The SSD Review The Worlds Dedicated SSD Education and Review Resource | 
FINAL WORDS AND CONCLUSION
When I first started building computers two years ago, I asked my friends and colleagues their opinions on who was the best memory manufacturer. The overwhelming response I got<,and still get to this day, is G.SKILL, so I decided to take the dive. I never looked back.
As an enthusiast who has G.SKILL sticks in every desktop set-up, I was expecting excellent results from this kit, and it delivered more than I imagined.
Aside from the lifetime warranty and top-notch customer support, G.SKILL is known in the overclocking community as hands-down the best manufacturer of RAM that can be pushed to, and beyond, the limits of DDR3 modules.
With the G.SKILL RipjawsX F3-14900CL9Q-8GBXL kit, I was able to test clock-speeds of both 1866MHz and 2133MHz on both AMD and Intel test-systems.
The installation, procedures, operations, benchmarks, and stablitity was completely flawless on both platforms, showing how well optimized G.SKILL’s modules are, even though they are specially designed for Sandy Bridge components.
Considering optimization, we can see from the results how much the modules benefit from XMP and properly balanced specifications.
The disparity between the AMD and Intel test results are pretty substantial, but again looking at the differences in architecture, it is not surprising.
Even utilizing the AMD system, the outcomes of the benchmarks are remarkably high, with the Intel system producing some mind-shattering results.
The design of the RipjawsX kit is quite enthusiastic as well. The maroon colour, along with the jagged fins really give it its name. The black PCB looks quite clean and coordinated with the heatspreaders, which might I add, are highly efficient.
The average idle temperature was 12 degrees Celsius, 23 degrees Celsius on load. The power consumption was only 25W on idle, and 58W on load, which says a lot about the heatsink design G.SKILL has implemented. Considering RAM rated at 1600MHz comes in at around $40-60 CAD, and that you only get two sticks of two-gigabytes each instead of two sticks of four-gigabytes each I really have no cons with the G.SKILL RipjawsX F3-14900CL9Q-8GBXL kit. Not only is the entire kit cheaper than buying than buying two 2 x 2GB kits separately, but also keep in mind that the RipjawsX kit contains sticks of four-gigabytes each, with a high speed of 1866MHz and CAS9 latency, all at a low price, and with a ton of headroom for overclocking. You just can’t beat that.
The modules exceeded every expectation I had, and endured every test, simple or difficult, that I could throw at them. At only $85 CAD, with a brilliant design, aesthetics, and enormous overclocking headroom, not to mention being backed with excellent customer support and an amazing lifetime warranty, this G.SKILL RipjawsX 1866MHz kit should list on top for anyone looking for massive potential and value out of their memory without breaking the bank. As a concluding statement, I would like to thank G.SKILL for providing this RipjawsX kit for review and testing. Furthermore, I would like to give a personal shout-out to G.SKILL’s Frank for providing overclocking data from the G.SKILL community.
I gladly award this kit a well-deserved 10/10 perfect score. Well done G.SKILL!
Back: Introduction
INDEX
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Package and Memory Overview
Page 3: Features and Specifications
Page 4: Testing Methodology and Overclocking
Page 5: Memory Benchmarks
Page 6: Computation and Productivity Benchmarks
Page 7: Gaming Benchmarks
Page 8: Z68 Chipset-Specific Benchmarks
Page 9: Overall System Benchmarks
Page 10: Final Words and Conclusion
Am I the only one having a hard time believing the author’s claim of reaching 2133MHZ on an AMD processor with an 8GB kit…..I mean come on.This is unheard of without LN2,and there is no proof posted in the thread.Just sayin’…
Hi there Redwoodz,
Actually, you are right. The highest overclocks I have seen range close to ~2060MHz on an AMD system.
However, and I should have mentioned this, I am using an AM3+ board.
Being in Canada, I buy from NCIX: https://ncix.com/products/?sku=60310
Here is the Gigabyte page for it: https://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3788#ov
Rev 3.0 is AM3 while Rev 3.1 is AM3+. If you notice the pictures between the two, Rev 3.0 has a white socket and Rev 3.1 has a black socket. Comparing that to the picture and description on the NCIX page, you’ll notice that the AM3+ is shown.
As far as I know, the Rev 3.1 AM3+ version of the 870A-USB3 has been announced, but not released. When I ordered, I ended up with the AM3+ version, which I believe must have been a mistake on NCIX’s part. I did a bit of research to make sure I had the right board, and sure enough it was the 3.1 AM3+. I also searched around and most people who recently bought the 870A-USB3 from NCIX had also received the AM3+ revision.
As based on the overview and specifications pages, the memory clock can easily break 2000MHz+, something that is difficult to do on AM2+/AM3.
That’s not saying that it’s the definitive reason as to why I managed to get to 2133MHz, but I honestly cannot find another clue. It has to do with the AM3+ board. I wish there were more details about AM3+ though.
Alas, you are technically right, and it is my fault for not including the motherboard revision, so I will be sure to add a note in the review.
Thanks for pointing that out! 😀
As further backing, I received an email from Frank @ G.SKILL:
“Reaching 2133 on an AMD platform is not new. During computex this year we displayed 2133mhz 16GB kit. We used ASUS AM3+ board and 1100T.”
Regardless, I have made a note under the AMD test-system table about AM3+, so everything should be good to go! 🙂