Conclusion:
Corsair builds quality products, and as with every other item I have used from them, the 2048MB XMS PC3500LL Pro Dual Channel DDR Kit made a good impression.
Low latency modules are generally marketed with gamers that have minimal interest in overclocking in mind. The tight timings provide excellent performance at stock (or slightly elevated) speeds, allowing gamers to jump right into the action without the risk or time investment of overclocking. That said, these modules proved they could overclock too, getting up to 460 MHz DDR at stock timimgs, and all the way up to 500 MHz with relaxed settings.
If you're into lighting effects, and have a windowed case to show these off, the XMS PC3500LL Pro DDR give you the added benefit of a light show synchronized to your memory's activity. More of a novelty than a necessity to me, but none the less, it still looks cool.
The only issues to list with the XMS PC3500LL Pro DDR involve the height and the price. Owners of small form factor, mini-ITX, or mATX systems should check to see if these oversized modules (1.75" tall) will fit before spending such a large chunk of change.
Checking PriceGrabber shows that this kit is not cheap. The best price (from ZipZoomFly) is $290, which is $63 more than the best price (also from ZipZoomFly) on the 2048MB Corsair XMS TWINX2048-4000PT kit we reviewed earlier this week. The benefits are much tighter timings at lower speeds, as well as the novel LED activity lights. Other Corsair DDR may be capable of tight timings at PC3500 speeds, but if you don't intend to do much overclocking, Corsair will gaurantee the performance at those levels with this kit. In my opinion, you are paying for the visual effects of the LEDs, which don't impact performance. You'll have to decide how aesthetics fit into your memory budget.
The performance, quality, style, and Corsair reputation help earn the 2048MB XMS PC3500LL Pro Dual Channel DDR Kit a final score of 4.5 out of 5 stars, and a rating of "Highly Recommended".
Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):
Pros:
• Tight timings, even when overclocked
• Overclockable, hit 500 MHz DDR
• LED activity lights
• Corsair quality
• Lifetime warranty
Cons:
• Too tall for some small form factor systems
• Extra money for the 'bling' of the LED activity lights
Special thanks to Corsair for providing the 2048MB XMS PC3500LL Pro Dual Channel DDR Kit to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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