Memory by stefan @ 2013-08-19
Mushkin have recently released a new 2133MHz kit with 9-11-10-28 latencies and a rated voltage of 1.65V. The product is composed of two 4GB memory modules and are equipped with red Frostbyte design heatsinks.
At first we would like to thank Mushkin Enhanced for offering a sample of their Redline 996996 8GB DDR3 2133MHz Memory Kit for testing and reviewing.
“Founded in Denver, Colorado in 1994, Mushkin, Inc. has since become one of the nation's most recognized Manufacturers of performance computer products worldwide and has well established relationships with all of the top computer component companies in the world including Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, LSI, as well as top retail channels globally. Exceptional quality, enhanced performance and unparalleled customer support are what make our products the best in the industry.
With a strong team of over 25 years experience, we have focused around cutting edge technology including digital storage devices and a complete selection of memory upgrades for desktops, servers and notebooks – we offer something for everyone; from business user to gamer.”
Dual Channel Kit
Engineered for dual-channel architecture.
Enhanced Frequency
This product has been programmed to operate at the ideal frequency for your system when properly installed.
Enhanced Timings
This product has been programmed for timings that offer improved performance when properly installed.
Hand-Tested
This product has been tested by hand for quality assurance.
Lifetime Warranty
Quality guaranteed - we offer a lifetime warranty on this product and genuine, unmatched service and support.
The 8GB memory kit we are going to look upon in this review comes with the rated frequency of 2133MHz, CAS latency 9 and an operating voltage of 1.65V. The product is packed inside a transparent plastic enclosure and right from the beginning we can see how the modules really look like:
On the back side we will see the memory modules mounting procedure:
The 996996 series come with a cool looking red heatsink, but the module PCB has a dull green color:
In the middle we have the product logo:
The opposite side comes with a smaller manufacturer logo along with an additional sticker:
On the sticker we have the product code number, the speed rating, timings, operating voltage but also the total memory quantity of the kit in question:
A top view of the modules reveals how the heatsinks are fitted:
CPU: Intel I5 3570K Retail
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 OC
RAM: Mushkin Redline 996996
Video: Gigabyte GTX 770 WF
Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W
HDD: Hitachi 7K500 2.5''
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
The pre-programmed timings and frequencies can be also found by using AIDA64:
The received sample seemed to clock higher up to 2200MHz, while keeping the voltage to the safe 1.65V setting. We did not have luck tightening the timings even further since instability has settled in quite quicky:
The new Redline C9 2x4GB memory kit from Mushkin sports a medium-height heatsink design in order not to create heatsink compatibility issues and the model which we have tested was rated to run at 2133MHz, while the rated XMP voltage was set at 1.65V. To try the voltage specifications recommended by Intel, we have tried to boot with it set at 1.5V only to see that the computer become irresponsive; however, the sticks were fully stable at 1.6V.
Afterwards, we have tried to see how much this kit can go up in frequency and found that 2200MHz was totally doable while maintaining the stock voltage. In order to run at 1.5V, we needed to downgrade the frequency to 1866MHz, while we have kept the stock memory timings.
Mushkin declares that each kit is pre-tested before leaving the factory and we clearly believe them since we did not have any issues with the kit while using the preloaded XMP profile.
The 996996 kit can be now picked up online for about 67 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Mushkin Enhanced for making this review possible!