The introduction of the Intel P35 “BearLake” chipset ushers in with it a whole new memory technology, DDR3. As an active member of the JEDEC Association, Super Talent engineers helped define the DDR3 standards for unbuffered DIMMs, SO-DIMMs, and registered DIMMs. As DDR2 approaches the limits of what it can reach in clock speeds at around 1000MHz, DDR3 will support significantly higher clock speeds, scaling up to 1600MHz or higher in the coming year. Although JEDEC specs for DDR3 begin at 800MHz, DDR3-800 will be skipped over completely in favor of 1066MHz or faster speeds. The current drive among DRAM chip fabs toward smaller manufacturing geometries will likely result in sharp increases in DDR3 clock speeds later this year.

DDR3 operates at only 1.5 Volts, versus 1.8V for DDR2. According to Ohms Law (P = I x V), power consumption is directly proportional to operating voltage. So this voltage reduction results in a dramatic reduction in power consumption. A DDR3 module will use approximately 17% less power than a DDR2 module of the same speed. Of course, higher frequency memory draws more current, so faster DDR3 modules will still draw as much or more power than their slower DDR2 siblings.

Super Talent has been testing our own DDR3 modules for months now. We have built sample modules using several different DRAM vendors. Due to our early investment in DDR3 technology, we are now able to offer 1066 and 1333MHz DDR3 modules and kits. These products have been tested extensively on multiple P35 motherboards to ensure compatibility and reliability. Dual Channel kits have been tested as a matched pair to guarantee performance at their rated specs.

Because high-speed DDR3 modules do generate more heat, Super Talent attaches distinctive black High Efficiency (HE) cast aluminum heat spreaders to our Extreme Performance modules. Our Desktop grade modules are cooled by our Classic aluminum heat spreaders. These products will be available in June from Super Talent, and higher speed and lower latency DDR3 products will be introduced soon.

“…the drive has no moving parts; it can withstand extreme vibration and shock rates, and is designed for a wide variety of environmental conditions… it generates less heat, uses up to 80% less power, and is totally silent. Superior access and random read rates...perfectly suited for its commercial or industrial target markets.”

The T667FB4GM 4GB 667MHz FB-DIMM, designed and built in our California headquarters, has passed our own extensive design validation testing in Super Talent’s Compatibility Labs and has passed Supermicro’s rigorous qualification testing on six different models of their new X7DA series of i5000X chipset Server motherboards. Eight 4GB sticks for a total of 32GB of memory has been tested and approved. This very thorough validation and compatibility testing  gives customers total confidence in the quality and reliability of Super Talent FB-DIMMs. These 4GB modules offer unprecedented scalability in Intel® Xeon® based servers at a shockingly affordable price.