is a heatspreader necessary if overclocking?

[Fayd]

well...

i'm intending on picking up 2x1gb modules, PC6400 (not really important). Locally, the frys near me has crucial sticks, i doubt they're ballistix, for 70.00 AR. at newegg, i can get corsair XMS2 PC6400, similar set, for 75.00 AR.

the difference is, the corsair has the factory installed heatspreader, and the crucial doesnt.

EDIT: since i'm intending on overclocking, (either E2160 or E4400 to 3ghz, on MSI p35 Neo2-FR), should the factory installed heatspreader factor into my criteria?

[BonzaiDuck]

I don't give rave reviews to Maximum PC Magazine, because I've found better and more reliable information sources.

But a month or two earlier, they used some expensive infrared equipment to find the hottest parts of a PC, dividing their attention by category -- from mainstream user-rig to extreme-gamer rig.

Memory is not very "hot" relative to other components, but pushing it to its limit probably has a thermal barrier.

Maybe I'm spoiled. Some people gamble away a lot of money in Vegas or at So-Cal Indian reservations. I blow money on computer parts -- and not just on every new build. When I think what I've shelled out for what I really didn't need -- I just don't want to talk about it.

But I never attempt to cut costs with memory choices. If I were looking for ways to economize, I'd consider getting the budget CPU -- like the E6300 -- and spend some bucks on the RAM up front. I'd prefer getting it with the heatspreaders.

I hope you're reading this today or before midnight, because I just came back from the local PC CLub with some "inexpensive" RAM I was planning to use just to test a motherboard. When I saw what was on sale today, I just about ***T a brick:

OCZ DDR2 Platinum 1GB (2x512) Kits on Sale ONE DAY for $40 -- 7-27-07

If you don't see this until tomorrow, the ad won't be on their main "home" web-page.

Keep in mind I haven't read reviews on these, and the PC CLub folks were puzzled themselves as to how they were able to do this. I don't check RAM prices daily unless I'm planning to buy for a new build. But I thought -- even for 1 GB kits when 2GB is more in demand -- the price on these was stunning.

An earlier generation of Platinums I bought were posi-lutely abso-tively stunning. I researched for my Crucial Ballistix in the ongoing build, and haven't been looking at RAM options much, until today, when I was looking for something "quick."

[Navid]

All a heat spreader does is to transfer heat from a hot chip on the RAM module to a cold chip on the same module. If all the chips are more or less at the same temperature, the heat spreader does nothing for you!
It may actually be better not to have a heat spreader so that air has direct contact with the chips on your RAM modules.
Don't think that a heat spreader is the same as a heat sink.

Which one of the two options you are considering gives you a better overclock? I don't know.
But, don't make your decision just based on the heat spreader.

[JustaGeek]

That's a very interesting take, and makes a lot of sense. That's why they call it a "heatspreader", not a "heatsink".


I think that they are actually very happy using it in the more expensive RAM modules:

- if you remove it, you void the warranty.

- if you don't remove it, you will never know what kind of IC's they have used.


Very clever, huh...?

[nefariouscaine]

In my experience on the matter of over clocking some crucial and some micron sticks (both d9's) at least in surface temps with a temp sensor on the ic's heat spreaders didn't make much difference

the key for me was having an active fan on them for cooling - that made a world of difference

to go along with what Navid said -- I'd look more at something other than the heatspreaders if I'm going to OC the kit - you can take Value ram and make it look pretty but at the end of the day its still just shinny value ram - I always check out (current) reviews first

[SerpentRoyal]

Heat transfer is accomplished by conduction, convection, and radiation. When you have a heat spreader on top of the chip, the primary mode of heat transfer out of the chip is conduction (contact patch at heat spreader and base of RAM), plus a little radiation. Once the heat sink warm-up, then cold moving air is used to cool down the heat sink (convection). Note that non-moving air is an excellent thermal insulator. If there is no air flow across the case, then the heat spreader will make it worse for the chip.

Having a small fan over the chip is the most effective way to remove heat. The cold air can immediately cool the chip...no lag time for the heat to go from chip to heat spreader. I have an 80mm low speed Panaflo directly over my RAMs. And yes, I use quality DDR2 800 1.8V ValueRAM. All were able to hit 580MHz with 5-5-5-18-2T and 2.1Vcore.

[Noubourne]

Heatspreaders don't matter and neither do brand names.

Buy memory with Micron D9s for best performance. Doesn't really matter who makes them.

[zephyrprime]

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
That's a very interesting take, and makes a lot of sense. That's why they call it a "heatspreader", not a "heatsink".


I think that they are actually very happy using it in the more expensive RAM modules:

- if you remove it, you void the warranty.

- if you don't remove it, you will never know what kind of IC's they have used.


Very clever, huh...?

It's more than just a take. Heatspreaders first came about with rambus ram and on rimms, only one chip is active at a time so a heat spreader is actually really useful on a rimm. On a dimm, all chips are active during read/writes so a heatspread is not nearly so useful. I've read a test done by a dimm manufacturer themselves and the heatspreader had hardly any effect. And it does help that dimm heatspreaders use thermal pads instead of just gluing the thing onto the chips.

[drakore]

For heavy overclocking heat spreaders and active cooling should be used...