Hardware - Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66GHz) LGA775 - x2 1024MB Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC-6400 CAS4 Module(s) - Seagate 250GB 7200RPM (Serial ATAII) - ASUS GeForce 8800 GTX (768MB) - ASUS Striker Extreme (Nvidia i680 SLI) - OCZ GameXStream (700 watt) Software - WinXP 32bit - Microsoft Windows XP Pro (SP2) - Nvidia nForce 680i SLI (9.53) - ATI Catalyst (7.1)

As you can see, the problem with running DDR2 memory at even 800MHz with 2.2v is that the 22% rise in voltage generates far too much heat. Without a heat spreader the memory IC’s cannot efficiently disperse the heat which results in a rapid temperature increase. The end result can be load temperatures greater than 60 degrees as we have seen in the past, which is highly dangerous for the memory modules. Furthermore, this explains why all performance memory modules intended for overclocking purposes do feature a heatsink, they are necessary!

The standard Corsair Dominator performance heat spreader does very well for a standard solution, offering load temperatures of just 41 degrees. The much larger Thermalright HR-07 heatsinks managed to reduce the load temperature by another 3 degrees, bringing the load temp down to 38 degrees. The Thermaltake Spirit RS heatsinks on the other hand were even better, reducing the load temp by another 3 degrees to just 35 degrees overall. This is impressive, particularly given the only cooling solution to better this required water to do so!