Picking The Right Memory Kit For Intel Core i7 Platforms

The Test System

All testing was done on a fresh install of Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit with Service Pack 1 installed. All benchmarks were completed on the desktop with no other software programs running. All of the modules were run in triple-channel mode. The pair of Radeon HD 4870 X2 video cards were run in CrossFireX mode with 8.11 CATALYST drivers and the ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard was run using BIOS 0904. The QPI on the processor was left default at 133MHz; Turbo mode was disabled.

Memory Speeds and Timings Tested:

1066MHz – 7-7-7-20 1T @ 1.60V

1333MHz – 9-9-9-24 1T @ 1.60V

1600MHz – 8-8-8-24 1T @ 1.60V

1866MHz – 8-8-8-24 1T @ 1.60V

The memory kit that was used is a triple-channel kit that contains three 1GB memory modules. The 3GB Kingston HyperX 2GHz kit was able to run all the above clock frequencies and timings with no problems at all, so it was the kit that was used for testing.

Here is the Intel Core i7 Test platform:

Intel Test Platform
Component	Brand/Model	Live Pricing
Processor	Intel Core i7 965	Click Here
Motherboard	ASUS P6T Deluxe	Click Here
Memory	3GB Kingston and Qimonda	Click Here
Video Card	2x Radeon HD 4870X2	Click Here
Hard Drive	Western Digital RaptorX 150GB	Click Here
Cooling	Thermaltake BigWater 760i	Click Here
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000W	Click Here
Operating System	Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit	Click Here

CPU-Z Test System Screen Shots: