Patriot Viper Extreme PC3-16000 CL9 1.65 V DDR3 Review 8

Patriot Viper Extreme PC3-16000 CL9 1.65 V DDR3 Review

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Value & Conclusion

  • The Patriot PX538G2000ELK kit is available right now, for $74.99
  • Works at advertised speed and voltages on many platforms (with tweaking, FM1, AM3+, Z68 and X79 tested)
  • Low price considering total capacity of 8 GB
  • Fantastic overclockability, even at stock voltages
  • High-quality cooling solution unlike any other on the market today
  • 1066 MHz JEDEC profile for a guaranteed boot on all platforms
  • Wide availability due to the time this product has been on the market, yet still applicable(with tweaking) to modern configurations.
  • Over-packaged, this kit really doesn't need a paper outer box.
  • Limited scaling under voltage increases.
  • Lack of an XMP v1.3 profile means some minor tweaking is needed for XMP-rated operation on current Intel platforms.
  • Intel P55 certification may have these sticks overlooked by many.
  • No quad-channel kit.
I've got to say, that although this kit isn't specifically meant for newer platforms, it was very exciting to see how easy it was to get working on our Intel X79 Express platform. Not only did the low JEDEC profile ensure that we could boot the sticks without an issue, it also meant that we were provided with the opportunity, when things went wrong, to get back running again with minimal effort. I cannot stress how nice this is when overclocking to the limits, as without that low JEDEC profile, I would have been left pulling the system apart so I could get at the CMOS battery to clear the CMOS and start over again.
Although I had to do some minor tweaking to get the XMP-rated speeds working, for such an older kit, this is a trivial issue at best, and if anything, the past couple of weeks I've spent playing with this kit made me want to buy another, so I could have four sticks. The weight and feel of these sticks is second to none, and really helped give the Patriot PX538G2000ELK kit a high quality touch, as it truly deserves. The Patriot PX538G2000ELK kit wasn't our best performer, but it does serve well as a widely available and affordable alternative to some of the more expensive kits on the market. Don't forget to hit us up in the forums for help getting your kit running the best it can!
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Dec 23rd, 2024 21:05 EST change timezone

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