With the advent of the Sandy Bridge-E processors and its supporting chipset the X79, it also ushers in the era of quad-channel memory kits. This also comes at a time with RAM prices at an all time low which makes it nearly a no-brainer to upgrade your current dual- or triple-channel kit. It’s 2012 baby and Back2Gaming’s stepping up and we’re starting things off with a volley of reviews to open up the new year. This week we have Kingston’s HyperX Genesis quad-channel memory kit optimized for the X79 platform and we’ll see if this part is worth being a part of the latest and greatest rigs! Let’s make this showy!
We don’t need to introduce who or what Kingston does. They’re arguably the most recognized RAM and flash drive manufacturer this part of the Pacific. To differentiate from its other product lines, Kingston has the HyperX series of products designed with gamers and enthusiasts in mind. Keeping true to this name is the HyperX Genesis line of memory kits with the Genesis being the entry level of the HyperX memory family, with the T1 and H20 on the higher end of the spectrum.
On our test bench today is the HyperX Genesis Quad-Channel DDR3-1600 CL9 memory kit, which Kingston has recently release to coincide with the Sandy Bridge-E and X79 launch along with its higher-clocked sibling having a DDR3-2133 rating.
SPECIFICATION
| CL(IDD) | 9 cycles |
| Row Cycle Time (tRCmin) | 49.5ns (min.) |
| Refresh to Active/Refresh Command Time (tRFCmin) | 160ns (min.) |
| Row Active Time (tRASmin) | 36ns (min.) |
| Power (Operating) | 1.410 W* (per module) |
| UL Rating | 94 V – 0 |
| Operating Temperature | 0*C to 85*C |
| Storage Temperature | -55*C to +100*CC |
*Power will vary depending on the SDRAM used.
CLOSER LOOK
| [singlepic id=4313 w=280 h=200 float=center] | [singlepic id=4314 w=280 h=200 float=center] |
| [singlepic id=4315 w=280 h=200 float=center] | [singlepic id=4316 w=280 h=200 float=center] |
The Kingston HyperX Genesis doesn’t feature anything revolutionary in terms of physical attributes. A metallic blue heat-spreader jacket the modules with HyperX styling adorning the heatspreader. One thing that’s surely noticeable is the choice of green PCB. I mean, come on manufacturers, a green or brown PCB is like synonymous to budget kits. Yes, that’s probably just skin deep but swag is swag.
One side of the module features the HyperX logo styling and the other side features information about our part. Not much info is given though say the specific timings one might need thought I doubt you’d be holding your module when entering manual timings in the BIOS and these parts are XMP certified so less hassle.
TEST SETUP
| CPU | Intel Core i7 3960X Extreme Edition |
| MOTHERBOARD | Intel DX79SI |
| VIDEO CARD | Sapphire Radeon HD6850 |
| STORAGE | Kingston HyperX SSD 120GB |
| PSU | Silverstone Strider ST60F-P |
| COOLING | Intel/Asetek ALC |
| OS | Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1 |
We would like to thank Kingston and Intel for providing the hardware and equipment for this review.
PERFORMANCE
We put the HyperX Genesis in a couple of synthetic and application tests to get performance numbers. We compare it to the Corsair Vengeance LP quad-channel kit, clocked in at the same DDR3-1600 rating but has a tighter CL8 timing making it a nice challenge for the lower-priced HyperX Genesis. Overclocked results are also included for the HyperX Genesis. We raised our BCLK to 105.4 and kept the multiplier to default to get a final DDR3-1686 rating. Any higher and we’d either crash during boot or the system won’t boot at all. Also please bear with us as we are just expanding into memory reviews so our comparative library is close to nil and we’ll improve on it as time goes by.
We start things off with AIDA64 and the included memory benchmark which is becoming a benchmark standard for a while now.
[singlepic id=4355 w=480 h=320 float=center]The HyperX Genesis puts up good numbers all across the board. On stock, the Genesis is slightly topped by the Vengeance LP considering it has better specs but even that only gives it a 3.73% edge over the HyperX Genesis in terms of read performance. OC’d, the HyperX Genesis gives us better figures with a 4.08% increase in performance.
Next up is SiSoft’s Sandra’s memory throughput benchmark which measures performance by reading and writing randomly on the RAM with floating point and integer values giving us a more realistic look at how our modules perform.
[singlepic id=4356 w=480 h=320 float=center]What’s really impressive in this test is the scaling we get with the increased BCLK and associated system speed, we get a sweet 18% boost.
Now we got some real-world application in Handbrake. We’re going to convert episode 14 of Kamen Rider Fourze, 720p into iPhone format. We report the time it takes to finish the conversion.
[singlepic id=4357 w=480 h=320 float=center]Results are pretty much the same with milliseconds separating each. This could be attributed to the sheer immense power of the i7 3960X just crunching down that transcoding like snacks.
CONCLUSION
[singlepic id=4354 w=480 h=320 float=center]The HyperX Genesis DDR3-1600 kit is an unusual proposition considering its target market. The high-end LGA2011 market has a US$550 or US$990 processor choice and a lucrative motherboard market that starts at roughly US$200. So why get a US$90 part for your expensive rig? It’s a case to case basis. The HyperX Genesis gives us good performance figures that makes it worth having especially if you’re going for the budget LGA2011 build with a i7-3930 and an entry-level board, the savings you get from getting the HyperX Genesis is gonna be highly appreciated. Even though it has little OC headroom, we still managed to kick our i7-3960X to 4.8Ghz with little effort which makes it still a good choice.
[singlepic id=4306 w=480 h=320 float=center]If you’re planning on getting an LGA2011 platform and won’t be spending a fortune on it, Kingston’s HyperX Genesis quad-channel kit is worth having especially if you don’t plan on OC’ing much.
