 |
|||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||
Patriot says that the 3rd generation Viper series has been specifically engineered for rock solid performance in the most demanding computer environments and as such have been designed with true power users in mind.
This new memory is available in one of four colors and each color represents a different performance variant. The first modules to become available were called “Black Mamba” and they boasted speeds from 1600MHz up to 2133MHz using 1.5v for increased stability and endurance. Then there are the “Venom Red” and “Sapphire Blue” modules which again provide speeds of 1600MHz through to 2133MHz, and although Patriot claims they are different to the Black Mamba modules we are not quite sure what makes them different, other than the color of course. Finally there are the “Jungle Green” modules which Patriot says are an eco-friendly solution as they use just 1.35v and work at frequencies up to 1866MHz. As always with these memory modules geared towards ‘extreme’ users the Viper 3 series features oversized heat spreaders that are designed to keep the memory cool when overclocked. That said, the intention is to look cool more than anything and it has worked, the Viper 3 is very cool looking memory. The drawback to looking cool is that they usually don’t fit into extreme systems that use extreme CPU coolers. For example with the Noctua NH-C14 installed we were unable to use the Viper 3 memory as it was too tall. This can cause headaches for potential buyers as compatibility isn’t guaranteed.
As we have mentioned earlier, the Viper 3 modules series features capacities of 4GB and 8GB supporting 8GB, 16GB and 32GB (quad) kits. There are 19 different 1600MHz memory kits that we know of in the Viper 3 series that utilize very different timings, which makes picking the right modules quite complicated. There are a dozen kits which work at CL 9-9-9-24 timings, with another half a dozen that used CL 10-10-10-27 timings, and at least one that works at CL 11-11-11-30. The 1866MHz kits are a little less complicated with four using CL 9-10-9-27 timings and another four which are slower using CL 10-11-10-30 timings. For this review we will be testing a pair of 1866MHz 8GB modules which use the CL 9-10-9-27 timings. Finally at the top of the food chain we have the 2133MHz which works at either CL 11-11-11-27 or CL 11-11-11-30 timings.
For the Viper 3 Intel Extreme Masters memory the 1600MHz memory all works at CL 9-9-9-24, while the 1866MHz memory features either CL 9-10-9-27 or CL 10-11-10-30 timings. Then there is the 2133MHz memory which we will be testing that uses CL 11-11-11-27 timings, and we have the dual-channel 16GB kit. |
|||||
|