Designed with power users in mind, the MPower kit perfectly matches the MSI extreme range of components…
Product on Review: Avexir MPower Series
Manufacturer and Sponsor: AVEXIR
Street Price: £79.99 (at time of review)
Memory is a key component of any computer system. Without it the PC simply will not work. In years gone by memory was simply exposed chips on a green PCB but the advent of overclocking and faster, more powerful memory kits, heatspreaders soon became the norm with manufacturers adding bigger and bolder designs with every release. Many may claim that a heatspreader on a memory kit is simply not necessary however, it is also said that the colder a module runs, the more likely it is to stand the rigours of time and as with all things ‘overclocked’, the colder it is, the better it overclocks. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, you are forced to agree that a module with a heatspreader attached offers more protection and certainly looks better than a bare module.
The kit we have for review today is based upon the Core range, the difference being that the MPower kit has, as the name suggests, a colour scheme synonymous with the MSI extreme range of components, also known as MPower. Perfectly matching the MPower range of MSI components, it will certainly appeal to those who have some of these units already installed in their system. The striking yellow and black design is instantly recognisable in daylight and if you have your kit hidden behind a smoked perspex window then the pulsating amber LED’s should be enough to give the game away. This on looks alone appears to be one serious memory kit indeed.
Looks however we have found are often skin deep so we will be throwing this 1600MHz kit into a mix of 1866MHz, 2133MHz and 2400MHz kits to see how it fairs. You will however be happy to know that 1600MHz is only the base kit with speeds available all the way up to 2666MHz. All the MPower modules from AVEXIR to the MSI MPower Extreme performance components are available from our friends at Overclockers UK.
OCUK on the AVEXIR MPower series:
Avexir Core Series is designed specifically for the extreme power users who focus on challenging the excellence in high performance gaming experience. The Core Series is developed by Avexir R & D team with 10+ years’ experience of researching in memory core technology and designed specifically for the power users and gamers who demand ultimate performance and extreme reliability gaming modules.
Mpower series is designed to be a perfect visual match for MSI Mpower mainboards and certain models of Asrock mainboards, giving you a look which shall make you the envy of all your friends.
Avexir strictly adheres to quality standards set by JEDEC (the Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) and ISO9001. With 100% hand-tested extensively in multiple PC major-brand motherboard environments at its rated speed, Avexir makes sure that both stability and performance of every memory module reach the highest quality criteria.
Mpower series is designed to be a perfect visual match for MSI Mpower mainboards and certain models of Asrock mainboards, giving you a look which shall make you the envy of all your friends.
Avexir strictly adheres to quality standards set by JEDEC (the Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) and ISO9001. With 100% hand-tested extensively in multiple PC major-brand motherboard environments at its rated speed, Avexir makes sure that both stability and performance of every memory module reach the highest quality criteria.
Specification & Features
Specifications
CL(IDD)- 9 cycles
Row Cycle Time (tRCmin)- 49.5ns (min.)
Refresh to Active/Refresh Command Time (tRFCmin) – 160ns
Row Active Time (tRASmin) – 36ns (min.)
Power – 1.800 W (operating per module
UL Rating – 94 V – 0
Operating Temperature – 0℃ to 85℃
Storage Temperature – -55℃ to +100℃
Row Cycle Time (tRCmin)- 49.5ns (min.)
Refresh to Active/Refresh Command Time (tRFCmin) – 160ns
Row Active Time (tRASmin) – 36ns (min.)
Power – 1.800 W (operating per module
UL Rating – 94 V – 0
Operating Temperature – 0℃ to 85℃
Storage Temperature – -55℃ to +100℃
Features
JEDEC standard 1.5V ± 0.075V Power Supply
VDDQ = 1.5V ± 0.075V
667MHz fCK for 1333Mb/sec/pin
8 independent internal bank
Programmable CAS Latency: 7,8,9,10
Posted CAS
Programmable Additive Latency: 0, CL – 2, or CL – 1 clock
Programmable CAS Write Latency(CWL) = 9 (DDR3-1333)
8-bit pre-fetch
Burst Length: 8 (Interleave)without any limit, sequential with
starting address “000” only), 4 with tCCD = 4 which does not allow seamless read or write [either on the fly using A12 or MRS]
Bi-directional Differential Data Strobe
On Die Termination using ODT pin
Asynchronous Reset
PCB : Height 1.180” (30.00mm), double sided component
Average Refresh Period 7.8us at lower than TCASE 85℃,
3.9us at 85℃
pin (RZQ: 240 ohm ± 1%)
VDDQ = 1.5V ± 0.075V
667MHz fCK for 1333Mb/sec/pin
8 independent internal bank
Programmable CAS Latency: 7,8,9,10
Posted CAS
Programmable Additive Latency: 0, CL – 2, or CL – 1 clock
Programmable CAS Write Latency(CWL) = 9 (DDR3-1333)
8-bit pre-fetch
Burst Length: 8 (Interleave)without any limit, sequential with
starting address “000” only), 4 with tCCD = 4 which does not allow seamless read or write [either on the fly using A12 or MRS]
Bi-directional Differential Data Strobe
On Die Termination using ODT pin
Asynchronous Reset
PCB : Height 1.180” (30.00mm), double sided component
Average Refresh Period 7.8us at lower than TCASE 85℃,
3.9us at 85℃
pin (RZQ: 240 ohm ± 1%)
Packaging & First Look
The AVIXIR MPower comes packed in 2x 2x4GB packages. These are presented in blister packs and are sealed with a QC control sticker.
Flipping the packages over we find that the rear of the blister packs show avatars which depict the main features: Lifetime Warranty, 100% burn in test, worldwide service and a ‘Dual channel’ avatar. These are actually quad channel modules rather than dual so it appears that this packaging is used across the Core range.
Taking the modules out of the blister packs we find that each module has a small sliver of cellophane protecting the heatsinks which is nice to see as this ensures they will reach you scratch free and in perfect condition.
Another nice touch which we haven’t seen before is a gold finger protector. Usually found on high-end graphics cards, the finger protectors are ideally suited to memory as they prevent accidental static discharge.
Let’s take a closer look at the modules themselves…
Closer Look
The front of the modules are very striking with their yellow stripe atop of a black heatsink. Uppermost are a few neat cut-outs of the aluminium which should assist heat dissipation.
The opposite side of the modules features the module identification sticker. While the specifications are basic (1600C9 1.5v) we can decipher this to mean these modules are specified to run at 1600MHz with a CAS9 rating at a vDIMM of 1.5v.
The modules are quite low profile with a height of 38mm and measure just 7.5mm in width.
The odd looking nodule at the ends of the memory stick serve to assist illumination of the modules. That’s right, the modules, like with the standard AVEXIR Core versions light up only this time, the lighting matches the yellow of the kit (Amber LEDs) as opposed to the blue found on the Core versions. See the Test setup area for illumination.
It isn’t hard to see where AVEXIR got their inspiration from for the colour scheme of the modules when you place them next to any MPower product. The Lightening AMD MSI HD7970 pictured above, perfectly matches this memory kit and would look fantastic matched with an MPower motherboard.
Overall, the AVEXIR modules are very pleasing to the eye and thanks to the low profile heatsinks, should fit in any setup regardless of the size of the CPU heatsink used. We especially liked the extra lengths AVEXIR had gone to in protecting the modules, something rarely seen in the memory market.
If you like the design of these modules but the colour of the heatspreaders or even the LED is not to your taste then AVIXIR also do a customising service. For more info visit [=urlhttp://www.avexir.com/customize/customize.html]AVEXIR[/url].
Test Setup
Motherboard MSI X79 Big Bang X-Power II
CPU Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition @ 3.3GHz
Power Supply ANTEC High Current Pro 1200W
Hard Drive Kingston HyperX 240GB
Cooler XSPC Raystorm 750 RS360
CPU Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition @ 3.3GHz
Power Supply ANTEC High Current Pro 1200W
Hard Drive Kingston HyperX 240GB
Cooler XSPC Raystorm 750 RS360
Memory kits on test:
AVEXIR MPOWER 16GB 11-11-11 2133MHz
AVEXIR MPOWER 16GB 9-9-9 1600MHz
Kingston HyperX Beast 32GB 11-13-13 2133MHz
Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB 9-11-9-27 1866MHz
G.SKILL ARES 16GB 9-11-10-28 2133MHz
Patriot Division 4 Viper Extreme 16GB 9-11-9-27 1866MHz
Corsair Vengeance 16GB 9-10-9-27 1866MHz
G.SKILL RipjawsZ 16GB 9-10-9-28 1866MHz
Overclocking
Above are the SPD settings of the memory kit in today’s review.
The AVEXIR MPower comes with a single X.M.P profile which automatically sets the following frequencies and latencies:
Overclocking the AVEXIR was surprisingly easy. With a small voltage bump to 1.55v and relaxing the timings to CAS10, 1866MHz was easily attainable. As we felt the kit had more to offer we relaxed the timings further and increased the voltage to 1.7v. With those settings dialed in we were able to push the memory to a very respectable 2133MHz.
Not bad for just an hours worth of overclocking time I’m sure you will agree! Let’s see how these settings compare in our run of benchmarks…
SuperPI 1.5 & HyperPI 0.99b
In August 1995, the calculation of pi up to 4,294,960,000 decimal digits was succeeded by using a supercomputer at the University of Tokyo. The program was written by D.Takahashi and he collaborated with Dr. Y.Kanada at the computer center, the University of Tokyo. This record should be the current world record. ( Details is shown in the windows help. ) This record-breaking program was ported to personal computer environment such as Windows NT and Windows 95 and called Super PI. In order to calculate 33.55 million digits, it takes within 3 days with Pentium 90MHz, 40MB main memory and 340MB available storage.
The HiperPI front-end is basicly a program which allows selecting multiple threads of SuperPi to be run at the same time so you can test the stability and performance on multi-core machines.
AIDA64
AIDA64 is the successor to Everest ULTIMATE. This application not only details every component within a system but it also incorporates a comprehensive memory benchmarking tool that will ascertain bandwidth and latency figures.
Sisoft Sandra 2012
SANDRA isn’t always a benchmark that is included in hardware reviews but I believe it shouldn’t be ignored. SANDRA provides a vigorous package that tests your system in a rather large array of benchmarks. There are many aspects of benchmark that can be executed. We will be considering – CPU and memory tests.
Futuremark 3DMark 11
Designed to measure your PC’s gaming performance 3DMark 11 makes extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to consistently and reliably test DirectX 11 under game-like loads.
DiRT 3
As players race to elevate their global standing, DiRT 3 is back delivering mud, sweat and gears world over: from the intense weather-beaten rally stages of Europe, Africa and the US, to executing performance driving showcases and career challenges where car control is pushed to spectacular limits.
Conclusion
The AVEXIR MPower kit is a strange kit. The kit we received was rated at 1600MHz, a slow kit by today’s standards which rang true with our suite of benchmarks ran today. This went against the ‘power user’ theme AVEXIR are trying to instil within the community. Nevertheless, we went through the motions of running the benchmarks and as expected it scored lower than the other 1866MHz kits we had on test. What did surprise us however was the overclocking.
Overclocking these modules was extremely easy. So much so you could be forgiven for thinking that the actual modules beneath those MPower inspired heatspreaders were the same ones as found in the faster kits because reaching 1866MHz was a cinch and with a little patience and applied pressure, 2133MHz could be squeezed out of them. So if you have an eye for overclocking, then this entry level kit could save you a few pounds.
Aesthetically, they are clearly aimed towards those who have or intend to buy MSI MPower/Lightning products. While they will match any black components you may have, the graphics and colour scheme perfectly match components from the MPower series, be it mainboard or lightning cards that carry the signature black/yellow scheme. On the flip side, black and yellow modules would looks terrible in a blue setup so while the modules in today’s review are striking, they are not a one size fits all. IF you want black with a hint of blue then buy the Core series. The slow, rhythmic pulsating LED’s of each module were mesmerising and I’m sure that should you put these in your system with a side window you will be looking upon them with admiration. While this isn’t innovation, it is nice to see AVEXIR making strides to be different.
Aside from looks and performance we were very impressed with the product packaging. Brash looks and scorching performance are all good and well but if it arrives damaged they are of little use. Thankfully AVEXIR have applied a little extra thought to the memory kits and added not only heatspreader finish protection but more importantly, protection against static which is the single biggest killer of memory modules.
Overall, we found the AVEXIR modules to be very good. While we wouldn’t particularly use them in our system in stock form due to the low speed, if you are an avid overclocker, these can soon be enhanced to provide the same bandwidth a kit costing £20+ more would provide. For that reason we are awarding the AVEXIR MPower 1600MHz C9 our Silver and Value awards.
Pros:
+ MPower looks
+ Good Overclocking Potential
+ X.M.P profile
+ Lifetime Warranty
+ Fair price point
Cons:
– Slow at stock speed
+ MPower looks
+ Good Overclocking Potential
+ X.M.P profile
+ Lifetime Warranty
+ Fair price point
Cons:
– Slow at stock speed
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
