Patriot 6GB DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz Viper Series Low Latency Kit

 

Now this is more like it. In contrast to previous triple-channel DDR3 kits we see that Patriot have gone to the trouble to package the product as a finished product. The outer box is glossy in finish and features the ‘VIPER SERIES DDR3’ emblem, a picture of the DDR3 kit itself and the XMP logo which in effect is a nod to the EPP feature of previous chipsets. XMP allows the motherboard to automatically configure the DDR3 to its optimal, advertised speed without the need to go fiddling in the BIOS.
 

 
 

The packaging doesn’t stop there though because opening the box up we find two blister-style packs containing the RAM itself. The leaflet inside the pack describes in detail how to fit the DDR3 just in case you aren’t sure of the procedure and goes on to describe how to decipher the main four settings. There is no mention of the actual timings of this kit in the leaflet or the outer packaging other than the RAM speed.

 
 

The modules themselves are identical aesthetically to the previous Viper kit we reviewed other than the obvious sky blue colour instead of the green. The blue is slightly deeper in tone to the ones printed on the packet and those shown on websites so you may want to bear this in mind if your are picky with your colours.

 
 

The full specification is printed on a black sticker on the front of the module so there should be no mistaking what settings to use if your motherboard is not XMP compatible. This kit is the LLK version (Low Latency) signified by the LLK tagged on the end of the product number. Patriot also have an Enhanced Latency kit which runs at speeds of 9-9-9-24 instead of this kit which runs at 8-8-8-24.

 
 

Green PCB’s are a thing of the past and Patriot have acknowledged this with a much more appealing black PCB hidden underneath the Viper Series heatsinks. The heatsinks themselves deserve special mention in that they are equipped with integrated ACC (Aluminium Copper Composite) technology. This should dissipate as much heat as possible from the modules, ensuring long life and maximum overclocking potential.

 
 

Being dual height means that fitting oversized CPU coolers could present a problem depending on the distance from which your DDR slots are located from the CPU socket. They are however, no bigger than competing modules such as Corsair’s Dominator series and during testing we had no difficulty in fitting an OCZ Gladaitor CPU cooler with this RAM.

 

Peeling off the ACC heat shield (don’t do this if you wish to keep your warranty intact) we found the integrated chips used on the Patriot modules are premium grade Micron D9JNL’s. These chips are renowned overclockers on low voltage in contrast to the GTR’s which seemed to scale better with increased voltage.

So without further delay let’s move on to the test setup and overclocking section of the review…