This year we have seen the demand for the next generation DRAM memory spike considerably. DDR3 memory provides improved power efficiency and performance when compared to DDR2, so it was simply a matter of time before it took over. With such an increase in demand this year, it is believed by year end that DDR3 will have captured as much as 30% of the market.

Furthermore, it is also believed that early next year DDR3 could and will most likely replace DDR2 as the dominant memory standard. Again this was always going to happen, it was simply a matter of time. With 30% less power consumption when compared to its predecessor, and roughly twice the bandwidth, DDR3 is clearly the way of the future.

The main driving force behind this increased demand has been the increased support by not only desktop computers, but also laptops and servers. As the demand increases and the DDR3 market share grows, prices will fall and ultimately this is what just about everyone has been waiting for. Currently DDR3 memory is fetching between $1.50 - $1.70 US per 1Gb (gigabit), while DDR2 has gone up in price from just $1.00 per 1Gb earlier this year to $1.55 now.

Those of you looking to build a new high-end computer today or in the near future, will likely be using DDR3 memory, as all the current AMD and Intel platforms support it exclusively. Intel’s latest platform, the Core i7, has really been pushing DDR3 memory hard, as it requires three modules working in a triple-channel configuration.

The Core i7 processors are not all that fussy when it comes to DDR3 memory, and low-latency DDR3-1333 will see most users, particularly gamers, get the most out of their system. However DDR3-1600 memory does offer greater bandwidths that can improve performance in certain applications. Therefore, if this faster memory can be purchased for a similar price to that of DDR3-1333, then we feel it’s worth getting.

Today we are checking out a memory kit that fits the bill, the A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB, which as the name suggests is designed to work at 1600MHz. A-DATA describes their X Series as their “ultimate overclocking performance memory. It was developed to unleash the hidden power of CPU and motherboard by using A-DATA’s latest overclocking IC sorting technology. A-DATA XPG modules are guaranteed to satisfy the needs of PC enthusiasts and gamers for high-performance, compatibility, and stability.”

Whereas DDR2 memory modules require 1.8v, the newer DDR3 memory modules are designed to work at just 1.5v, allowing them to work at greater frequencies while still saving power and generating less heat. JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council), the mob responsible for developing the DDR memory standard, among other things, says that the maximum recommended voltage is 1.575v for DDR3 memory and that this voltage should not be exceeded.

Obviously A-DATA does not agree, as they recommend using 1.65v to 1.75v when using their DDR3 PC3-12800 CL7 (6GB) memory kit. DDR3 memory is tested to withstand up to 1.975v of power before failing, though they are not expected or required to operate properly at this voltage.

The A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kit is designed to work using CAS7-7-7-20 timings, which are very impressive timings for DDR3 memory operating at 1600MHz. There are already a few kits designed to work at this frequency with CAS7-7-7-20 timings, though they are quite pricey, with 6GB kits costing upwards of $175 US.

DDR3 memory modules feature 240-pins, the same number as DDR2, though they are in no way compatible. DDR3 modules have a different key notch location, making it impossible to install DDR2 modules in DIMM slots designed for DDR3 memory. The new Intel Core i7 platform exclusively supports DDR3 memory and therefore it will not be possible to use cheaper DDR2 memory with these processors.

The A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kits are available in either 3GB or 6GB capacities. The modules use a 6-layer PCB design that feature eight memory chips on each side. These memory chips are cooled via typical heatspreaders that are color coded silver. Finally A-DATA claims to be backing these memory modules with a lifetime warranty.

Hardware - Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition (LGA1366) - A-DATA XPG X Series DDR3-1600X (6GB) - A-DATA XPG Plus PC3-12800 (6GB) - OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-12800 (6GB) - Patriot G-Series PC3-10666 (6GB) - Seagate 500GB 7200-RPM (Serial ATA300) - ASUS GeForce GTX 285 (1GB) - Asus P6T Deluxe (Intel X58) Software - Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 (64-bit) - Intel System Driver 8.4.0.1016 - Nvidia Forceware 185.85 WHQL

According to SiSoftware Sandra 2009, all three DDR3-1600 memory kits provide the Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition processor with 27GB/s of memory bandwidth. The single DDR3-1333 kit did limit the bandwidth to 22.8GB/s, sacrificing almost 17% performance. The low-latency timings of the A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kit allowed it to deliver the best result, though it was just a fraction faster than the OCZ DDR3-1600 kit.

Using EVEREST to also measure the memory bandwidth performance of each configuration, we find that while the write performance is much the same between the three DDR3-1600 kits, the CAS7 ADATA and Corsair memory provided around 500MB/s more read performance.

The Futuremark PCmark Vantage benchmark also found that while the three DDR3-1600 memory kits provided the same write performance, the CAS7 ADATA and Corsair kits were around 500MB/s faster in the read test.

As you can see, when testing with WinRAR the memory timings do not have much of an impact on the Core i7’s performance, as the CAS8 DDR3-1600 memory was just as fast as the A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kit. That said, there was a noticeable performance difference when going from 1600MHz to 1333MHz.

Like WinRAR, the Super PI benchmark showed very little difference in performance between the various memory kits. Even the DDR3-1333 memory was only slightly slower than the A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kit in this test.

CINEBENCH R10 has been used to measure both CPU and GPU performance. Here the low-latency A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kit does provide some small gains over the ADATA CAS8 kit in both tests. That said, the margins were small, and even the DDR3-1333 memory was not a great deal slower.

Clearly at 1920x1200 the GPU creates a bottleneck limiting system performance, which gives the low-latency A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory kit little chance to influence performance. However at 1024x768 we can remove that bottleneck, and as a result the A-Data X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory did provide us with some small improvements.

When clocked at 1333MHz we were able to run the A-DATA X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB at CAS6-6-6-16 timings, which is about as low as you will get any DDR3 memory. Then by increasing the memory multiplier and the base clock, we were able to reach a maximum operating frequency of 1872MHz with CAS9-9-9-24 timings.

The low latency DDR3-1333 configuration was slower when testing with WinRAR when compared to the standard configuration, while the overclocked 1872MHz configuration was much faster. When testing with Unreal Tournament 3 this all made little difference, and at 1920x1200 it was the standard configuration that worked the best, albeit by 1fps.

The problem is, while we do see quite a large increase in available memory bandwidth when going from triple-channel DDR3-1333 to DDR3-1600 memory for example, this bandwidth does not necessarily make for better performance. Games for example, will see just a frame or two extra when jumping from DDR3-1333 to DDR3-1600. However applications such as WinRAR do see decent performance gains, so really it depends on what your requirements are.

Based on our findings over the past year or so, it does seem as though DDR3-1600 memory is ideal for the Core i7 processors, and it will unleash their full potential. That said, DDR3 memory clocked at 1066/1333MHz is not a great deal slower and will deliver practically the same experience. Today there is as little as $20 US difference between DDR3 clocked at 1066MHz and 1600MHz, so picking between the two is becoming less of an issue.

For roughly $100 US it is possible to purchase DDR3-1333 memory that can work with CAS7-7-7-18 timings, or DDR3-1600 memory that works at CAS9-9-9-24. So really, they are very much the same these days. However if you spend a little more, around $140 - $160 US, it is possible to pick up a DDR3-1600 kit with a 6GB capacity that is capable of working at relatively low timings.

This is a problem for the X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory, as A-DATA tell us the MSRP is $230 US, making it considerably more expensive than the majority of CAS7 DDR3-1600 kits out there. Unfortunately we are unable to verify the MSRP claimed by A-DATA, as it appears that there are no online retailers carrying this memory. In fact, availability of almost all A-DATA DDR3 memory appears very poor at the moment.

While availability may be poor, the overclocking performance isn’t. When fine tuning these memory modules we were able to reach a maximum stable frequency of 1872MHz, which is a healthy 17% overclock. Furthermore, when operating at 1333MHz we were able to tighten the timings up to CAS6-6-6-16, which was quite remarkable and showed the A-DATA X Series DDR3-1600X 6GB memory to be highly flexible.

Reviewed By Steven Walton