Over the last couple of years, Kingston have been a frequent guest to our test lab. After some ups and downs, it’s time we take a look at another item in the HyperX lineup, namely, the current DDR3-2800 flagship to judge whether it’s a serious contender or just another prestige item.
On 4GB modules, Kingston have never pushed the specifications beyond what they could produce in large numbers. For a long time, their flagship HyperX carried a spec of DDR3-2666 CL11. To produce the kits, Kingston had to call Samsung for memory chips, but whenever Samsung’s production volumes have dropped in mid-2013, the production switched to Hynix. With vast variance in overclockability that Hynix chips tend to have, Kingston had to implement a more careful selection procedure. This made things more complicated and hence expensive, but it also allowed to push the flagship frequency even higher.
Manufacturer |
Kingston |
Series |
HyperX Predator |
Part Number |
KHX28C12T2K2/8X |
Type |
DDR3 |
Capacity |
8 GB (2 x 4GB) |
Frequency |
2'800 MHz |
Timings |
12-14-14-32 |
VDIMM |
1.65 Volt |
Registred/Unbuffered |
Unbuffered |
ECC |
No |
Cooling |
Passive Heatspreader |
Waranty |
Lifetime warranty |
Package Type |
Plastic Blister |
As a result, the DDR3-2800 version of HyperX has emerged. However, maintaining such frequency within 1.65V comes at a price: at 12-14-14-32, the timings are not what you would call aggressive. In fact, given our previous experience with Hynix chips, 1400MHz CL12 is actually easier to achieve than 1333MHz with CL11, so this model does not look like a big step forward.