G.Skill ARES DDR3-2133 16GB Quad Channel Memory Kit Review

Final Thoughts
When you are looking for memory it is really hard to find low profile memory that is not some OEM crap or made by some no-name brand.  I really like that G.Skill has these low-profile modules along with all their other memory lines.  Almost every larger aftermarket CPU cooler covers at least 2 of your DIMM slots so having good memory that will fit there is a plus!

Besides just being low profile the heatspreaders on the modules are very bright and vibrant.  As I said they come in blue or orange, which you can match with the rest of your components.  The black PCB of the modules go perfectly with the heatspreaders and when installed this kit will definitely stand out.  Also this kit is XMP ready so all you have to do is go into the BIOS and enable the XMP profile.  This get the kit running at the advertised 11-11-11-30 timings at 1.6v.  Also G.Skill has a qualified motherboards list right on the product page.  This is something that I think many memory makers should have.

As far as performance goes the very loose timings of 11-11-11-30 are nothing to write home about, the kit performs as it should at those timings.  Now of course you could tighten those timings if you like but the kit is rated for 11-11-11-30 timings at 1.6v.  I was able to overclock this kit, which is nice to see on a 2133MHz.  They only went up to 2218MHz, but that was more than I expected to get out of them.  All in all a pretty good kit.

Right now the 16GB kit that we reviewed is selling for $119 at my favorite online retailer where as the blue 16GB kit with tighter timings (9-11-10-28) is selling for $139.  If you are looking for good low-profile memory these kits are one of only a few available.  And as always G.Skill backs these with a lifetime warranty.  ThinkComputers gives the G.Skill ARES DDR3-2133 16GB Quad Channel Memory Kit a 9 out of 10 score.

rating9 10 small

Pros:
– Low profile
– Heatspreaders look great
– XMP ready
– Lifetime warranty
– Overclockable

Cons:
– Very loose stock timings

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