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Although these memory modules are water-cooled, there are currently no water-cooling systems offered by OCZ. This means that the Flex II series memory will have to be integrated into other cooling systems. However the good news for those that are not big on the water cooling idea, but would love to own this highly overclocked memory, need not worry. The idea of the Flex II is to be “flexible” in the way that it works, meaning the 1150MHz frequency can be achieved using either air or water cooling methods. While water does offer a more effective means of cooling these memory modules, OCZ has stressed that it is not essential.    Each memory module features 4 rows of 20 fins which disperse heat, and given the modules high and typical placement on the motherboard, these modules will receive a great deal of air-flow from either case fans or the processor fan. However, the OCZ Flex II XLC (Xtreme Liquid Convention) heatsink delivers superior heat dissipation via a hybrid water-cooled copper and aluminium design, using dual 4mm fittings to feed and remove water from the memory modules.    There are four of these tiny 4mm barbs on each memory module that allow for individual cooling for each side of the module. OCZ has included 3/8" and 1/2" barb adaptors which will allow users to easily integrate these modules into the majority of water-cooled systems on the market. These adapters are then screwed into an interesting looking 4-way manifold barb, which downsizes the 3/8" or 1/2" tubing to the much smaller 4mm tubes.    Due to the physical size of these modules it is not possible to install more than two in a system, which is most likely why OCZ are only shipping them in 4GB capacities. Actually, installing the OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 Flex II memory is quite easy, though if you are integrating it into a water-cooled system things do become a little trickier. The usual precautions should be taken, which means installing the memory and checking for leaks correctly, which can take a bit of time.    The modules are designed to operate at DDR2-1150 using 2.1v of power, though the OCZ warranty will cover up to 2.15v. Given these modules are operating at 1150MHz we feel that timings of CAS 5-5-5-18 are quite good. Furthermore, these modules are also covered by the OCZ lifetime warranty, so that makes spending $170 US on these modules a little more reassuring.    Currently, these memory modules are only available in 4GB kits featuring two 2GB modules. This memory does cost roughly 70% more than typical DDR2-1150 memory. Clearly this memory is reserved for those that build to no kind of budget. That said, the specifications and potential overclocking power of these modules is second to none, so you are paying a premium to own the best of the best, at least in terms of DDR2 memory technology. |
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