G-Skill 8GB (2x4GB) F3-12800CL7D-8GBXM Review




Introduction

G-Skill, a name that by now should need no introduction to anyone that knows anything about computers, founded in 1989 by people like us, enthusiasts, G-Skill aim to bring you unrivalled quality across every segment imaginable weather you are looking for a cheap reliable kit of memory to a all singing all dancing bells and whistles adrenaline fuelled speed demon of a memory kit G-Skill have you covered.

Today I’ll be looking at one of G-Skills better memory kits, the 8GB (2x4GB) F3-12800CL7D-8GBXM. With timings of 7-8-8-24 @ 1600MHz this kit looks to have something a little special about it, on paper at least. Let’s find out if G-Skill have another winner on their hands or if the kit should go the way of the dinosaur.


Packaging & Modules

The packaging is your standard affair, two modules in little more than plastic wrap. Let’s hope your favourite vendor likes to use lots of packaging because the standard G-Skill packaging couldn’t protect the modules from a fly. On the plus side at least the packaging is easy to open, none of that dreadful blister packing.



The modules themselves remain unchanged from most of G-Skill’s other Ripjaw series modules, sporting a attractive black PCB with fairly good heatspreaders, although I still maintain a honeycomb design is by far the most efficient heatspreader design for memory modules. Given that this kit has some of the most aggressive timings of any of G-Skill’s kits (7-8-8-24) I’m a little disappointed that G-Skill haven’t chosen to give these modules a colour of heatspreader to acknowledge that fact. Even the CL9-9-9-24 Ripjaws come with a red heatspreader which looks far better than blue. It would make more sense to give low end Ripjaws the blue heatspreaders and the upper mid-table Ripjaws the red heatspreaders with the “big daddy” Ripjaws keeping their black heatspreaders


Test Setup

I5 2500k
Asrock Z77 Extreme6 w\ UEFI 1.9
G-Skill RipjawsX CL7
GTX460 1GB
WD Black 640GB
2x Sony Optiarc DVD-RW
Xonar DX 7.1
Corsair 850w PSU
Win7 x64 SP1


Stock Performance

As we can see here performance at stock settings is what you would expect, normal, but very unexciting. Let’s move on to overclocking and see what these modules can do.




Overclocking

Overclocking these modules has been done in two stages, the first is without any kind of CPU OC, the other is with the CPU at 4.5GHz.



First stop is 1866MHz with 1.6v. These results are good, but nothing to shout from the rooftops about. Given the relatively tight stock timings it is disappointing these modules couldn’t handle 8-8-8 or 9-8-8 timings at this frequency, especially as the far cheaper1600MHz 8GB CL9 kit of Ripjaws I reviewed can handle this frequency with exactly the same voltage at 10-9-9 timings. None the less 8-9-9 timings is respectable.



Finally we start to see what the extra £32 vs. the CL9 Ripjaws will get you, 2133MHz with 11-10-10-25 1N timings. Not a bad result, but again nothing to shout about and the results leave you feeling somewhat... underwhelmed.


Full OC Results

Now we get to the real meat, what this kit looks like paired with a CPU OC.



This result is probably right about what you would expect. The result isn’t a bad one, it’s quite good in fact, but there’s no “wow” factor either.



Last, but not least, the 2133MHz results with the CPU OC’d. These results show there is plenty of room left in the tank with this kit, but as the high timings show compared to the 1866MHz result there’s little to no point pushing this far.


Conclusion

Alright, so we have just looked at what most, if not all, people would consider a mid-level memory kit. What are my thoughts you ask? Well the kit certainly wasn’t lighting any fires or doing anything to try and make itself more noticeable, the kit is downright bland from the looks to it’s overclocking. There isn’t a single thing here that will blow you away and that is a shame, this is a £70 memory kit after all. Yes that’s right, £70. (That's $109.81 for the foreign readers.) I bet you all weren’t expecting that one. Go on, hands up who thought this kit would cost £60 tops. The price of this kit just doesn’t merit what the kit is capable of. If the kit cost £60 then you would probably have yourself a good deal but unfortunately at £70 plus the laxidazial memory timings when OCing leaves room to pause and think. I’ll try to handle this negatives first then positives, so here we go.

What do we get for £70? Plenty of room in the OC tank, up to 2133MHz. I ask though, what’s the point in having so much room in the tank if the timings have to be increased so much there’s no point in going further than 1866MHz? This is the kit’s fundamental problem. As 1866MHz is the practical limit with pushing to 2133MHz giving very little gain what is supposed to be a mid-level memory kit is bought crashing back down to the level of budget memory kits, which to add insult to injury, the budget memory kits are almost half the price of this kit and OC just as well albeit with timings that are either a touch looser or require a touch more voltage to attain the same or comparable performance to this kit. To try and put the price of this kit into perspective the coveted F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH are £90, a mere £20 more than this kit and the difference between the two is night and day in terms of overclocking. What I’m trying to gently say is that for £70 this kit does not give you good value for money you would be far better off going and buying yourself a kit of F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM, saving £13 and getting damn near identical OC results as this kit of F3-12800CL7D-8GBXM.

Focusing on the positives, you do get good stock timings of 7-8-8-24 @ 1600MHz, like many other kits you get that with just 1.5v and while bland to look at, the kit is still pleasing to the eye with fairly good heatspreaders that aren’t ridiculously tall. Up to 1866MHz with 1.6v you can also maintain reasonable timings.

So, in closing would I recommend this kit? Honestly, that choice is yours. The kit is too closely priced to the excellent F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH and do not really offer good enough timings at 2133MHz for what the kit costs to even consider this kit as a good alternative if you can’t get the F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH.

Before jumping to the grading let me explain how the new grading system works, it’s nice and simple so don’t worry. 0-10 = F, 11-20 = D, 21-30 = C, 31-40 = B, 41-50 = A.

Packaging: 4/10
Looks: 6/10
Performance: 10/10
Overclocking: 5/10
Value for money: 5/10

Overall: C Grade, must try harder.