DDR3-2000+ Memory Kits - Fast but Flawed

Final words

We had certainly hoped to provide a review with all of the latest DDR3-2000 6GB kits, but it was just not meant to be considering the failures encountered during testing. Based upon the frequencies and timings of the Elpida Hyper based modules from OCZ and Corsair, these kits offer nearly the same performance with voltage requirements favoring Corsair although this can be attributed to the variances in the kits we received.

We would love to recommend either one to any user who is fanatical about benchmarking or just having the best product in their system. Unfortunately, it is not something we can do based upon the current reliability issues. We accept that elevated voltage levels above 1.65V are out of potential warranty levels, even though Elpida designed the IC to scale with voltages up to 1.85V. However, the deterioration/failure of this particular IC seems to be far in excess of anything we have had in the labs for quite a while.

Based on our own experience the failures are not vendor specific as modules from all the major suppliers have died on us. We lost modules using as little as 1.50 VDimm, on five different Intel boards, an AMD AM3 board, and at various temperatures on the modules and IOH. These failures are not solely confined to a particular slot location, parts combination, or BIOS design, leaving little doubt that there is a quality assurance problem at Elplida. Whether that quality problem is based on a lack of proper screening, process controls, engineering design, or a combination of all three is something we may never know.

What we do know is that Corsair, OCZ, and others are honoring their warranties with Corsair now reaching the point of pulling their kits from the retail channel until these problems with Elpida are addressed. Whether other suppliers follow suit or not is something we are trying to verify at this point, although initial conversations indicate this might happen.

If you are shooting for world records, then there really is no other choice at present, it’s pretty much Elpida Hyper or bust when you look at top scores on the i7 platform on the Orb or HWbot. Of course, that does not matter if the kits fail on you during a benchmark run or are unavailable. We hear rumors that Samsung might have something in the pipeline shortly that will at least mimic the high bandwidth of the Elpida Hyper at low voltages. We hope that performance will come without the attendant reliability problems we are suffering with currently.

There is a glimmer of hope as a select few users seem to have a bit of luck and have had no failures at all, even after months of usage. The question is at $500 a pop for these particular kits, do you feel lucky enough to take the risk?