist memory review. What tests and procedures would you add?MadBoris - Saturday, May 26, 2007 - link
You know the more i think about it, the results aren't that tangible. Sure Sandra shows benefits. But if I am running a game at 40 fps, is DDR3 going to give me 41, 42?It won't be noticeable.
Spend less on reliable decent RAM, get a faster CPU or GPU, seriously.
Same with the P35, just not too tangible with speed tests. Mobo's should be about reliability, features sets, testing devices(USB, SATA, RAID) on them and how well they work.
Speed testing with RAM or Mobo's isn't tangible enough. When a new chipset or RAM increases things 15 - 20% then I'll be interested. I'm not really interested in shaving .5 seconds off a compile or an encode.
Wesley Fink - Friday, May 25, 2007 - link
We have updated ALL charts in the review to make it easier to compare performance. Bandwidth Standard, Bandwidth Buffered, Super Pi, and the 3 games now included 1520 (380x7) results in the last column. This means all four rows are now running at 2.66GHz, with just a change in the memory bandwidth. *00, 1066, and 1333 are running 8x333, and 1520 is 7x380 - all 2.66GHz as stated at the top of the chart.We have added an Overclocking Chart to p.5 that includes 7x380 (2.66GHz)- 8-8-8-22, 8x380 (same multiplier as 800/1066/1333 but pushed ot highest OC at 3.04GHz)- 8-8-8-20, and 8x275 (3.0GHz - highest speed at 7-7-7 timings) - 7-7-7-15. so you cna see the impact of timings at the very top overclocks. It should be no surprise that 1500 7-7-7-15 results are the fastest.
With these changes we think we have addressed your suggestions on making the performance charts more useful for readers.
Wesley Fink - Friday, May 25, 2007 - link
For those who requested them, these are the results for the higheest memory speed at slower timings. After further testing, we managed 1520 8-8-8-22 timings at 1.8V.The first result is 7x380, which is the same 2.66GHz run at all other memory speeds, and the second is 8x380, which is the same ratio but the highest OC we could reach from the base memory setting of 1333. The sequence is test, 7x380 (2.66), 8x380 (3,04):
Sandra XI-Standard Buffered - 7329, 7462
Sandra XI-Standard UNBuffered - 5172, 5263
Super Pi 1.5 - 45.31, 40.40
Far Cry River - 107.46, 117.82
Quake 4 - 116.0, 123.5
Half Life 2-Lost Coast - 109.5, 111.5
We will add a chart with these results to the bottom of the overclocking section later today.
Googer - Friday, May 25, 2007 - link
2GB of DDR3 will cost you close to $385!http://www.google.com/products?q=KHX11000D3LLK2&am...">http://www.google.com/products?q=KHX11000D3LLK2&am...
TA152H - Thursday, May 24, 2007 - link
A lot is being made of DDR3 latency and such, and performance, but hasn't anyone considered the impact of voltages? I see these grossly inflated voltages for DDR2 memory, and I can't help but wonder if they would have so much better performance, even clock speed normalized, if they were both run at stock voltages.A lot of places aren't stupid enough to run DDR2 at 2.2 or 2.3 volts, it creates a lot of heat and lowers the lifespan of the device. Sure, the kiddies will, but the business world isn't that crazy about running things out of spec. Now we have the jackasses at Kingston already producing 1.7v DDR3. Why even bother having a spec if no one pays attention to it???? The memory is just out, and they can't stay to spec.
But anyway, it might be interesting to compare memory at spec, which, last I remember, was 1.5v for DDR3 and 1.8v for DDR2. Or even at the same voltage, to see what is intrinsic to DDR3 and DDR2. It might be the voltage difference accounts for a lot of the higher timings, and not the standard. Not that I'm advocating running DDR3 at 1.8v, but for testing, it would be informative. Certainly if these nitwits are running DDR2 at 2.2-2.3v, DDR3 at 1.8v can't be too far behind. Good grief.