The Sandy Bridge platform has already received its fair share of criticisms. With the release of chipsets, expectations from this platform have increased. However, G.Skill has been quick to change its gear with its revised range of Ripjaws kits. It ranges from 1,333MHz all the way up to a sky-high 2,300MHz.
The kit we are evaluating is a 2 x 2GB kit rated at 2,133MHz with timings of 8-9-8-24 and 1.65 volts. Its RAM speeds are slightly different on Sandy Bridge when compared with previous platforms, as they are very heavily limited by the CPU. On X58 you can adjust the BCLK up and down to change your memory speed, but on Sandy Bridge the BCLK range is very limited and this has a heavy impact on the maximum RAM frequency available.
Add to that, those users with a CPU that doesn’t clock memory might prefer the combination of 1,940MHz with tighter timings; there is no performance loss with the slower-memory speed, as the tighter timings make up for the lower frequency. In addition, the performance of the 2,133MHz kit is really outstanding. That’s why I attest that it is easy enough to maximize memory performance on the Sandy Bridge platform.
Given these information, we can really give an overall remark that Sandy Bridge is still the best and powerful platform. With the outstanding performance of G. Skill and Ripjaws range, you will never end up a loser.
So, if you are considering testing the capability of Sandy Bridge platform, then look for the G. Skill Ripjaws.
More on G.skill here.
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