Introduction

We would like to thank Cellshock for supplying the review sample.

Cellshock is a brand of the MSC Vertriebs GmbH. The company was established in 1979 and has made a name for itself as one of the leading high-tech distributors of electronic components in Europe. The Cellshock brand made some waves as they offer enthusiast memory from Germany and entered the marked with full force. The brand is offered in form of DDR2 and DDR3 memory with very unique heatspreaders.

From the manufacturer CellShock:

• 1066MHz DDR2
• CL 5-5-5-15 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
• Micron D9GMH Chips
• Unbuffered
• 5 Year Warranty
• 2.3 Volts

Packaging

Every manufacturer packs their memory differently, just so it sticks out on a product shelf. Cellshock packs theirs into a black, very compact cardboard package. There is a small window on the front, showing one of the two DIMMs of the kit. This may be slightly confusing, as some may think the package only contains a single module. On the back you will find the features of the Cellshock memory in multiple languages.


A white label on the bottom not only seals the package, but also features the part number, speed, CL rating, kit size and voltage in plain black writing. Once this seal is broken, the inner cardboard tray can be pulled out of the bottom.


The two modules are placed on top of each other, even though there would be enough space to place them side by side within the black box. Below the memory you will find an installation manual, which is purely text based. This may not be of much help for those who are installing memory for the first time. A few general, grayscale images would have been a nice addition.

A Closer Look

Cellshock uses solid aluminum heatspreaders. These are held in place with real screws. These covers are made of solid aluminum and actually make installing the DIMMs much easier.


The front of the memory, which is visible from the outside of the retail package, features an engraved Cellshock logo, while the back holds a silver sticker with all the usual information.


Once the four hex screws are removed, we discovered a little surprise. Cellshock uses real thermal paste instead of frag tape to transfer the heat from the ICs to the spreaders. The model number and the various certifications of the PCB are also only visible when you remove the heatspreaders.