Maxing out your machine with lots of RAM has never been easier, thanks in part to cheap DDR2 parts. Last year, 8GB of RAM would have set you back at least $600, but now, prices have dwindled to the extent of that being possible for as low as $200. It’s truly incredible, and a huge draw for all consumers to go overboard with their memory configuration.
Thanks to OCZ, that 8GB of installed RAM no longer has to be slow. Their new Reaper HPC DDR2-1066 improves upon the DDR2-800 kits last year that were considered “high-end”. Pricing is not mentioned in the press release, but it will no doubt hover around the $200 mark. One things for sure though, a high-end motherboard will be required if 8GB of RAM at stock speeds is planned. Low-end boards will be unlikely able to handle that type of stress.
“In order to maximize the system performance, especially in the latest games, 4GB of memory are more and more becoming a must have…but it is also necessary to maintain the throughput regardless of the increase in density. The new PC2-8500 Reaper HPC 4GB kits combine the best of two worlds by delivering extreme bandwidth at 1066 MHz data frequency at 5-5-5 latencies, in combination with advanced heatpipe-based thermal management to again raise the bar for high system memory densities.”
Source: OCZ Press Release