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K.I.S.S.

There are different "levels" of memory, and there are different types of "punter".
I would like to see how well suited each offering would be for different purchasers.
One has to weigh price, value-for-money, performance, future-proofability, etc. - for different pockets and aspirations. Another desirable feature is a comparison table covering rival offerings. Ascertaining whether an item is too good, or not good enough, for one's setup is more important than exact performance data.

 

or midgets installing the ram.. they are cheap to hire and always take work xD I'm telling you, that's a huge untapped market there

 

See how far you can Overclock them until they explode.. everyone loves explosions..

If that doesn't help, just put it on a firework, and see which RAM can withstand the G's! Everyone loves explosions..

..and boobies.

 

Overclock them so much too see if the heat can fry an egg.

Make them into bridges and try to hold up weights.

 

When purchasing memory, I look at 3 factors, Speed, Looks, & Overclocking potential.
You should review on those factors, enthusiast systems are about being fast, but look good also, so high def images of the heatspreaders are a must.
Enthusiasts are all about squeezing every ounce of performance from their system, so overclocking potential is important to cover too.

Cover those aspects of a review thoroughly, and you have a winner.

I have never considerd memory boring either!

 

Perhaps something original (I hope) could help?

I think that some sort of endurance test is required, how gruff actually is the RAM in question? For a start they need to prove that they are in fact as tough as a billy goat. The first test required will be an "active-static" test, first attach all memory to be tested to a animal with fur (in the most humane manner, of course) or perhaps even an office "guinea pig" and then allow the tester to roam freely, cross bridges and generally move a lot to try and build static.

Secondly you see lots of companies touting extravagant heat spreaders, while they may look cool and do their job the real important thing is how well they can fly (duh) - are they aerodynamic enough to be used on a paper plane in your case or perhaps even a commercial flight jet, even if just for looks? I'd sure love to hear something like "..Welcome aboard and thank you for flying with CorsAIR". This could be known as the "Random Aerial Madness" test.

Finally RAM needs to be headstrong, it needs to be fast and needs to know when to rest, wrestle or retreat, I'm not exactly sure how to legally test this as I believe any sort of forced animal fighting is illegal however I'm sure you guys are able to find a work around.

All tests will award points and a bonus multiplier will be given to those that have survived each test, the overall winner should be allowed to sport a typical "approved" badge such as this very quick mock-up I've made in MS paint - http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/6711/bgga.png.

I do not condone the abuse of RAM or any kind of electronic component and I always eat my greens and recycle appropriately.

 

I'd like to see some sort of article with:
Heat dissipation - Are the Flex RAM better? Do the Reapers need that huge heatsink? What about the generic rectangular spreaders? Like people said, thermal imaging would be bad ass.
RAM Width - at least let us know if these are super thick modules. I crammed some OCZ RAM with the SLI logo into a board and the logos were pressing against each other. Wish I knew that before I purchased.
Practical RAM benchmarks - Artificial benchmarks are cool and all, but according to some other sites DDR3 1333 has better price to performance than DDR3 2000. Maybe create a RAMdisk and run something intensive out of it, compare to SSDs or normal hard drives. With 6GB kits you've got some to spare.
Single / Dual / Triple channel comparisons, or at least a special on that.
Please note the default profile on the RAM. Most of the time the XMP profile is advertised but when you first boot it up the timings are different.
Maybe you could rate based on style, or extras (fans, interchangeable heat spreaders). Does a RAM fan help that much?
IC information, but that might get a bit touchy with the manufacturers. There's only so many people in Tawain/China making chips.

Apples to Apples comparisons - DDR3 in LGA1366 vs AM3 vs 775. Will the architecture make a difference in dual channel? Adding the 3rd channel does the i7 blow it out of the water?
Standardize your motherboard for benchmarking RAM. If you benchmark Corsair GT Special XYZPDQ type RAM, and I go back 6 months I expect to see the same motherboard used for benchmarks so I can compare it to the G.Skill OMGAXXOMNESS RAM that you decided not to put in the same chart.

Or perhaps, dynamic charts? Sort by brand or speed or timings. That way I can see if the Corsair 2000 does considerably better than the Corsair 1866 or 1600. Or I can see if the Patriot 1600 is slower than the OCZ 1600.

 

I know you guys are pretty ugly (Just poking some fun), but I think video reviews would be quite entertaining. Maybe show some of the testing/installation process and give overviews of the performance. You know, to keep the attention of those of us with ADD and severe caffeine addictions that make it about 2 pages into the reviews and start thinking about riding giraffes.

 

1) IC's used (this is all that matters in RAM anyway)
2) Aesthetics vs Cooling performance. (Ok, maybe this matters too)
3) Extra accessories that come in the package( (And then there's the goodies included, everyone likes goodies)

 

Would love to know how long memory stands up in a stress test. Really Hot Doing really complicated stuff to the point of breaking(if it could do that) like a reliability test

 

Usual, price versus performance judgements, and I agree on listing the chips used.

Temperatures recorded when stressing the modules at the max stable overclock reached.

Also, dunno if it is worth incorporating into RAM reviews, but I'd like to see more info on extended memory timings and their effects on stability and performance.

Finally, is it possible to add the reviews info to an online database/spreadsheet, so we can download and compare what we need to compare? It may reduce the usual negative "why didn't you list the module floppiness index"-type comments.

 

What about reviewing to see which piece of kit is best to stir your cup of tea with ...
...That is probably the only way to make memory reviews at least a bit entertaining.

I can fully see your point memory isn't the funnest thing to test and its just that much you can do to test it,regardless the minuscule performance increase more often than not isn't even noticeable in real word testing, I normally skip reading memory reviews as well.

 

I still think attaching them to fireworkd and firing them at walls as a 'stress-g-test' would be pretty good.

In theat mix, you have explosions, destruction and instant laughs!

 

Memory review suggestion

Hi.
The two major aspects of memory are the speed and latency and these have ben covered by most other suggestions in terms of stock and overclock potential. But just as important is the motherboard and how well it deals with data throughput in the memory data paths. My suggestion is this...
There really is no more to say about memory than has been done already. Although in motherboard reviews memory performance is intrinsic perhaps a more specific rating as to to how each motherboard performs in terms of memory speed, timings and voltage requirements would be more useful. This would give each motherboard a sort of 'memory profile' which would suggest a range of memory specifications unique to each motherboard. For example one motherbord may perform better with high performance memory than another motherboard that is just as happy with memory costing half the price.

 

You could do the whole review in 'extreme advertising' format.
For a review finale you could OC the hell out of them, then quickly remove and apply to Harry's face, (or any easily markable spot on him). The one that leaves the biggest burn mark wins.

 

I hate reading, just list all Memory on a table in order of goodness. One table for stock speeds and one for overclocking.

 

There 3 things that I wish RAM reviews would include.

1 - How long can the memory last at it's rated speed and voltage. I've some 8500 Corsairs DDR2 ram that would die within 3 months of regular use and they would be underclocked. I went through 3 RMA's (that's 4 pairs) before moving on to a different brand. This probably can't be tested though, since you can't leave prime95 on for 3 months and then publish a review.

2 - Can the RAM run at it's rated speed at extreme temps. I live in Texas and it's humid AND hot here. When I'm not home and the AC is off, the ambient can easily get to 30C. The case probably gets to 40C+ ambient inside it. It would be nice to see reviews of the system running in an oven at 40C or even 50C just to show the limits of the RAM.

3 - Finally and most importantly, warranty. Not just the coverage on paper, but the RMA process. If I have 10 year warranty but the process is convoluted, a total hassle, and they take 3 months, then it's not really worth it. Corsair's extremely easy. It was done online, and the turn around time was only about 1 week.

 

Since, as you say, no one is that interested in the memory itself, and the mobo remains the most important component, maybe you could test all memory against, say, your 3 most recommended mobos that will take the memory being reviewed and lump the recommendation together. So, you might test some RAM with the current best budget, mid-level and performance mobos and rank their price/performance that way. Then, when someone is looking for recommendations, they can either get both together if they're going for a new build or can say "well my mobo is in the same range as this one, so that's how much I should be looking at spending on the RAM". Seems like that might provide the most useful information to people.

 

For me when I'm reading an article with memory I usually like to know the simple things like the IC, and how effective the cooling elements are, as well as (a rough) overclocking headroom graph (including things like CAS, CAS to RAS, etc.). Comparisons with value, mid range and high end memory would be good and also to see how much % each memory is capable of being overclocked to. Following on from that, some form of bang per buck comparison always makes me happy .
It's hard to make RAM interesting but you can at least provide as much useful consumer advice as physically possible in words that people are able to understand. Easier said than done I presume!!

 

Don't test the modules - buy kits from retailers and then test the RMA departments.

I had some Mushkin sticks that died and found that while their website had a very easy form to complete to claim on the warranty, the dropdown box didn't have UK or any other country other than USA and Canada listed.

I think I still have them sat here. Maybe I should check the website again.....

Ease of return, speed etc... would be good to know. It doesn't matter if one module is 1% faster than another if when they break it takes a month to get replaced.

With regard to the modules being hand picked would it not be possible to get modules on loan from retailers etc rather than from manufacturers. Should help cut the fiddling.

A buyers guide to memory would also be much better than a roundup - how much difference do timings make? Should you buy faster Mhz or lower timings? Does this differ for AMD or Intel CPU's?

You could even buy some of those horrible looking sticks people sell on ebay and see if the branded ones are more stable or overclock better.... mythbusters style...