Final Words and Conclusion

G.Skill Trident 2000MHz (3x2GB)
There are two ways to approach high specification DDR3 kits on the Core-i7 platform. The first is to go for a high MHz rating with mainstream timings and a low purchase price. The second is to go for high MHz rating and memory which can run at much tighter timings but requires much more expensive components.

G.Skill has gone for the first option and as a result we have a great performing set of memory which hits the market at a good price point of $160. For that money we get a product which competes well with the much more expensive OCZ modules and even offers us a little leeway to overclock if we wish.

Backed by a lifetime warranty this balance of great price and performance makes the G.Skill Trident worthy of our Editors Choice Award.

Available from MemoryC £137.63

Available from NewEgg $159.99

Kingston HyperX 1600MHz (3x4GB)
There is no doubt that Kingston has created an impressive product with their DDR3-1600 12GB kit. It features a low profile heat spreader and a good MHz rating mixed with reasonable timings but the most impressive aspect of the modules has to be the amount of memory attached. With 4GB per stick we are able to create a 12GB configuration on only three modules and for those who have a motherboard with six slots, 24GB is therefore achievable.Where there is an issue with the product is in the pricing/performance, Kingston markets these sticks as:

“for extreme gamers and demanding enthusiasts who want to have their Intel® Core i7 and Intel® X58 based systems  reach maximum gaming and digital media content creation performance.”

From our testing we can see that there was little impact on performance when gaming which leaves content creation. Music encoding, Photoshop editing and 3D rendering were all tested on these sticks and in each case there was a minor increase in performance over 6GB however not anything which would be noticeable in real world use. Only high definition video encoding saw a real benefit which leaves us thinking that they are marketed wrong. It would have been far better to aim these at the Nehalem EP platform and specifically at those who need to work with high resolution video. This is also a market where the £1100/$1400 price tag would be more appropriate.

Available from MemoryExpress £1184

TBC - RRP $1400

OCZ Blade 2000MHz (3x2GB)
Where as G.Skill took the route of hitting a low price point with looser timings OCZ have gone for the best performance they can achieve by using more expensive components. The result is a set of memory which provided the best performance in every one of our tests and offers a lifetime warranty at these extreme settings. In every scenario the Blade kit was ahead of the G.Skill modules and this makes them an ideal purchase for those who want the best performance available.

A retail price of $420 may seem a lot for a 6GB kit, especially when compared to the G.Skill modules at $160 however when we compare the price of these sticks to the Corsair Dominator-GT with the same specification we see that OCZ are actually $110 cheaper.

Available from OverClockers £359

Available from NewEgg $420