Kingston 2GB PC3-8500 CL7
KVR1066D3N7K2/2G

Introduction:

It's that time again when new motherboards built around new chipsets have required a change in the memory modules we once considered state of the art or top of the line. It seems it's only been a short time since DDR2 took over performance and overclocking records. When DDR2 first arrived, it didn't quite out perform the best DDR modules. In fact on several occasions, DDR matches and almost out paced the early DDR2 modules. That changed as DDR2 frequencies climbed upwards above 900MHz and as the supporting chipsets improved.

We are now back to that point where certain DDR2 modules will match comparable DDR3 modules. However, DDR3 modules are much more forgiving, using lower voltage, and have a much higher frequency ranges. Before you get comfortable with the thought of a 1066MHz (PC2-8500) modules matching 1066MHz DDR3 (PC3-8500), you should keep in mind that the lower latency timings may or may not give the DDR2 kit a little bit of an edge depending on the modules you use. Preliminary tests with Kingston's PC3-11000 kit showed a bit more data bandwidth that won't equate in to much of a performance gain under certain applications.

DDR3 Memory Speeds and Naming Conventions

Different DDR2 and DDR3 Module Types

Standard DIMM Latencies

JEDEC DDR3 specifications define standard DDR3 CAS Latencies of 7, 9, and 10:
-1066MHz DDR3: CAS 7 (7-7-7)
-1333MHz DDR3: CAS 9 (9-9-9)
-1600MHz DDR3: CAS 10 (10-10-10)

Yes, you read correctly. The lowest frequency Kingston DDR3 kit comes at a very sweet 1066MHz ranging in different CAS Latency or memory timings. This means that DDR3 modules will be scaling and overclocking in to new and exciting territory. There are already 1600MHz modules arriving as we speak. When it comes to DDR3 modules, memory timings are higher but so are the over all frequencies which equates in to a lot more memory bandwidth.

Now, why would we need DDR3 memory? To make it really easy to understand, just think about that performance DDR2 you have in your machine right now. Chances are that kit requires voltage some where between 1.9 (bare minimum) and 2.3 volts for stable operations. These voltages kick up quite a bit of heat at full load. If you're overclocking your DDR2, voltages may be 2.4 and higher generating a lot of heat. These are voltages quickly closing in on the earliest DDR modules. Increasing the frequencies on the DDR2 modules have proven very difficult without adding higher voltages that match those seen in the DDR era. Given the heat and instability, the change to DDR3 is quite necessary just as DDR2 was a necessary from DDR. I can't help but wonder if the DDR revision reaches 20 in the next decade.

Will a formidable enthusiast's DDR3 7-7-7 kit afford more performance over a DDR3 7-7-7 Value RAM kit? That depends quite a few factors, namely the ICs used to design the kit. The Kingston PC3-8500 (KVR1066D3N7K2/2G) DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit is one such kit that comes in offering the same timings as the PC3-11000 kit. The money saved is in the ICs used, yet no memory latencies are sacrificed just to bring you a value based RAM.

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