GeIL Ultra Series DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - memory - 1 GB ( 2 x 512 MB ) - DIMM 240-pin - DDR2

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Geil is an American manufacturer of memory chips. In the UK they are not well known and face huge competition from the likes of Kingston and Crossair. However in America Geil is a big brand name with plenty of success stories behind them. In the uk their products are priced very competitively. However the general trend with computer memory at the moment is that it is rapidly getting more and more expensive as demand is out doing ...
...often retails at this price. Geil also provide a 2Gig version which retails for £140. In contrast the memory from the big UK companies such as Crossair with the same specifications are wanting a whopping £112 for their 1Gig offerings.

The 1Gig version consists of two separate modules each providing 512Mb (512 * 2 =1024). Similarly the 2Gig version consists of two 1024Mb sticks. This allows the memory to run in dual channel mode.
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- PC6400 800MHz CAS 4-4-4-12
- 64x8 DDR2 BGA Chips
- 240pin, Non-ECC, Un-buffered DDR2 SDRAM DIMM
- Aluminum Heat-spreader
- 6 Layers Ultra Low Noises Shielded PCB
- Lifetime Warranty
- 1.9V-2.3V Power Supply

Geil is an American manufacturer of memory chips. In the UK they are not well known and face huge competition from the likes of Kingston and Crossair. However in America Geil is a big brand name with plenty of success stories behind them. In the uk their products are priced very competitively. However the general trend with computer memory at the moment is that it is rapidly getting more and more expensive as demand is out doing supply. The reason for this is the upcoming release of windows Vista and the recently released Core2Duo processors. For these reasons the price of ram is very volatile.

I was lucky enough to pick up 1024Mb (1 Gig ) from scan for £86.00 including postage. This is very reasonable, as the much lower spec DDRII 533Mhz often retails at this price. Geil also provide a 2Gig version which retails for £140. In contrast the memory from the big UK companies such as Crossair with the same specifications are wanting a whopping £112 for their 1Gig offerings.

The 1Gig version consists of two separate modules each providing 512Mb (512 * 2 =1024). Similarly the 2Gig version consists of two 1024Mb sticks. This allows the memory to run in dual channel mode.

As with all memory these days they are 'keyed' so that they will fit into the motherboard in only one way, this prevents any accidental damage. The ease of installation is straightforward. Just remember to use the correct memory channels, please refer to you motherboard manual for this.

The stock timmings of these chips are 4-4-4-12, however if you are using these modules for a core2Duo system the timmings do not effect the results. On contrast however if you are planning on buying an AMD system then the timmings do effect performance. On a side note I am using these modules on a core2duo system E6400 CPU, and a DS4 motherboard.

This memory is rated to run between 1.9v and 2.3votls. This voltage range is a bit higher than the more expensive modules of the same speed (Crossair TwinX which runs at 1.6v to 2.1volts) This is how Geil sell these chips at such a low price, the down side is that they generate a bit more heat than the more expensive modules.

However this is not an issue as when the dimms are visually inspected you will notice that they are fitted with a orange painted aluminum heat spreaders. The orange color is described by Geil as 'Racing Orange' and is rather fetching. Most DDRII memory modules in this price range offer no heat spreaders so this is a welcome addition.

The purpose of these orange heat spreaders is to help keep the memory cool, in general terms the more you over clock computer components the more voltage that has to be applied and in turn the more heat generated from the over clocked components. This then leads to the problem of temperatures. Heat shortens the expected lifespan of the component. The heat spreads are designed to help remove the heat from the component and hence allow greater system stability and lower component temperature. The heat spreaders that are provided with these modules are made from aluminum. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat and is often used in the heat sinks used to cool CPU's. Most of the DDRII modules that are available in this price range sub £100 are not fitted with heat spreaders, It is only when you look at the £100 pound upwards price bracket do heat spreaders become more common place.

In regards to over clocking I was able to run these modules on my gigabyte DS4 at a speed of 850Mhz (FSB 425Mhz 1:1 Mem divider) at stock timings of 4-4-4-12 and at 1.9volts.
Loosening the timings to 5-5-5-16 I was able to hit 900Mhz (FSB 450Mhz 1:1 Mem divider and voltage of 2.2volts). So far I have had no stability issues. I am curious if I can hit 1000Mhz memory speed but I need to invest in better CPU cooling before so. However I have read on the net that a few overcloks have reached 990Mhz.

The memory was packaged very securely within a hardened plastic holders inside a small but well decorated box. The memory comes with a lifetime warranty and a simple set of diagrams on how to install the memory in the mother board.

All in all these are excellent budget chips but with high end performance. They perform very well giving great stability with my overclocks. For the price these are no brainers. Please note however that over clocking results very from chip to chip and system to system.

O/C results
E6400 @ 3.6Gig
Geil 1024Mb DDRII @ 900Mhz 5-5-5-16
Gigabyte DS4 F7c Bios

Thanks
 

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