Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit Review

Installation and Overclocking
Installing the MV-3V4G3D is simple. Because they are so small they will fit right under any CPU heatsink without having to worry about space constraints – that issue didn’t affect me anyway, but, for those of you who are using larger CPU coolers, rest assured you will have very few clearance issues with this RAM. Because the PCB is black, these modules seamlessly integrate into almost any build.

Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit

When I was installing the modules I was slightly concerned about applying too much pressure as they are so small I felt I might break them – I didn’t, however – they’re very solid.

Our test system is comprised of the following items:

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k (@ 4.5ghz)
RAM: Samsung MV-3V4G3D 8GB (4x2GB)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6
Graphics Card: Sparkle Calibre GTX x480
Storage: Plextor M3 128GB SSD
Cooling: Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer
Power Supply: OCZ ZX 850
Case: NZXT Switch 810 SE

Once installed, you need to go into your computer’s BIOS and manually configure the modules. No XMP here, but I suppose that’s good – as you’ll find if you keep reading, there are tons of possibilities when using this RAM kit.

Stock settings for 1600mhz are 1.35V @ 11-11-11-28. As I said before, nothing to really shout about here, but this is at a very low voltage.

Overclocking on the Z77 Platform is simple, because you’re able to manually control speeds and timings of your memory without messing with your CPU. You simply set the speed and timings that you want, adjust voltage if you feel it’s necessary, and then attempt to boot. If it fails, go back, and perhaps add some more voltage or relax your memory timings.

The first thing I did was attempt to create the tightest timings as I could around the 1600Mhz stock speed. I upped the voltage to 1.5v, and then set my timings to 8-9-8-21-1N. My system booted and was totally stable, so, I went further. Setting timings to 7-7-7-21-1. The system wouldn’t boot with these timings, so I attempted 7-8-7-21-1 – stable again! Here’s an AIDA memory benchmark of this performance setting:

Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit

These timings are exceptionally impressive, especially considering RAM with these timings will often set you back over $80, let alone at the 1.5v setting.

So now we have the tight timings overclock, lets attempt to push the memory to some ridiculous speeds.

I set the timings to Samsung’s recommended stock settings (11-11-11-28), put a SLIGHT voltage bump into it (1.55v), and set the speed to 2133 Mhz. We booted fine, and here is some validation for you:

Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit

…More? I tightened the timings around the 2133mhz overclock, and managed to get 2133mhz at 10-11-10-28-1 at 1.55v. I thought I was stable around here, but after a bit of usage I crashed – I relaxed the command rate to 2, and was stable afterwards.

Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit

Next is the big 2400mhz. I relaxed the timings to 12-12-12-28-2 and it booted first time. So the next logical step was to reduce the timings. I got 11-12-11-28-2 stable at 1.55v. Tightening further, I managed to reduce to 10-12-11-24-2, at 1.6v.

Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit Samsung MV-3V4G3D DDR3-1600 8GB Memory Kit

This is really impressive for a kit that is designed for 1600mhz. I decided not to push the RAM to any speeds that may require over 1.65v, simply because very few people would run their RAM at such voltages.