# Samsung 30 nm Green PC3-12800 Low Profile 1.35 V DDR3



## cadaveca (Feb 28, 2012)

Several tech forums are buzzing about Samsung's lastest "Green" 30 nm DDR3, that sips the voltage, and sits on a tiny low-profile PCB. We snagged a pair to see what all the fuss is about, and boy, were we surprised!

*Show full review*


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Mar 8, 2012)

Will all the enthusiast kits transition to 30nm in a few months? Seems like if they don't samsung could undercut the whole enthusiast market.


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## puma99dk| (Mar 8, 2012)

nice, where to actually them in europe? (Germany/UK that will ship to the DK)


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## R_1 (Mar 8, 2012)

That memory was available in US even before Christmas 2011. So most of enthusiast just don't know about it. Some Asian guys did first reviews long time ago.


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## DaC (Mar 8, 2012)

Nice Job!


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## hv43082 (Mar 8, 2012)

Where did you find them for $30 OP?  Cheapest I could find was at Microcenter for $47.


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## xenocide (Mar 8, 2012)

hv43082 said:


> Where did you find them for $30 OP?  Cheapest I could find was at Microcenter for $47.



Yea I think he mixed up the price of the 4GB (2GBx2) and 8GB (4GBx2) kits.


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## Athlon2K15 (Mar 8, 2012)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> Will all the enthusiast kits transition to 30nm in a few months? Seems like if they don't samsung could undercut the whole enthusiast market.



im pretty sure micron,elpida, and Hynix are already pushing 30nm to the shelves. I seen something about a month back about Elpida testing is 20nm production already


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## AlienIsGOD (Mar 8, 2012)

Where in Canada can you buy these?


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

hv43082 said:


> Where did you find them for $30 OP?  Cheapest I could find was at Microcenter for $47.



Ah, you know, that's the price for a single stick on the samsung website. You can find the singlesided 2 GB sticks for less than $15.

They can be purchased from Samsung directly:

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/memory-storage/MV-3V4G3/US

And, it looks like the price dropped a little bit on the Samsung site, too.



AthlonX2 said:


> im pretty sure micron,elpida, and Hynix are already pushing 30nm to the shelves. I seen something about a month back about Elpida testing is 20nm production already



Samsung has 20nm products on the go too(listed as under development). When I heard the kit was coming, I thought it might be 20nm!

full listing and spec sheets here:

http://www.samsung.com/global/busin...te/Greenmemory/Products/DDR3/DDR3_Lineup.html


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## Delta6326 (Mar 8, 2012)

These things rock! If I ever am able to upgrade from LGA775 and get DDR3 then I'm for sure getting these and doing 1.45 V @2133 MHz 11-11-11-28. That really seems like a good OC.


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## puma99dk| (Mar 8, 2012)

hmm that's not for europe ._.


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## revin (Mar 8, 2012)

Thank you for the in depth detail's
Excellent work, as always TPU Rocks!!!!
Thank you to all who helped me get these screaming!


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## AsRock (Mar 8, 2012)

I have 4 sets of these and they rock,  and to think samsung have 20nm to come too later ( hopefully for desktop )

They worked great in my 2 intel setup ( 775\1155 ) and my AM3 setup.

And according to there site they are rated 1.35v to 1.50v.

Love the review and if any thing the packaging  is the 1st thing about them lol.


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

from the listing on the Samsung site, yes 20nm products will come in desktop sticks too, but it looks liek they will all be 1.35v, although there should be LP and normal PCBs, too.



AsRock said:


> And according to there site they are rated 1.35v to 1.50v.




I went through every spec sheet, seems 1.5 V sticks are the normal-sized PCB, and the 1.35 V is the LP PCB.


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## puma99dk| (Mar 8, 2012)

oh looks like oc uk got them: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-017-SA


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## AsRock (Mar 8, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> from the listing on the Samsung site, yes 20nm products will come in desktop sticks too, but it looks liek they will all be 1.35v, although there should be LP and normal PCBs, too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Even their spec sheet on their site as changed too as they used to say 1.35-1.50v

All so remember that Samsungs warranty on this ram is 8 years and 3 months.
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/service/warranty/MV-3V4G3D/US


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## SOGOKU (Mar 8, 2012)

Does anybody knows where to buy this memory in Europe ?


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

AsRock said:


> Even their spec sheet on their site as changed too as they used to say 1.35-1.50v
> 
> All so remember that Samsungs warranty on this ram is 8 years and 3 months.
> http://www.samsung.com/us/support/service/warranty/MV-3V4G3D/US



Wow, a lot there is changing it seems, nearly half the spec sheets now give 403 errors at hte moment, but when i checked on Monday, they worked fine.

Also, it's a "Limited Lifetime" warranty...i know it says 99 months, but...lifetime is lifetime!(considers lifetime may be product lifetime)



SOGOKU said:


> Does anybody knows where to buy this memory in Europe ?



Unfortunately, not at the moment. I did mention as a con that this kit has limited availability depending on where in the world you are.


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## puma99dk| (Mar 8, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> Wow, a lot there is changing it seems, nearly half the spec sheets now give 403 errors at hte moment, but when i checked on Monday, they worked fine.
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, not at the moment. I did mention as a con that this kit has limited availability depending on where in the world you are.




oc.uk got them cadaveca: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-017-SA

i wrote that if u scroll up ^^;


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

Hah, it wasn't showing yet, page hadn't update, thanks for the link, i think quite a few people may use it! 

I like how that listing adds "superpi stable too!".


Uh, if it doesn't pass superpi, in my experience, it's not stable! no wonder they quote higher clocks!!!



> Overclocking Features (Not Guaranteed)
> - 1600MHz (7-8-8-24 1N) @ 1.40v
> - 1866MHz (9-9-9-27 1N) @ 1.40v
> - 2000MHz (9-10-10-28 1N) @ 1.45v
> ...






and then their 9-9-9-27 clocks didn't reach 1866 @ 1.35 V? weird...must be sub-timings.


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## ucanmandaa (Mar 8, 2012)

can you test these on an amd platform too? (am3+ or fm1)


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

ucanmandaa said:


> can you test these on an amd platform too? (am3+ or fm1)



I have. The scaling for OC is very similar, although a wee bit more voltage for the DIMM itself is required for some reason. I use X79 for reviews as the clocking is really good, and the performance is great for showing real differences in performance. If, in the future, there are kits specific to a platform that requires testing on that platform, I'll adjust the test paltform at that time.

Or do you have a different question?

I always test ram on all current platforms. That means AM3+, FM1, 1155, and 2011. It clocks very much the same on 1155, but both AMD paltforms seem to have a bit more trouble in OC, but to me, this is normal.

I have not yet tested with an FX chip(I used an 1100T), but I will do that when time provides(maybe this weekend). I have several other reviews I am working on so my time is quite limited at the moment. During the day I'm taking care of my son while testing(which works great as he likes to see all the new parts too), and during the night I can be found on the TPU BF3 TeamSpeak, as there are quite a few of us that play nightly.

LuLz. While writing this post, I went and got my son a snack, had to reboot the test rig doing memtest, and change some settings becuase it was showing errors. AND I switched laundry.  Memory testing takes a fair bit of time, but it fits really well with all the other things I gotta do, so if there is something specific you are looking for let me know, and I can take a look. If I don't have an answer in a couple of days, remind me, as the hectic schedule I've got means I sometimes forget things.


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## Hayder_Master (Mar 8, 2012)

those ram's i really become love them cuz of u dave, great work mate


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## ucanmandaa (Mar 8, 2012)

I am currently using a 1090t so thats why I was wondering how well these kits work on amd platforms. I just purchased a pair of these... I couldn't resist after reading your review


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

If you need any tips or anything for clocking, let me know, i'd be glad to help. You always welcome to hop in the teamspeak in the evening for some guidance, too.


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## PaulieG (Mar 8, 2012)

Nice review Dave. For many of us who started playing with these sticks months ago, we were amazed at how tight you could get the timings at 1600/1866 while running 16GB. Hell, I was running 1866 8-8-8-24 1T at 1.45v!! I would have liked to have seen some of this in the review. However, I do understand that you do have to draw the line somewhere as to how much information to add.


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## ucanmandaa (Mar 8, 2012)

If I run into any trouble I will ask for help thanks . I got them from ebay so it will take at least a week for them to arrive. I am usually "out to a bar or something" almost every night but if I find the time I'll join you in the teamspeak.


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## cadaveca (Mar 8, 2012)

Paulieg said:


> Nice review Dave. For many of us who started playing with these sticks months ago, we were amazed at how tight you could get the timings at 1600/1866 while running 16GB. Hell, I was running 1866 8-8-8-24 1T at 1.45v!! I would have liked to have seen some of this in the review. However, I do understand that you do have to draw the line somewhere as to how much information to add.



I have a plan!

I did consider adjusting timings tighter, and did try that as well, however, they affected clock scaling in such a way that the bandwidth gains on X79 did not justify doing so. It's not a matter of how much info is included, it's about optimizing performance based and what the voltage and timing gains give.

This is not the only reason I scale the timings the way I do, but I want to save that for the next reviews, as there is some good info to be had about that, and why I do things the way I do. There is no quick and easy way to explain it, so I've chosen to add a bit into each review in such a way that every review will add on to the next. As time goes on, I want to pull all the clocking information out of the reviews and group them into one large guide that then references the reviews, but i do have to get W1zz's approval first.

as to your own clocks, I was not able to reach 1866 @ 8-8-8-24. My sticks only reached 1706 MHz:







There is at least one other user in the original thread we had going about these sticks that was unable to reach those clocks as well. I tested the DIMMS with 1.2 V to 1.75 V before deciding what to use for the clock scaling tests. I considered performance gains, votlage scaling, clocks, and everything else. 

I keep track of my time; I spent 71 hours total on this review.


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## revin (Mar 9, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> I have a plan!
> 
> *There is at least one other user in the original thread we had going about these sticks that was unable to reach those clocks as well*. . I considered performance gains, votlage scaling, clocks, and everything else.
> 
> I keep track of my time; *I spent 71 hours total on this review*.



Err, me 

Wow, how many was guiding me?!!  Again respect to all who helped me  I just cant get over how baddazz these sticks are.
 Reminds of the killer Corsair XMP 2.2.2.5 sticks back in the day..................


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## Feänor (Mar 9, 2012)

That is what i call a complete review. One with a x79 platform would not need anything more to play with this ram. 

I have three 4gb unmatched sticks and while i did not test at lower speed (< 1800), i managed to get 1850 9-9-9-24 and 2100 10-10-10-27 (both 1,6v) out of them. I'm pretty sure it is my 970's imc who's the limiting factor. They really seem to shine on Sandy bridge (-e or not).


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## mastrdrver (Mar 9, 2012)

What is you uncore for those speeds and kind of vvt are you using for those speeds?

Thinking about getting 3 so I ran run 12GB on 3 sticks instead of 6.


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## LagunaX (Mar 9, 2012)

Been running mine 9-10-10-28 1T 1.6v 2133 for over a month now:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159320
Even put some bling bling on this Honda Civic too:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160687
Nice review!


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## manofthem (Mar 9, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> I keep track of my time; I spent 71 hours total on this review.



Bless your heart, my good man, great review indeed.  Knew it would be since I've been using them as well, but it's still good to see it in official review form


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## Steven B (Mar 9, 2012)

props to you mate for this review, i know you went out of your way and bought this kit. 

I also know a good review when i see one, and this is one heck of a memory review


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## Feänor (Mar 9, 2012)

mastrdrver said:


> What is you uncore for those speeds and kind of vvt are you using for those speeds?
> 
> Thinking about getting 3 so I ran run 12GB on 3 sticks instead of 6.



Uncore running at 3515 mhz and using 1,395 vtt. I do not dare to go higher 24/7.


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## Aquinus (Mar 9, 2012)

Very nice review. You wouldn't have noticed how warm the memory got, did you? Considering they don't have any stock heat spreaders I assume it must be pretty low.

Very nice review, it almost makes me wish I didn't get my 2133mhz G.Skill kit.


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## cadaveca (Mar 9, 2012)

Steven B said:


> props to you mate for this review, i know you went out of your way and bought this kit.
> 
> I also know a good review when i see one, and this is one heck of a memory review



Heh, I didn't buy this kit. Actually, I'd only ever consider buying something for review if the requests were overwhelming, and I didn't have other reviews to work on...I've got two other kits waiting here to finish up, and another on it's way.


But W1zz and DarkSaber are pretty good at making sure I have what I need...and this kit was sent to me from DarkSaber. I'm not sure how he got it....



Aquinus said:


> Very nice review. You wouldn't have noticed how warm the memory got, did you? Considering they don't have any stock heat spreaders I assume it must be pretty low.
> 
> Very nice review, it almost makes me wish I didn't get my 2133mhz G.Skill kit.



I saw 46c while running 1.75 V, neasured with a thermal diode attached directly to the top of one of the middle memory ICs. Taht was on the Crosshair V though, that has the pins to attach the diodes to.


The G.Skill kit, to me, I feel more comfortable overvolting. The Samsung's have stock 1.35 V ICs, whic hare rated by Samsung as 1.35 V and 1.5 V compatible. They also say the 1.5 V is good to 1.575V. 1.6 V should be fine, but I do not know for sure. When I can get 2133 11-11-11-28 @ 1.35-1.4 V, I don't see much point to shoving 1.6 V to them for the minor timing change that makes very little difference in bandwidth. There's nothing wrong with it, but i feel we might see some sticks from OEMs like Corsair and G.Skill that use these IC's and higher votlages, and I do have to make sure I am making recommendations that work for less-advanced users as well. If threse sticks booted in on JEDEC profiles with 1.5 V, I'd feel a bit more comfortable, but they didn't, they used 1.35 V.


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## Taurus_G4 (Mar 9, 2012)

How good are these against Mushkin Redline Ridgeback 993997 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000 9-11-10-28


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## cadaveca (Mar 9, 2012)

Taurus_G4 said:


> How good are these against Mushkin Redline Ridgeback 993997 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000 9-11-10-28



NO idea, i do not have that Mushkin kit, and haven't had a chance to play with it. It might depends on how the secondary timings are set up, which IC the Mushkin uses, etc...

What I can say is that the Samsungs are going to cost you far less for the same capacity(AFAIK, the mushkin's sell for $179.99, with which you could very nearly buy 32GB of the Samsungs).

I relyl don't have any idea as to perofrmance or anything until I am at hte ponit of making graphs..I do stabiility testinhg without looking at hte actual speeds or scores, just focus on whether the kit is stable or not. A big part of my final score is how I fell when doing the testing, and how the sticks respond to the changes i make trying to bring stability back.

Then, I typicalyl write up the main aprt of hte review, the part before the testing. Then I make the graphs, get them hosted, and then look at the results adn copare against the numbers i already have.

Technically, i thought the G.SKill kit was going to be the better of the two, but performance-wise, the Samsungs win. However, I feel more confident when clocking the G.SKills...so it depends on what you are really looking for...heck, I'll buy ram just because i like the heatsink(or lack thereof).

If Mushkin decides to send me a sample, I'll let you know what I think then.


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## Taurus_G4 (Mar 9, 2012)

You're right.. I really hope they do that, they don't have a single benchmark for those modules.


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## cadaveca (Mar 9, 2012)

Taurus_G4 said:


> You're right.. I really hope they do that, they don't have a single benchmark for those modules.



First, let me apologize for my atrocious spelling in the post above. Geez.


As to your comment, I kinda find that surprising, you know? I am using a Mushkin set in my reviews, however, this is a kit that I myself purchased, and once I have enough results, those results will be removed from my future reviews, too.

Not that I have any bias against Mushkin..in fact, i really like the kit that is used in my current reviews, however, it's a cobbled-together kit, not a real quad kit. I am open to reviewing products from any company.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Mar 10, 2012)

Now $47 at MC which will be like $50 after tax. Still, hard to complain. I'll pick up a kit or two if I can get my ass over there.


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## LagunaX (Mar 10, 2012)

The best was $39.99 at CompUsa/TigerDirect free shipping...


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Mar 10, 2012)

Does running such a low ram voltage improve cpu overclocking and thermals on 1155/2011?


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## cadaveca (Mar 10, 2012)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> Does running such a low ram voltage improve cpu overclocking and thermals on 1155/2011?



Alittle bit, yes, but it also depnds on case airflow, IMHO. The memory itself does consume less pwoer, and run a lower voltage, so it doesn't get as hot, and neither does the memory VRM. Crank up the voltage with a huge OC, and they put out a decent amount of heat, but nothing overwhelming.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Mar 10, 2012)

I mean isn't it less strain on the cpu. Not from the memory putting out less heat but from less voltage going through the IMC. Doesn't the ram voltage tie directly into the procs now? Isn't that why they recommend not using crazy ram volts on 1155/2011? 

I know when you're at the extreme end on 1155 you can end up having to choose between a higher memory clock or higher cpu clock since it's all tied together. If these are less stressful on the IMC in theory it could enable a higher clock on one or the other right?


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## cadaveca (Mar 10, 2012)

LAN_deRf_HA said:


> I mean isn't it less strain on the cpu. Not from the memory putting out less heat but from less voltage going through the IMC. Doesn't the ram voltage tie directly into the procs now? Isn't that why they recommend not using crazy ram volts on 1155/2011?
> 
> I know when you're at the extreme end on 1155 you can end up having to choose between a higher memory clock or higher cpu clock since it's all tied together. If these are less stressful on the IMC in theory it could enable a higher clock on one or the other right?



It's not really the votlage that dictates the IMC load. vDIMM is reduced before hitting the IMC. I haven't run into a situation where vDIMM affects CPU clocking ability on LGA2011, so I haven't had the oppotunity to investigate such. Not one of my CPUs, even 1155, is affected by ram clocks when CPU clocking.

The CPU itself and the memory speed are linked due to how the L3 works, as the L3 is last-level cache before ram, and runs at the CPU's speed(because of ringbus design). The higher the CPU speed, the faster the L3, the more load is placed on the IMC. It's NOT about the IMC on the DIMM side at all.

Ram is a passive device, and as such, doesn't really have much effect on CPU unless it's not capable of feeding the CPU the data it needs. Any issues with clocknig related to ram speed are 100% the fault of the IMC itself, and not the DIMMs. 

Now, if a DIMM requires less CURRENT, that might apply, but not that i have seen as of yet.


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## Millennium (Mar 27, 2012)

Much more discussion and results in this thread by the way. I'm really happy with my (non LP) memory...


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