AMD Radeon RG2133 Gamer Series memory hits 2133MHz

AMD has launched the Radeon RG2133 Gamer Series 16GB Kit, the fastest version of its gamer-oriented DDR3 memory modules to date. The four DIMMs each run at 2,133MHz, and should provide a healthy boost in performance when paired with the integrated Radeon graphics built into an AMD APU.

Based on 10-11-11-30 timings and running at 1.65v, the four stick kit is automatically configured using either AMD’s AMD Memory Profile or Intel’s eXtreme Memory Profile (XMP) on compatible motherboards – making it the only memory kit on the market to include support for both. A black, Radeon-branded heat spreader covers each stick, giving them a height of 30mm – not quite low profile, but certainly smaller than many third party modules with more extreme heat spreaders.

Compared to 1,866MHz or slower DIMMS, the 2,133MHz kit should see frame rate improvements of up to 22 per cent in games when paired with a compatible AMD APU – although owners of dedicated graphics cards won’t see such cut-and-dry benefits.

The new memory kits will be able to use AMD’s recently updated RAMDisk software to boost file transfer rates compared to a mechanical hard disk. Whereas the free version will let users set aside up to 4GB of RAM for quick-access storage, or 6GB for anyone using AMD memory modules, the Gamer Series RAM kit includes a license for up to 64GB – although considering no consumer motherboard has room for 16 RAM slots, this may seem like overkill.

The latest version of the RAMDisk software has been tweaked to improve Windows start-up and shut down times when the ‘Load in Background’ and ‘Background Update’ options are enabled – running on a system with a mechanical hard disk, a cold boot could be up to three times faster and shut down speeds could be as much as 20 times quicker. However, SSD owners won’t see the same performance increase and could actually slow down their PC by enabling the settings.

Available this month in the US for $155 (approximately £100 excluding taxes), the 4x4GB Radeon RG2133 Gamer Series memory should be coming to the UK later in the year, although AMD has yet to confirm a firm date or price.