Samsung 30 nm Green PC3-12800 Low Profile 1.35 V DDR3

Introduction

Over the past couple of months, there's been quite an uproar on various tech forums about Samsung's latest 30 nm Low-Power "Green" DDR3. During the time since they were "discovered", we've seen reports of 1600 MHz sticks hitting 2400 MHz and more, a healthy 50%+ overclock ability that in today's memory market is very near unheard of. Non-plussed, I managed to source a sample to take a look, and investigate the hype. Here's what Samsung has to say about their latest Low Power "Green" DDR3 on their website:

First in the Market with Advanced DDR3

Double Data Rate Three, Synchronous DRAM, or DDR3, is the new generation of high performance, ultra-low-power memory interface technology used in high performance servers, desktops and notebooks. As the number one supplier in memory, Samsung continues to lead the industry with cutting-edge SDRAM products from the first DDR in 1997, DDR2 in 2001 and DDR3 in 2005. Samsung's high performance main memory solutions are based on JEDEC standards and leverage the company's leadership in advanced research and development of semiconductor process technology.

Samsung's DDR3 brings new levels of performance to notebooks, desktops and servers and pushes the envelope in key areas like power consumption, speed and bandwidth. Our recent 30nm class, 1.35V, 2Gb DDR3 is the world's first ultra-low-power memory technology, with more than a 76% power savings over traditional DDR2 at 2x the bandwidth. When you're ready to make a move to DDR3 or are considering upgrading your systems, we're here to provide the best optimal solution for enhancing your competitive edge.

As far as I am aware of, Samsung hasn't had a memory product that excited enthusiasts since the release of their 1.8v HCF0 ICs, which although decent overclockers, were eclipsed by other products on the market that went just that much further. Of course, those HCF0 weren't 30nm, nor were they rated for operation at 1.35 V. Are these new sticks worth the hype the receive?

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
SPEED RATING:	DDR3-1600 (PC3 12800)
RATED TIMINGS:	11-11-11-28
CAPACITY:	8GB (4 GB x2)
TESTED VOLTAGE:	1.35 V
PCB TYPE:	6 Layers
REGISTERED/UNBUFFERED:	Unbuffered
ERROR CHECKING:	Non-ECC
FORM FACTOR:	240-pin DIMM
WARRANTY:	Lifetime

Packaging

The Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US kit showed up on my doorstep after a trip across the ocean, clad in paper-based packaging that is nearly 100% recyclable. The grey and blue colors used on the package are commonly seen on quite a few Samsung products, and help make them easy to notice on the store shelf. There is very little text on the front of the box, with just the important details shown, Green DDR3 for Desktop use, 8 GB in a 2x 4 GB configuration, 1600 Mbps, and 30nm Class Low Voltage. Looking at the rear of the packaging, we find a listing of the different modules you can buy, and the timings for each model (higher-rated modules are compatible with lower speeds and timings, although, according to Samsung, they have not been tested at those lower speeds).

Opening the packaging was a bit more difficult than what I am used to, as seen in the first image above. There is a bare minimum of plastic used, and it is very deftly embedded into the paper in such a way that getting out the modules requires destroying the packaging completely. I personally like to keep all of my product packaging, so this was a bit upsetting, but it is just the packaging, so nothing to be too concerned about, now is it?

Once I had the modules out, I also found a little paper installation guide along with the modules themselves. It was folded into a small little bundle that fit neatly behind one the DIMMs, and even though I ripped the package open, it managed to stay intact. The engineers that design Samsung's packaging surely earns their wages!

The modules themselves are dual-sided sticks with eight memory ICs per side, mated with a nice black PCB, that is more often than not reserved for much more expensive modules. The very low asking price for these modules, even directly via Samsung's website, betrays the true potential these sticks have, and that was very evident once the modules were in my tech-loving hands. Let's take a closer look.

A Closer Look

With all the modules out of the packaging, we can see them all clearly, and I noticed that although the appearance of each side of the DIMMs is different at first glance; this is just due to the sticker with the module specifications on one side. With the modules inserted into the slot, the sticker is on the side that faces away from the CPU socket itself, not exactly my most favorite orientation, but it works fine. As you can see in the images above, these sticks differ a bit from other sticks, in that the ICs themselves are offset to one side of the DIMM, rather than evenly spaced. It's pretty obvious when you see the sticks as they are in the second image above.


The modules don't have very many surface-mounted parts, and I didn't notice the SPD ROM at first either, but it's hidden under the stick's label.


Looking at the DIMM from top and bottom, it's pretty clear that this PCB is probably nearly as optimized as is possible, with barely a millimeter or two of PCB sticking out above the top of the memory ICs. The short PCB allows for much shorter traces in the PCB itself, which should help with overclocking and stability.


The label on the sticks doesn't disclose a lot of information, but we do see size and latencies noted. The ICs themselves are genuine Samsung 30nm "HYK0"-grade parts, with a part number of "K4B2G08460". The darker-grey lettering across the bottom of the IC itself is a batch code, and other than that, there are very few physical characteristics that help distinguish this IC from others, although the physical dimensions, of course, can be quite useful.


to the original article, please visit: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Samsung/MV-3V4G3/