Closer Look

Unlike nearly everything on the market today, the Ripjaws-Z get shipped not in a simple plastic packaging, but rather in a cardboard case that provides extra protection for both the memory modules as well as to two additional fan assemblies.

Looking at modern marketing tendences, one could expect a piece of ammunition or a zombie unicorn sticking out of the heatspreaders, but G.Skill have kept things surprisingly simply, especially for what once was the crown of their product line.

Examining the SPD, we find profiles that cover multiple JEDEC ratings up to DDR3-1676. The XMP part is yet again being misread by CPU-Z. Instead of shown 2286 9-12-11, the only profile is actually able to set things up right once again helping those who can’t do the same themselves.

Knowing G.Skill memory from the past, taking the heatspreaders off the Ripjaws-Z should not be a difficult task as there are no warranty seals to break and no supersticky glue or complicated construction to worry about.

There are two separate paths in which one can get 4GB modules to run 2400 9-11-10 at 1.65V. First would be by binning Samsung 2Gbit revision D chips, many of which can operate at 2400 9-11-11 at 1.65V, but the last step to 9-11-10 would take a lot of magic. The alternative way chosen by G.Skill is binning Hynix 2Gbit BFR, which generally overclock quite well at 9-11-10 and were better available at the time, seeking for the cream of the crop samples that can do 1200 at or under one-sixty-five. Either way, assigning such specifications means that these sticks must have passed multiple quality control stages before making it to the final product, so we’re anxiously looking forward to take part in some overclocking adventures.

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 - Results
Page 2 - Closer Look	Page 5 - Conclusion
Page 3 - Photo Gallery

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