Conclusion:
Whether it was in benchmarks, gaming, or every day use, the Kingston PC2-9600 DDR2 kit performed well. Getting up and running at 1200MHz was easier than I expected, and the only effort required was to bump the speed up in the BIOS. Even overclocking was easy, and the test system was able to push these modules to 1280MHz by simply relaxing the tRAS value from 15 to 16.
Other than being a 1GB kit, there really isn't anyting negative to discuss regarding this Kingston HyperX PC2-9600 kit and its performance. It puts up solid numbers in benchmarks, and the system performance was surprisingly smooth considering what a memory hog Vista can be. The only issue people should keep in mind is that you need to feed these modules 2.3V, and not all boards are capable of doing that.
A search of PriceGrabber turns up all sorts of results for Kingston HyperX memory, but not this specific 1GB PC2-9600 DDR2 kit. Digging around the web a bit more finds that a single 512MB stick of this stuff costs about $55, but getting the 2GB (2x 1024MB) dual channel kit costs about $160.00 at Newegg.com. This is definitely more expensive than your generic DDR2, and it is even higher than other PC2-9600 on the market, so the price isn't really one if its strong points. But compared to DDR3 the price is a bargain, and the performance is right up there.
Given the strong performance and capability for high overclocks, Kingston HyperX PC2-9600 DDR2 memory is definitely worth checking out. While I can't get too excited about a 1GB kit, I would expect the 2GB kit to perform as well, while providing the capacity needed to run today's operating systems and applications with ease. Taking all of this into consideration, the awards of Gaming Approved and Recommended are appropriate, with the only negative being the relatively high price of the 2GB kit.
 
Pros:
» High speed and low latency
» Capable of overclocking well beyond 1200MHz
» Strong performance could discourage a DDR3 upgrade
Cons:
» Higher price than other PC2-9600 kits (when comparing 2GB versions)
Special thanks to Kingston for providing the Kingston HyperX 1GB PC2-9600 DDR2 Memory 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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