Intel’s Sandy Bridge is a resource hungry platform that can do a lot more than just play your typical 3D crushing video games. All it needs is a high quality motherboard and a decent dual channel DDR3 memory kit to prove it. Coupled with one of best Intel P67 motherboards, we’re going to take a look at the latest killer Patriot Memory Division 2 Viper Extreme 1866MHz DDR3 memory. Let’s go!
Features and Specifications
Division 2 is the newest top of the line dual channel DDR3 memory from the Viper Extreme series designed to support the new Intel Sandy Bridge processor and motherboards featuring the Intel P67 chipset. After a bit of engineering and IC selection, the end result is some well tuned Division 2 modules providing frequencies from 1600MHz to 2133MHz effectively at a mere 1.65 volts using 9-10-9-27 memory timings.
Higher end P67 motherboards offer up to 2133MHz maximum memory speeds which are achieved by overclocking. The best way to achieve stability when overclocking your system’s DDR3 is to utilize the XMP profiles programmed into the memory chips which are available in settings through the BIOS. Our 1866MHz was recognized via XMP profiles automatically, allowing us to configure the motherboard’s BIOS for 1600MHz and 1866MHz with the right memory timings and voltage. It really is that simple!
Finally, there’s a new heat spreader design on the Division 2 modules made from copper. The Patriot Memory Division 2 1866MHz memory kits start at $94 USD at places like Newegg and Amazon.
Test Configuration
The system we are utilizing today has very common components. One important factor is that we’ll be continuing to use high quality power supplies whenever dual video cards or overclocking are involved to increase our chance of success.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge LGA1155
- CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X Extreme Ultra Quiet
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD7 (F6 BIOS)
- Memory 1: Patriot Memory Division 2 Viper Extreme 4GB 1866MHz DDR3
- Memory 2: Kingston HyperX Genesis 4GB 2133MHz @ 1866MHz DDR3
- Video Card: MSI NVIDIA Geforce GTX 460 1GB Cyclone
- Storage: Patriot Memory 120GB Inferno SSD
- Power Supply: NZXT Hale90 750-Watt (80Plus Gold)
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
As mentioned earlier, XMP made setup easy and was detected properly by the P67A-UD7 motherboard. Overclocking this memory is pretty much out of the question given the dividers on this P67A-UD7. The selections are 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, and 2133MHz with no way of manually increasing those values.
Software Test Notes
One of the benefits of high frequency DDR3 memory is that it can speed up the performance of many software applications. The larger and faster the memory kit, the quicker data can be stored and accessed. That’s why VMWare works so well with tons of memory, but even multiple MS Office type apps, all active at the same time, can benefit. However, it’s been proven time and time again that frame rates in games rarely benefit, but can help the games open and close faster.
Another benefit to high performance memory is that it can be operated at lower frequencies with better timings. What that does is improve memory bandwidth. If your motherboard doesn’t support 1866MHz memory, you can down clock it to 1600MHz or 1333MHz while reducing the timings from 9-10-9-27 to something like 8-8-8 or 7-7-7 respectively.
With these two objectives in mind, we’ll be using Sysmark 2007 to reveal any real world benefits followed by Sisoft SANDRA’s memory bandwidth benchmark which gives us a visual score. The final test will be a H.264 1080 to 720 transcode using Arcsoft Media Converter. On with the show!
Sysmark 2007
Some programs in Sysmark will never improve no matter how far you overclock the system. It will execute just as it normally would. However, the programs do load quite fast. Applications represented by 3D like Autodesk and 3DSMAX reveal the most benefit.
Sisoft SANDRA
For comparison, the Genesis memory was lowered to match the frequencies and timings of the Division 2 memory. It’s evident that there is a mountain of memory bandwidth difference between the default 1333MHz Sandy Bridge frequency and 1866MHz. Since the numbers are so close, it’s very possible that the two kits are using very similar ICs. This is pretty common when working with high end memory kits.
Remember, if your system doesn’t support high performance overclocking memory like this, it can pay off downlocking the Division 2 frequencies and lowering the value of the memory timings which essentially increases the memory bandwidth compared to higher memory timings. As you can see above, it can make a world of difference even if your system is only stable at 1600MHz with CAS8 timings.
Media Converter 7
After some chipset specific fine tuning, you’ll notice that there’s a few seconds difference between the Sector 5 and Division 2. The completion times do change slightly as the video file size increases. If you’re working with a 5GB video file, you really start to get the benefit of faster memory. Having more of it would help as well with such large file sizes.
Final Thoughts
Intel’s Sandy Bridge has changed the way we expect to overclock our system memory. It’s a very easy business overclocking these new platforms and Patriot is simply providing the modules needed to help make that happen. That’s why it’s important to choose a motherboard capable of supporting these high end modules. On the same note, these new modules are equally supported in Lynnfield or Clarksdale systems.
When it comes to high quality memory modules, the Patriot Memory Divsion 2 Viper Xtreme 4GB 1866MHz DDR3 dual channel memory will compliment Sandy Bridge perfectly. The XMP profile is extremely easy to use in the BIOS and the SPD chip is making sure that happens. It’s just an added bonus that all that technology is hiding under such sweet looking black on copper memory sinks.
Despite recent memory IC cost increases, this kit can still be found for a mere $89 to $94 USD depending on any rebates. This is definitely the good stuff!
Pros
- High quality and attractive design
- Very solid 1866MHz performance
- Easy to use and setup XMP profiles
- Also compatible with Clarkdale and Lynnfield
Cons
- Fin height might block some large heatsinks (more of a universal problem though)
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
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Patriot Memory Division 2 Viper Extreme 4GB 1866MHz DDR3 Memory Kit – Photo Gallery
