GIGABYTE Intros DDR4 Memory Modules with Chunkier Heatspreaders

[btarunr]

GIGABYTE expanded its teething DDR4 memory lineup with a new 16 GB (2x 8 GB) dual-channel DDR4 memory kit, called simply "GIGABYTE Memory 2666MHz." These modules lack the Aorus branding featured on the company's very first DDR4 modules. You instead get 32 mm tall, 7 mm-thick modules with a restrained design, and plain GIGABYTE branding.

One area where the company refined its design is the heatspreaders, which are thicker, and have more mass to them, even if they lack finnage. GIGABYTE's module does what it says on the tin - DDR4-2666 with 16-16-16-35 timings, at 1.2 Volts. Out of the box, it packs both JEDEC and XMP SPD profiles. Memory controllers that support DDR4-2666 (such as Intel "Coffee Lake" and later), should run it at the advertised speeds without any user intervention. For older platforms, an XMP 2.0 profile helps achieve the advertised settings. The modules are backed by lifetime warranty.



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[Valantar]

Hm. Hope those heatspreaders fit well. My TridentZ kit rubs up against each other due to how thick they are. Not a problem, but definitely couldn't have been thicker.

 

[jsfitz54]

In terms of understated looks, I really like the design.

 

[Valantar]

In terms of understated looks, I really like the design.

I kind of wish the text and graphic were grey instead of white, but yeah, not bad at all.

 

[micropage7]

great, no RGB effect that makes your pc like night club

 

[Assimilator]

Now even better at cooling RAM chips that don't get hot enough to require them.

 

[John Naylor]

What cools the RAM is the air, if ya can call it that, given low wattage, moving up from the spaces between the sticks. In a 4 x installation and as mentioned Tridents are already touching, not sure this is helping us any

 

[Valantar]

What cools the RAM is the air, if ya can call it that, given low wattage, moving up from the spaces between the sticks. In a 4 x installation and as mentioned Tridents are already touching, not sure this is helping us any

Well, a larger thermal mass at the same heat output will mean it'll take longer to reach heat soak, but on the other hand the reduced surface area (or at least surface area exposed to noticeable airflow) might mitigate that. I suppose given the tiny heat output of RAM it won't do any harm, at least?

 

[Assimilator]

Well, a larger thermal mass at the same heat output will mean it'll take longer to reach heat soak, but on the other hand the reduced surface area (or at least surface area exposed to noticeable airflow) might mitigate that. I suppose given the tiny heat output of RAM it won't do any harm, at least?

The last time RAM chips actually needed heatsinking was back in the days of the original Samsung TCCD/Winbond BH5 DDR chips that would happily accept stupidly high voltages and produced enormous amounts of heat as a result. The memory we have today is much tamer, even a little bit of airflow - the kind you get from case fans - is enough to keep it happy.

So yeah, big heatsinks don't do any harm but nor do they actually do squat for performance, except in the same way that putting a body lowering kit on a much-used 1980s car makes it faster.