Twelve 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel RAM Kits Reviewed

Triple-channel DDR3 RAM is here, and Tom's Hardware took a good look at twelve (12) 6Gb triple channel DDR3 kits from A-Data, Aeneon, Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill, Geil, Kingston, Mushkin, OCZ, Patriot Memory, Super Talent, and Wintec Industries.

Test Configuration:

• Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHz, 8.0 MB L3 Cache processor
• Asus P6T Deluxe BIOS 1003 (12/05/2008) Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset, LGA-1366 motherboard
• Gigabyte GV-R487-512H-B HD 4870 GPU (750 MHz), GDDR5-3600 graphics card
• Western Digital WD5000AAKS, 500 GB 7,200 RPM, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16 MB cache HDD
• Coolermaster RS850-EMBA (850W, ATX12V v2.2) PSU
• Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 operating system

DDR3 Kits:

• Super Talent 1333 WA133UX6G8 (US$150)
• Patriot Viper 1600 PVT36G1600LLK ($178)
• OCZ Intel Extreme 1600 OCZ3X1600LV6GK ($190)
• Wintec AMPX 1600 3AHX1600C8WS6GTK ($200)
• Mushkin Enhanced 1600 Model 998679 ($220)
• G.Skill DDR3-1600 F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK ($230)
• A-data Vitesta 1600 AD31600E002GMU3K ($300)
• Aeneon Xtune 1600 AXH860UD20-16H-K-6G ($300)
• Geil Value DDR3-1600 GV36GB1600C8TC ($369)
• Crucial Ballistix 1600 BL3KIT25664BN1608 ($374)
• Corsair Dominator 1866 TR3X6G1866C9DF ($410)
• Kingston DDR3-2000 KHX16000D3ULT1K3/6GX ($540)

"This would be a good time to remind everyone that today's competition targets the high-end market, where speed is more important than cost and the best product wins. From that, we can easily choose the winner, since Kingston was the only brand able to deliver DDR3-2000 before our deadline and no other modules could even reach Kingston's rated speed, let alone its overclocked speed. ... [but] Because the Kingston modules we received were improperly documented, a lack of availability under the original name lead us towards second-place overclocker Crucial Ballistix. While Ballistix DDR3-1600 remains an excellent option for those who need their order to ship today, near-term availability makes Kingston HyperX DDR3-2000 CAS 8 our choice for system overclocking articles. It's also a great option for high-market buyers who want the best of everything." [Tom's Hardware | Triple-Channel DDR3: 6GB Kit Roundup]

While the Kingston DDR3-2000 KHX16000D3ULT1K3/6GX and Crucial Ballistix 1600 BL3KIT25664BN1608 got top honors on the round-up, Tom's Hardware also gives honorable mention to the Mushkin Enhanced 1600 Model 998679 and Patriot Viper 1600 PVT36G1600LLK.

If you are gearing up to build that Core i7 rig, the above-mentioned 6GB DDR3 Kits are the ones to look for.

IceRocket : 6gb, ddr3, triple channel