DDR3 RAM modules have been enjoying moderate success and acceptance in the desktop field, primarily due to the release of the new X58 chipset and Core i7 platform. Other than this platform however, DDR3 is still less common than its DDR2 counterpart. Same goes for laptops and portable, though the divide is more indistinct here, with Centrino 2 laptops proving popular with consumers and thus pushing more and more DDR3 SO-DIMM modules out into the mainstream. While hardly the newest example of its kind, one of these DDR3 modules is Kingston’s HyperX DDR3 SO-DIMM 4GB memory kit – and it looks to be the most accomplished of the memory brands we’ve seen locally available.

The release of these DDR3 modules coincides with Intel’s release of their Centrino 2 “Montevina” platform. The modules are designed for the latest notebooks using Centrino 2, as this new platform is an absolute requirement due to overall system throughput requirement of this latest memory type. In other words, older systems, even if they could be made to support DDR3 with the correctly-keyed memory slots, won’t be able to take advantage of DDR3’s higher frequencies and resulting higher throughputs. Only with the Montevina platform will users be able to use DDR3 SO-DIMM modules. DDR3 SO-DIMMs have the same number of contact points as DDR2 (204 pins), but have “keys”, or grooves, in a different position to prevent accidental insertion into non-compatible laptops.

Though similarly sized, DDR2 and DDR3 have different "key" positions. note the different position of the single groove.

Other than this physical difference, DDR3 modules have generally higher frequencies – the HyperX KHX8500 kit, consisting of two sticks with a capacity of 2GB runs at 1066MHz clock, and at a very low CL5 latency – 5-5-5-15 to be specific. Ordinary modules typically have 7-7-7 timings, such as Kingston’s own DDR3 SO-DIMM Value Ram. A very significant feature for all DDR3 modules is the lower voltage required – 1.5V versus the older DDR2 modules’ 1.8V requirement.

The heat-spreader equipped KHX8500 may not fit in some laptop memory bays.

The modules are covered with a very thin heat spreader in Kingston’s nominal electric-blue, with the HyperX legend emblazoned across both sides. It is not much thicker than a heatsink-less SO-DIMM, but in case space is an issue, the spreaders are relatively easy to remove – they are secured with sticky backing tape and a few tabs joining the two halves on each module. Upgrading to these modules should give your laptop a noticeable boost – a welcome performance enhancement to laptops that are already quite the advancement from the Sta. Rosa platform of previous years.

Montevina-based laptops are only starting to trickle into the local market.

Montevina schematic. Note support for both DDR2 & 3 SO-DIMM types.

The Montevina platform states 3 components that make up the platform, similar to how Sta. Rosa was structured – WiMax, the new “Cantiga” chipset, and of course, the 45nm Penryn Core 2 chips. Of these three, the Penryn processor will benefit the most from the installation of a low latency specialist memory like this Kingston product – with up to 6MB of L2 cache plus a 1066MHz front side bus, sensible overclocking is well within the realm of possibility, a fact that’s taken advantage of by some astute laptop manufacturers with integrated automatic overclocking utilities such as “Turbo Mode” for MSI. The Kingston low-latency RAM should have more headroom when it comes to jacking up FSB, while maintaining low latencies.

Parting Shot.

While we are still unable to provide numbers for comparison, (a magazine review with all the numbers is upcoming), it is easy to see that as one of the few SO_DIMM modules with unabashed overclocking capabilities and very low latencies, the Kingston KHX8500 has its rightful place in your new Montevina-based laptops, if you feel you deserve the best performance you can squeeze out of your newest laptop purchase. Maximize your laptop’s potential with the HyperX KHX8500 Kit from Kingston.