Auto Overclocking

Some of the allure of upgrading RAM in a computer has been taken away over the last couple of years. At some point it was almost like we hit a singularity directly after the lid blew off with the limits imposed by XP’s 2 gig max.  Lower cost, larger sized, and generally slower ram has flooded the market over the last couple of years making it difficult to convince anyone but the most devoted PC builders that there is any difference between frequency speeds, let alone the quality of product.  Oddly enough it kind of makes me happy when a company like Kingston goes out of their way to add some bells and whistles to make things easier to separate lower quality units from the higher quality products and they have done so in the way of RAM that overclocks itself.

Overclocking is something that most people with even a passing interest in computer games are aware of but few have ever truly ventured into the murky waters of warranty voiding unauthorized speed.  There have been some advances in the way of CPUs that will up the hertz, and while they are both impressive and becoming main stream it is also something most processors had detailed guides posted online by other users on exactly how to do—a single step away from that and you were not only normally on your own you were also risking screwing up a part and having to rebuy it.  Kingston themselves have made RAM in the past that is able to auto overclock, via a feature on the board that needed to be enabled.  This is a step forward for anyone who is serious about customizing their rig.  Physically installing this RAM is a breeze and Kingston even spells everything out in case you need a little extra assistance.

The only real draw backs to this product is that having a default setting automatically register what it believes to be the ideal speed makes me both question if that is the sweat spot, as I didn’t put it there, and takes some of the fun out of poking around and trying to figure things out one piece of the puzzle at a time.  Speaking as one of those people that would send the recommended amounts of voltage through their computer it is convenient and nice to have a product that will adjust depending on the set up, but there is a simple mistrust of a company that they probably might not be pushing it as far as possible due to “regulations”, “common sense” or “general safety concerns”.  That is the world that most people who overclock thrive in destroying.  Also, for what it is worth, Kingston also offers this RAM in a few different colors to give modders even more customization.

Purdy colors

Kingston does make some different RAM than this that does pretty much the same thing and if you are looking to drop a good amount of money on this one part that might be the way to go.  That said, it is also of the variety that requires you to tell it to overclock itself as well so this takes the fuss out of that.  This is a nice middle ground between the two, a comfortable place for someone that is looking for something a little better than most people are going to put into their computer but not something that you feel you need to own a monocle and top hat to talk about properly and seriously either.

Specs via Kingston:

HyperX FURY Memory Features and Specifications:

• PnP:  Plug and Play automatically overclocks the memory up to the system maximum specs
• Capacities: 4GB singles, 8GB singles, 8GB kit, 16GB kit
• Frequency*: 1333Mhz, 1600Mhz, 1866Mhz
• CAS Latency:  9, 10
• Voltage: 1.5V
• Heatspreader: Stylish and aggressive in blue/black/red/white
• PCB:  Black
• Reliable:  100% tested
• Guaranteed:  Lifetime warranty