Introduction

Though DDR3 memory has been around for over a year, and has already reached some unbelievable speeds, DDR2 is still alive and well. Not only has the release of the Phenom given a boost to DDR2, Intel's P45 chipset supports DDR2, and motherboard manufacturers are currently releasing brand new P45 motherboards based on DDR2.

This is great news for builders, you can pick up a 4 gig DDR2 kit with fast speeds and tight timings for under a hundred bucks. There were times when the cost of a decent memory kit prevented me from building a new rig, but that definitely isn't the case today, even the most extreme DDR2 kits don't cost much over $100. That knocks as much as $150-$200 off of the traditional cost of building a high-performance rig.

Today I will be looking at a DDR2 4GB kit marketed towards gamers, the A-DATA Gaming Series DDR2-800 5-5-5-12. A-DATA probably isn't your first choice for high-performance memory, but in a mere 7 years, they have become the second largest vendor of memory modules in the world. Will the Gaming Series memory impress? Read on to see.

Specifications:

Series: Gaming Series
Model: ADQVE1B16KG
Type: 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Capacity: 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Speed: DDR2-800 (PC2-6400)
CAS Latency: 5
Timings: 5-5-5-12
VDIMM: 1.9v - 2.1v

Packaging

Rather than the usual blisterpack, the A-Data Gaming Series actually comes in a hanging box. The box is very attractive, with holographic flame graphics and a flame-shaped window exposing the modules contained within.

The modules are safely seated in a polystyrene container, and likely could withstand a drop from several feet. I really like the packaging of this memory, it looks so much nicer, and provides much more protection that the typical hanging blisterpack.