Conclusion:

OCZ Technology's Blade series of triple channel DDR3 kits offer a variety of configurations intended to provide enthusiasts with high performance memory for their X58 systems. While some kits are geared toward the extreme overclocker, the kit reviewed is intended more for the user who wants tight timings at easily attainable speeds. There aren't too many 6GB kits offering memory that runs at 1600MHz and 6-6-6-24 (1T) timings, so this OCZ Technology Blade kit is unique in that regard.



Heatspreaders are still a debatable item in terms of necessity, but the design on these modules is impressive. The aluminum plates are substantial, the interface with the modules is solid, and the cooling fins on top offer a decent amount of surface area without being too tall. Aiming an infrared digital thermometer at the surface of the heatspreader while testing showed the temperature got up to about 44C, so I can confirm that at least some heat is being drawn out and that things were not particularly hot.

The price of this kit was touched on earlier in the review. At well over $300 (US), even with a $20 rebate, this kit is far from cheap. The low latency modules definitely add to the performance and the price, but is it really worth it? The sub-$100 9-9-9-24 G.Skill kit used in this review did get beaten in just about every test while running at the same speed, but not by all that much. You just have to decide what you want more, much tighter timings and (generally) better performance, or run of the mill timings and close to an extra $250 in your pocket!

Another item to consider is that this kit from OCZ Technology does not include XMP profiles, which are very useful for getting up to speed easily. While OCZ Technology does offer other models with XMP profiles, I was disappointed to see them lacking here. Even the budget friendly G.Skill kit featured in the review had an XMP profile to get up and running with just one click.

The bottom line is that the OCZ Technology 6GB PC3-12800 Blade triple channel memory kit offers impressively tight timings, an attractive design, and solid performance, but the price seems to be too high to get very excited about them.

Pros:

» Low latency (6-6-6-24 1T) contributes to strong performance
» Room for overclocking - hit 1867MHz during testing
» Serious heatspreaders look good and seem to work well
» Lifetime warranty

Cons:

» High price
» No XMP profiles
» Not much performance boost over higher latency memory at the same speed

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