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Kingston releases enthusiast DDR3 laptop memory with XMP support

by Tarinder Sandhu on 15 April 2009, 11:04

Tags: XMP Notebook memory, Kingston

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaru7

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We already know that DDR3 memory will become the de facto memory standard for desktop computers as we go into 2010. Intel and AMD both have chips that can use it right now, and the steadily-dropping price means its attractiveness increases month on month.

Intel, too, has a high-end mobile platform - Centrino 2, Cantiga - that can use DDR3 SO-DIMM memory for increased bandwidth and a touch extra performance.

Cantiga is the memory base for the fastest laptops, and true gaming-orientated models - the desktop-replacement models with discrete graphics card(s) - allow a manufacturer to use modules pre-programmed with XMP support, much like desktop's.

Kingston DDR3
Kingston jumps on the enthusiast bandwagon with the release of  HyperX DDR3 SO-DIMMs with JEDEC and XMP support. Shipping as a 4GB pack (2x2GB) with DDR3-1,066MHz speeds and 5-5-5-15 latencies, the ~£100 pack doesn't provide fantastic value when compared to some same-speed SO-DIMMs from Crucial - bereft of XMP support, tight latencies and heatspreaders, but costing around £56.

Still, it's nice to see enthusiast memory cropping up in the mobile space, and 'one-touch' settings are just plain cool. Read the full press release here.

HEXUS Forums :: 2 Comments

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Posted by scaryjim - Wed 15 Apr 2009 13:15
Does DDR3 bring any other advantages beyond simply pushing the maximum theoretical speed upwards? Because if not, these will presumably run with identical performance to DDR2 1066 @ 5-5-5-15? I'd've thought that if you're getting an enthusiast laptop with DDR3, you'd want something a bit faster!
Posted by Tarinder - Wed 15 Apr 2009 13:50
scaryjim
Does DDR3 bring any other advantages beyond simply pushing the maximum theoretical speed upwards? Because if not, these will presumably run with identical performance to DDR2 1066 @ 5-5-5-15? I'd've thought that if you're getting an enthusiast laptop with DDR3, you'd want something a bit faster!

The one benefit - which may be lost on desktop-replacement laptops - is the fact that DDR3 run withs 1.5V compared to DDR2's 1.8V. Also, I expect DDR3 SO-DIMMs to scale frequency reasonably quickly once a greater number of laptops use the standard.