Packaging

The Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US kit showed up on my doorstep after a trip across the ocean, clad in paper-based packaging that is nearly 100% recyclable. The grey and blue colors used on the package are commonly seen on quite a few Samsung products, and help make them easy to notice on the store shelf. There is very little text on the front of the box, with just the important details shown, Green DDR3 for Desktop use, 8 GB in a 2x 4 GB configuration, 1600 Mbps, and 30nm Class Low Voltage. Looking at the rear of the packaging, we find a listing of the different modules you can buy, and the timings for each model (higher-rated modules are compatible with lower speeds and timings, although, according to Samsung, they have not been tested at those lower speeds).


Opening the packaging was a bit more difficult than what I am used to, as seen in the first image above. There is a bare minimum of plastic used, and it is very deftly embedded into the paper in such a way that getting out the modules requires destroying the packaging completely. I personally like to keep all of my product packaging, so this was a bit upsetting, but it is just the packaging, so nothing to be too concerned about, now is it?

Once I had the modules out, I also found a little paper installation guide along with the modules themselves. It was folded into a small little bundle that fit neatly behind one the DIMMs, and even though I ripped the package open, it managed to stay intact. The engineers that design Samsung's packaging surely earns their wages!

The modules themselves are dual-sided sticks with eight memory ICs per side, mated with a nice black PCB, that is more often than not reserved for much more expensive modules. The very low asking price for these modules, even directly via Samsung's website, betrays the true potential these sticks have, and that was very evident once the modules were in my tech-loving hands. Let's take a closer look.