The technology launch of Intel's new G35 chipset - the first to support DDR3 - occurred just 3 days ago. At launch most reviewers were intrigued by the potential of DDR3 but less than excited about the high latencies and high prices that were available at launch. As you saw in Intel P35: Intel's Mainstream Chipset Grows Up and Intel P35 Memory Performance: A Closer Look our first two samples of DDR3 were rated at DDR3-1066 and 7-7-7-20 timings. These DIMMs would also run at DDR3-1333 with 9-9-9-25 timings. While performance at both speeds was promising, we were left to wonder when lower latency DDR3 might become available.

The higher latency DDR3 at launch certainly gave the top DDR2 a run for the money, but it generally took much higher speeds to match or surpass current DDR2 with low latency timings. It was clear lower latency would bring DDR3 much improved performance and make it even more attractive to buyers, but we assumed it would likely be months until we saw lower latency DDR3 - as it was in the launch of DDR2.

With this scenario, imagine our surprise when Kingston asked us if we would like to review their first low-latency DDR3. Where the competition was 9-9-9 at DDR3-1333 and 7-7-7- at DDR3 1066, Kingston specified their new DDR3 memory at 7-7-7 at 1333 and 6-6-6 at 1066. These were definitely some memory sticks we wanted to review.

If these numbers still seem high to you, you need to back up a bit for a larger perspective. While lower speed DDR2 can have latencies as fast as 3, DDR3 starts at 800 and the boards we have seen only allow CAS latencies as low as 5. The CAS range on better P35 boards is normally 5 to 10. Given this range of available latencies at higher speeds than DDR2, it is clear the new Kingston KHX11000D3llK2/2G has found ways to provide the lowest latencies so far in DDR3.

Keep in mind that the actual latency in nanoseconds is what really matters, so while the number of memory cycles from DDR2-533 CL3 through DD2-667 CL4, DDR2/3-800 CL5, DDR3-1067 CL7, and DDR3-1333 CL9 increases, the actual latency in ns only ranges from 11.25ns (DDR2-533 CL3) to a maximum of 13.5ns (DDR3-1333 CL9). While CL7 may sound like a high latency, achieving that with 1333 MHz memory is actually results in a time latency of 10.5ns, and of course that's with much higher bandwidth than some of the other memory speeds.

We presented detailed comparisons of memory performance on the current P965, DDR2 on the P35, and DDR3 on the P35 just last week. This allowed us to run a full suite of comparison tests using the same configurations used in Intel P35 Memory Performance: A Closer Look. Those wondering whether DDR3 can compete with low-latency DDR2, and when that might happen will get some answers to their questions in this comparison.



Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2

Kingston hardly requires an introduction as a memory manufacturer. As the world's largest memory manufacturer you will find Kingston products available at almost every computer retailer. If a product uses memory then Kingston likely makes such a product. Headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, Kingston has grown from its beginnings with a single product in 1987 to $3.4 Billion in sales last year and an offering of over 2000 memory products. Kingston is by far the world's largest independent memory manufacturer, and it is more than 3 times larger than #2.

Kingston today manufactures memory at four manufacturing locations: US, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. The four manufacturing plants have more than 35 Surface Mount Technology (SMT) lines for producing virtually every kind of memory available in the world. This includes the DIMMs, SO-DIMMs, and flash memory that are of most interest in the Computer and Digital Imaging markets. Within these product categories, Kingston manufactures a full range of products, from OEM parts to their popular Value RAM series to enthusiast-oriented HyperX products.

While Kingston is one of the first names to pop into mind when anyone mentions memory, it is not the first name most computer enthusiasts might think of when it comes to high-end memory. Yet, Kingston always provides competitive high-end products in their HyperX line, and they are large enough to often be first to market with new memory technology. Today's review of Kingston DDR3-1333+ memory rated at 7-7-7 timings is an example of that.


For memory that is charting new territory the packaging is not really new. You will find the low-latency HyperX DDR3-1333 in the traditional Kingston double kit tray with a clear cover and an adhesive ID label.


The DIMMs themselves are also typical. The only feature that makes them stand out in appearance is the familiar blue heatspreader that identifies this as top-line HyperX memory. Of course the specs begin to tell us that this is the fastest DDR3 we have yet tested with the best timings on the market.

Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 Memory Specifications
Number of DIMMs & Banks	2 DS
DIMM Size	1GB
Total Memory	2 GB (2 x 1GB)
Rated Timings	7-7-7-20 at DDR3-1375
Rated Voltage	1.7V (Standard 1.5V)

If the specifications look a little strange, recall that DDR3 is lower voltage, higher speed and slower timings than DDR2. The chart below summarizes some of the differences in the official JEDEC DDR2 and DDR3 specifications.

JEDEC Memory Specifications
	DDR2	DDR3
Rated Speed	400-800 Mbps	800-1600 Mbps
Vdd/Vddq	1.8V +/- 0.1V	1.5V +/- 0.075V
Internal Banks	4	8
Termination	Limited	All DQ signals
Topology	Conventional T	Fly-by
Driver Control	OCD Calibration	Self Calibration with ZQ
Thermal Sensor	No	Yes (Optional)

JEDEC specifications are a starting point for enthusiast memory companies. However, since there was never a JEDEC standard for memory faster than DDR-400 then DDR memory running at faster speeds is really overclocked DDR-400. Similarly DDR2 memory faster than DDR2-800 is actually overclocked DDR2-800 since there is currently no official JEDEC spec for DDR2-1066. DDR speeds ran to DDR-400, DDR2 has official specs from 400 to 800, and DDR3 will extend this from 800 to 1600 based on the current JEDEC specification.

The Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 is the first DDR3 we have tested with a rated 1333 or higher speed. It also offers lower latency than any DDR3 we have seen so far.

Kingston HyperX DDR3-1375 with be available in the 2GB kit we are reviewing here, as well as in a 1GB kit consisting of a matched pair of 512MB DIMMs. Kingston will also sell single 1GB and 512MB DDR3-1375 DIMMs. Kingston will announce this DDR3-1375 low latency memory at Computex on June 5th. As we were finishing this review we asked Kingston when this new DDR3 memory will be available for purchase. They told us distributors have the memory or will be receiving it shortly, and that readers should be able to buy the new low-latency DDR3 on launch day, June 5th.

Pricing for the low-latency DDR3 kits is set by sellers, and it is normally lower than the manufacturer's suggested price. Kingston has set the following MSRP for the new DDR3 low-latency kits:

2GB (2 x 1GB) kit $518
1GB (2 x 512MB) kit $256
Single 1GB DIMM $268
Single 512MB DIMM $134

This HyperX DDR3-1375 7-7-7 memory is Kingston's top-of-the-line product, but Kingston will also be launching DDR3 Value RAM. We don't yet have specifications or pricing for the Value RAM product.



Memory Test Configuration

The comparison of Kingston DDR3 to earlier DDR3 and DDR2 used exactly the same components in the same test bed wherever possible. For the fairest comparison to both other DDR3 and the best DDR2, the Asus P5K and P5K3 motherboards were both powered by an Intel X6800 processor running at an 8x1333 FSB (333 quad pumped). All that was required to do this was up the base CPU bus to 333, and lowering the default multiplier to 8 (from 11). We did not need to make any changes to CPU voltage and left it at default settings. Due to issues with memory ratios on the P965 we were forced to use 10x266 timings for comparison on that chipset. The P965 was not designed for 1333 FSB speed, so when 1333 is set the available memory ratios do not allow comparison at standard memory speeds. 10x266 or 2.66GHz is the same speed as 8x333 and the same X6800 CPU was used in all three test beds.

The 1333 processor bus does improve performance in some benchmarks compared to 1066. The recent Intel P35 Memory Performance: A Closer Look examined the components of increased performance on the 1333 bus and found that the performance impact of the increased bus speed on gaming was minimal.

Memory Performance Test Configuration
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo X6800 (x2, 2.93GHz unlocked, 4MB Unified Cache) 10x266 - 2.66 GHz 8x333 - 2.66GHz
RAM	Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 (2GB kit - 2x1GB, DDR3-1333 7-7-7) Corsair CM3X1024-1066C7 (2GB Kit - 2x1GB- DDR3-1066 7-7-7) Corsair Dominator CM2X1024-8888C4 (2GB Kit - 2x1GB - DDR2-1250 5-5-5)
Hard Drive	Samsung 250GB SATA2 enabled (8MB Buffer)
System Platform Drivers	Intel - 8.3.0.1013
Video Card	Leadtek WinFast 7950GT 256MB
Video Drivers	NVIDIA 93.71
CPU Cooling	Intel Retail HSF
Power Supply	Corsair HX620W
Motherboards	Asus P5K3 Deluxe (Intel P35 DDR3) Asus P5K Deluxe (Intel P35 DDR2) Asus P5B Deluxe (Intel P965 DDR2)
Operating System(s)	Windows XP Professional SP2

To fairly compare this new low-latency Kingston DDR3 to existing DDR2 memory, one of the best DDR2 memories tested so far, Corsair Dominator, was also run at the fastest timings available at DDR2-800 3-3-3-9 and DDR-1066 at 4-4-3-11. The Dominator DDR2-1111 cannot run at DDR2-1333, so it was not possible to compare standard speeds above 1066. The same DDR2 memory was also tested on a P965 motherboard at the same fast memory timings of 800 3-3-3-9 and 1066 4-4-3-11. This allows comparison of performance of the current P965 with the fastest DDR2 memory to the new P35 chipset with both the fastest DDR2 memory and the low-latency DDR3 being reviewed.

Every 1066 FSB Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPU we had in the lab ran fine at 1333 processor bus at default voltage. The only exception was the top line X6800 at the default 11x multiplier, which did require a modest voltage boost for stable 3.66GHz operation. Of course 1333 is the FSB frequency Intel will be introducing on their soon-to-be-announced processor upgrades.



Bandwidth and Memory Scaling

AMD includes the memory controller on their processors, but Intel continues to make the memory controller a part of the motherboard chipset. While the on-chip memory controller is theoretically superior, Intel manages to continue to improve memory bandwidth on their new chipsets. You have already seen in DDR3 vs. DDR2 and Intel P35 Memory Performance: A Closer Look that the new P35 improves memory bandwidth 16% to 18% compared to the same speed and memory timings on P965.

Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 is the first to offer lower latency in DDR3 and this should further improve memory bandwidth. We compared Standard or Buffered bandwidth on the P965 running DDR2, the new P35 running DDR2, and the new P35 running Kingston DDR3-1375.

Standard (Buffered) Sandra XI.SP2 Memory Bandwidth - 2.66GHz
Memory	800	1066	1333	1520 (380x7)
Kingston DDR3-1333 KHX11000D3LLK2	6341 5-4-3-10 1.75V	6736 6-5-5-12 1.7V	6928 7-7-6-15 1.7V	7329 8-8-8-22 1.8V
Corsair DDR3-1066 CM3X1024-1066C7	6156 6-6-6-15 1.5V	6613 7-7-7-20 1.5V	6757 9-9-9-25 1.5V	-
DDR2 - P35 Corsair Dominator	6456 3-3-3-9 2.25V	6811 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-
DDR2 - P965 (10x266) Corsair Dominator	5531 3-3-3-9 2.25V	5782 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-

At DDR3-800 the Kingston manages stable 5-4-3-10 timings at 1.75V. Based on current motherboards and JEDEC standards the fastest available DDR3 timings are 5-3-3, so the Kingston DDR3-1375 is very close to the theoretical limit at DDR3-800. With the improved timings DDR3 is about 3% faster than DDR3 at 6-6-6 timings. Fast DDR2 on the P35 supporting DDR2 is the widest buffered bandwidth, but the difference between P35 DDR2 3-3-3 and P35 DDR3 5-4-3 is less than 2%. All P35 results, even the lower 6-6-6 timings, exhibit higher bandwidth than P965 at DDR2 3-3-3.

At both 800 and 1066, Kingston DDR3-1375 bandwidth is very close to the bandwidth of fast DDR2 on the P35. Again, all P35 results, even slower DDR3, are faster than P965 with fast DDR2 memory. At 1333 the 7-7-6-15 timings improve bandwidth by around 2.5%, and using lower latency allows the Kingston to run as fast as DDR3-1520 at 8-8-8-22 timings. However, the best bandwidth was achieved at faster timings and slightly slower speed. As shown above, the Kingston managed 1500 speed at 7-7-7-15 timings where standard buffered bandwidth is almost 7500 MB/s.

We also test memory with buffering schemes like MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, etc, turned off. While these features do provide apparent improved bandwidth, the unbuffered bandwidth tends to correlate better with actual gaming and application performance. Unbuffered performance does not always follow the patterns of buffered memory performance.

Unbuffered Sandra XI.SP2 Memory Bandwidth - 2.66GHz
Memory	800	1066	1333	1520 (380x7)
Kingston DDR3-1333 KHX11000D3LLK2	4411 5-4-3-10 1.75V	4761 6-5-5-12 1.7V	4936 7-7-6-15 1.7V	5172 8-8-8-22 1.8V
Corsair DDR3-1066 CM3X1024-1066C7	4098 6-6-6-15 1.5V	4547 7-7-7-20 1.5V	4702 9-9-9-25 1.5V	-
DDR2 - P35 Corsair Dominator	4536 3-3-3-9 2.25V	4926 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-
DDR2 - P965 (10x266) Corsair Dominator	4226 3-3-3-9 2.25V	4608 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-

Unbuffered results show the same basic pattern as buffered results in this case, although the domination of P35 in bandwidth performance is not as pervasive. At 800 and 1066 speeds, best bandwidth is with fast DDR2 on the P35 chipset, next is this Kingston DDR3-1375, then Fast DDR2 on P965, and last is slower DDR3. Unbuffered bandwidth is a good mirror of real-world performance, and this is what we expect in gaming tests. It is interesting that the lower latency Kingston has now passed DDR2 on the P965 and is nearly the equal in unbuffered bandwidth to fast DDR2 on P35.

Of course DDR2 could not do the 1333 speed, so the higher speeds of 1333 and 1500+ are the domain of DDR3 and here the Kingston memory shows its true capabilities. Lower latency DDR3 appears to be able to close any gaps that might exist in the overlap speeds of 800 and 1066.



Super Pi

To look at pure number crunching, Super Pi 1.5 was run in all memory test configurations. Super Pi is a very simple program as it merely calculates the value of Pi to a designated number of decimal positions. In this case we chose 2 Million places.

SuperPi 1.5 - 2.66GHz Results in Seconds - Lower is Better
Memory	800	1066	1333	1520 (380x7)
Kingston DDR3-1333 KHX11000D3LLK2	46.27 5-4-3-10 1.75V	45.42 6-5-5-12 1.7V	45.22 7-7-6-15 1.7V	45.31 8-8-8-22 1.8V
Corsair DDR3-1066 CM3X1024-1066C7	46.89 6-6-6-15 1.5V	45.93 7-7-7-20 1.5V	45.77 9-9-9-25 1.5V	-
DDR2 - P35 Corsair Dominator	45.78 3-3-3-9 2.25V	45.20 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-
DDR2 - P965 (10x266) Corsair Dominator	46.05 3-3-3-9 2.25V	45.39 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-

As predicted in the unbuffered memory tests, Super Pi is fastest on the DDR2 low latency platforms, with P35 at 800 3-3-3 and 1066 4-4-3 the fastest in the overlap speeds. The P65 running the same memory is close behind. Lower Latency DDR3 now has Kingston at almost the same level in Super Pi as the P965 in overlap speeds. DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1500+ exclusively belong to DDR3.

It is interesting that the Kingston DDR3-1375 nearly closes the gap with the fastest 3-3-3 DDR2 memory available. This early introduction of lower latency DDR3 clearly demonstrates you will not have to give up a thing with DDR3 in the overlap speeds and you will gain higher speeds as well. The only current roadblock to DDR3 is the high price of admission. When that drops to near parity with DDR2 the logical choice will be DDR3.

Overclocking

Overclocked Memory Performance
Benchmark Applications-	7x380 - 2.66GHz DDR3-1520 8-8-8-22	8x380 - 3.04GHz DDR3-1520 8-8-8-22	8x375 - 3.00GHz DDR3-1500 7-7-7-15
Sandra (Buffered) Memory Bandwidth: Higher is Better	7329	7462	7506
Sandra (UnBuffered) Memory Bandwidth: Higher is Better	5172	5263	5390
Super Pi 1.5: Time in Seconds - Lower is Better	45.31	40.40	40.70
Far Cry: Frames Per Second - Higher is Better	107.46	117.82	118.60
Quake 4 - id Demo: Frames Per Second - Higher is Better	116.0	123.5	124.2
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast: Frames Per Second - Higher is Better	109.5	111.5	112.1

The highest overclock that could be reached with stability with Kingston DDR3-1375 was 1520 at 8-8-8-22 timings at 1.8V. While we managed to boot at speeds as high as 1552, the performance was not stable enough to consistently run our test suite. While voltages as high as 1.9V worked for a while with added memory fans, it did not remain stable. The highest stable voltage that worked long term with air cooling is 1.8V.

There is more to the overclocking performance of the Kingston than just the 1520 number, however. The memory is rated at 7-7-7-timings, which is fast for a memory rated at DDR3-1375. This memory managed to reach 1500 memory speed at 7-7-7-20 timings at 1.8V. While it did reach 20MHz higher with slower 8-8-8 timings, it simply is not worth the slower timings for the small gain in speed. For best performance consider the Kingston a 7-7-7 memory to 1500 speed and ignore the higher timings

It is a significant advantage with the P35 chipset motherboards that every Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processor we tested on the P35 boards ran at 1333 speeds at the stock multiplier without the need to increase voltage. This is a significant, free, and pain-free overclock provided courtesy of the new 1333 bus speed option. This little side effect will make the P35 with DDR2 a favorite overclocker's board with current Intel Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors. A $189 E6420 can perform even better than an E6700 just by selecting a 1333 bus on P35 and leaving everything else at default. A $500 Q6600 can outperform the QX6700 with just a bus speed change.



Gaming

Three DX9-era games representing different gaming engines were used to test the performance of Kingston DDR3-1375 in real world gaming. There are more recent gaming titles available, but they are also DX9. We will update games in the memory test suite as soon as a selection of DX10 games with reliable benchmarks are available. At that time the memory test OS will also be moved to Vista.

The Far Cry - River demo was run for three loops and results in fps were averaged over the three runs.

Far Cry- HOC River - 2.66GHz Frames Per Second - Higher is Better
Memory	800	1066	1333	1520 (380x7)
Kingston DDR3-1333 KHX11000D3LLK2	103.77 5-4-3-10 1.75V	106.11 6-5-5-12 1.7V	106.91 7-7-6-15 1.7V	107.46 8-8-8-22 1.8V
Corsair DDR3-1066 CM3X1024-1066C7	103.39 6-6-6-15 1.5V	105.87 7-7-7-20 1.5V	106.70 9-9-9-25 1.5V	-
DDR2 - P35 Corsair Dominator	106.30 3-3-3-9 2.25V	108.00 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-
DDR2 - P965 (10x266) Corsair Dominator	101.26 3-3-3-9 2.25V	103.04 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-

Far Cry performs best with fast DDR2 memory on the P35 chipset, much as we expected. However, the performance of DDR3 on the P35 is much closer to DDR2 on the Asus P5K with the low latency Kingston DDR3. It is also important to note that both DDR3 and DDR2, even in slow DDR3 latencies, are faster than the fastest DDR2 on the P965.

DDR3-1333 reaches speeds almost the same as DDR2-1066 at 4-4-3 timings on the P35. Speeds above 1333 chart new performance territory for DDR3.

Quake 4 - id Demo - 2.66GHz Frames Per Second - Higher is Better
Memory	800	1066	1333	1520 (380x7)
Kingston DDR3-1333 KHX11000D3LLK2	111.2 5-4-3-10 1.75V	114.7 6-5-5-12 1.7V	115.5 7-7-6-15 1.7V	116.0 8-8-8-20 1.8V
Corsair DDR3-1066 CM3X1024-1066C7	107.9 6-6-6-15 1.5V	111.8 7-7-7-20 1.5V	113.2 9-9-9-25 1.5V	-
DDR2 - P35 Corsair Dominator	112.5 3-3-3-9 2.25V	115.7 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-
DDR2 - P965 (10x266) Corsair Dominator	106.00 3-3-3-9 2.25V	109.7 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-

Quake 4 and the underlying engine have always proved to be very sensitive to improvements in memory bandwidth. This is amply demonstrated in these memory tests. Again in all cases DDR2 and DDR3 are faster on P35 than the fastest DDR2 on P965. The pattern is the same as in Far Cry but the differences are magnified in Q4. One interesting result is that the low-latency Kingston is now within 1 frame of DDR2 3-3-3 on P35 at both the overlap speeds of 800 and 1066. Kingston DDR3-1333 performance is at about the same speed at DDR2 4-4-3 at 1066 on the same P35 chipset. Speeds higher than 1333 again chart new performance territory.

Half Life 2 - Lost Coast - 2.66GHz Frames Per Second - Higher is Better
Memory	800	1066	1333	1520 (380x7)
Kingston DDR3-1333 KHX11000D3LLK2	108.0 5-4-3-10 1.75V	109.1 6-5-5-12 1.7V	109.5 7-7-6-15 1.7V	109.5 8-8-8-22 1.8V
Corsair DDR3-1066 CM3X1024-1066C7	107.0 6-6-6-15 1.5V	108.4 7-7-7-20 1.5V	108.7 9-9-9-25 1.5V	-
DDR2 - P35 Corsair Dominator	108.5 3-3-3-9 2.25V	109.5 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-
DDR2 - P965 (10x266) Corsair Dominator	103.9 3-3-3-9 2.25V	104.9 4-4-3-11 2.3V	-	-

We include Half-Life 2: Lost Coast as a representative of games that are less sensitive to improvements in memory bandwidth. Lost Coast is played through the Steam engine, where there is the constant worry, for a reviewer, that each new update of Steam will break your test benchmarks. Though the differences are not as dramatic, the pattern is exactly the same as the other two games. All P35 results are faster than the same fast DDR2 results on the P965. DDR2-800 3-3-3 and DDR2-1066 4-4-3 are the fastest in the overlap speeds on the P35 motherboard.

Low latency Kingston DDR3 is all but identical in results to fast DDR2 at both overlap speeds, showing the impact of lowered latency on DDR3 performance. 1333 and above results chart new performance territory, and the Low latency Kingston performance in these higher speeds certainly validates DDR3 as the performance memory for the future.



Conclusion

The pace of innovation in the computer market is sometimes astounding. Just four days ago we posted a performance review of the new Intel P35 chipset that introduced DDR3 memory. Our DDR3 test DIMMs for the launch were rated DDR3-1066 7-7-7-21. They would overclock to the new DDR3-1333 speed at 9-9-9-25 timings. We expected the quick introduction of DDR3-1333 modules at 9-9-9 timings, since that is one of the reasons for owning a P35 board. However, we did not expect true lower latency DDR3 for several weeks or months.

Kingston has certainly surprised us with the launch of low-latency DDR3 rated at DDR3-1375 even before the P35 boards officially launch at Computex on June 4th. Not only is this Kingston rated at the higher 1375 speed, but it has rated timings at 1333 that equal the best timings available at 1066 with our launch DDR3 memory. That is certainly rapid development, but it is easy to understand when put in perspective. At the high launch prices only early adopters will be tempted by DDR3. This is particularly true when you consider that fast, cheap DDR2 in the P35 motherboards actually performs better in the overlap speeds than the launch DDR3.

Memory makers introduce new products to sell them, and they are keenly aware that potential buyers need a real reason to buy DDR3, and that reason has to be more than just getting a new technology. The reasons people upgrade are faster speeds and better performance than any available on DDR2, and lower latency that allows performance just as good as or better than DDR2 in areas where speeds overlap.

Kingston has hit a home run in both areas, and Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 achieves timings as low as 5-4-3-10 at DDR3-800 and 6-5-5-12 at 1066 - both at a very modest 1.7V to 1.75V. Performance at these overlap speeds is now roughly on par with the fastest DDR2 running in a new P35 board supporting DDR2. The P965 running the same low latency DDR2 is outperformed by any of the new Intel P35 chipsets running DDR2 or DDR3 memory. At the upper end the new Kingston can reach DDR3-1520 with stability and a magic DDR3-1500 at the tight timings (considering the speed) of 7-7-7.

This low-latency memory manages timings close to the theoretical limits of 5-3-3 at DDR3-800, and it is clear from the performance of this early low-latency DDR3 that buyers will not have to give up any performance in their migration to DDR3. Timings at other speeds are also the best seen to date with DDR3, but there will undoubtedly be even lower latency DDR2-1066 and DDR2-1333 in the future.

Kingston's DDR3-1333 with lower latency timings has given early adopters who will buy new and future technology at any price a reason to buy Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2. Lower latency and higher speeds are required for DDR3 to stand out, and Kingston delivers both.The caveat, of course, is "at any price". However, DDR3 won't really take hold in the market until prices for DDR3 are no longer a 2 to 3 times DDR2 premium. Until they drop to near parity with DDR2 there is no reason to buy a DDR3 P35 motherboard when you can buy a DDR2 P35 motherboard that performs just as well and memory that costs significantly less.

Intel themselves have created this dilemma by supporting both DDR3 or/and DDR2 on the P35 chipset. The P35 is faster than the current P965 and 975X and buyers would move to it for that reason. However, the ability to keep current fast DDR2 which will perform very well on the P35 gives reason to carefully consider whether to buy a P35 with DDR2 support or a P35 supporting DDR3. If that option were not available you might buy DDR3 for the higher P35 performance as well as the future memory technology.

It's refreshing, though, to have Intel consider the pricing and desirability of DDR3 on the new P35, if that is indeed what happened. We suspect though that a market driven by OEMs demanded DDR2 support for price, with DDR3 support ready for a switchover when the prices drop. Whatever the reason the dual support has the advantage of choice for best value or best future-proofing. Unfortunately there is also the downside of higher chipset power consumption since both DDR3 and DDR2 memory interfaces are active whether they are used or not. Hopefully Intel and manufacturers can find ways to correct this undesirable side effect with something as simple and universal as a future BIOS update.

Kingston deserves congratulations for being the first to market with low-latency high speed DDR3. Kingston KHX11000D3LLK2 does exactly what it promises and then some. It gives buyers not so concerned about price the DDR3 performance and higher speeds to choose DDR3 for the future. However, most buyers will wait a while for DDR3 prices to drop, as they surely will. Kingston is the first low-latency high-speed DDR3, but it is certainly not the last. It is good, however, to be first to market with a quality DDR3 product.