| Kingston HyperX 2GB PC2-9200 DDR2 Memory Kit
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Configuration:
The Kingston HyperX 1GB PC2-9600 DDR2 Memory Kit was installed in a system with the following components for this review:
» Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 dual core processor
» ASUS P5K PRO P35 ATX motherboard
» Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB hard drive
» Tuniq Miniplant 950W power supply
» Visiontek 256MB Radeon HD3850 PCI Express graphics card
» Windows Vista Home Premium
The published specifications have these Kingston modules rated for timings of 5-5-5-15 at 1150MHz, with a voltage of 2.3V to 2.35V. The screenshot below is from CPU-Z Version 1.44.1, and is provided in order to check what was programmed to SPD. Just as I found with the recently reviewed 1200MHz kit from Kingston, I was surpised to see the maximum programmed speed was 800MHz (5-5-5-16). After seeing that 1200MHz kit climb to almost 1300MHz, I have no concerns that this kit will not only do much better than the SPD programmed maximum, but that it should do much better than 1150MHz.
The key thing to consider with these modules is that 1150MHz is an odd, non-standard speed. In fact, I could not get the test system to run exactly at 1150MHz, and had to either run a few MHz higher or lower. It was perfectly stable in this general range, and it was super easy to take the kit from the standard speed of 1066MHz to these elevated speeds at the rated timings and voltages.
Another thing to consider with these modules is that in order to reach the rated speed you should be able to provide them 2.3V. While an enthusiast grade board should be able to do this with ease, not all motherboard manufacturers allow you to go this high. It is a good idea to check your BIOS to see how high the memory voltage goes before purchasing a kit like this! As a part of the review I checked to see how little voltage I could provide and still have a stable system. While not much lower, I found that as little as 2.22V was enough on the ASUS P5K PRO.
Overclocking and Optimizing:
After a bit of benchmarking and stress testing at lower speeds/timings, I started overclocking. The first test was to jump straight to 1200MHz while maintaining the timings of 5-5-5-15 and 2.3V. The system booted right up and a few more benchmarks and stress tests were run to check on stability. I next tried for 1250MHz with the stock timings and voltage and it would not boot. Setting the timings to auto mode let the system boot and it almost made it into Windows. Hoping this was just one wonky speed I tried even higher, but attempts around 1260MHz and 1280MHz both failed with a variety of timings and voltages. I then backed off from 1250MHz and found that 1240MHz was the maximum stable overclock, and that the stock timings of 5-5-5-15 were still usable.
The screenshot below is from the Memory tab of CPU-Z Version 1.44.1, and is provided to confirm the maximum overclocked speed of this kit.
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