AVEXIR Core Series
16GB PC22, 400 CL12 KIT
RRP: $459.99 | Website: www.avexir.com
Test Machine
Intel Core i7 3770K
ASRock Z77 OC-Formula (1.60)
Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB
CoolerMaster Silent Pro M2
1500W
Windows 7 64-bit SP1 /XP SP3
P
erformance memory
has always been a tough
business. We are talking
here proper performance
memory and not 2133MHz
which some vendors have the
audacity to call overclocking
RAM. As it is on with the Z77
landscape, overclocking
memory can only be classified
at 2,400MHz and above.
After all, just about every
set of 2133MHz memory can
make 2,400MHz with some very
relaxed timings and tweaking.
So what does $459 earn you
from AVEXIR? Well, it gives
22 The OverClocker Issue 22 | 2012
you the cheapest 16GB Quad
Channel 2800MHz memory kit
we are aware of. Every other
competing kit is at least $599
and that $140 odd savings is a
lot given that you can with that
buy a 2,666MHz C10 kit from
AVEXIR.
Oddly enough that fact
right there is one that made
this kit much harder to
endorse than ordinarily.
Reason why that is the case
is because this was easily
the most difficult kit to
overclock we had ever come
across. We did manage to
run the memory at the retail
speeds but it took hours on
end to get it right and some
back and forth between
motherboard vendors and
us, sometimes for days on
end. When we did eventually
manage to stabilize the
memory, we discovered that
the XMP profile could not be
used at all, and hand tuning
of each setting was required.
Disappointing given that,
the whole purpose of such
memory is to negate the
need for such hand tuning at
such high speeds.
To put this into perspective,
we had another AVEXIR
2,666MHz CL11 set with us
and that set was very easy
to clock to 2,800MHz. Simple
adjustments of the primary
settings were all that was
needed and we were able
to POST the system and run
benchmarks for hours on
end with no instability at
1.67V. That it proved more
difficult to do this with a set
rated at 2800MHz made us
suspect perhaps AVEXIR had
handed us the one kit in their
inventory that just couldn’t
pass the grade.
Since overclocking wasn’t
going to get us anywhere, we
tried to tighten the timings
and aim for better efficiency
at lower speeds. Again the
RAM left us wanting, as we
weren’t really able to tighten
the timings much to make
this RAM a must have set as
the 2,666MHz kit once again
managed to not only match
this kit but exceed it as well.