The memory industry has become quite boring over the past few years since the introduction of DDR2 technology. There has really been nothing new and exciting to report on for quite some time, and now that AMD and Intel are both using DDR2 technology, memory has become more united. In the mainstream performance market DDR2-533 and even 667 are now obsolete, with DDR2-800 becoming the new standard. While DDR2-667 works well with AMD processors, the new breed of Intel microprocessors enjoys the slightly larger memory bandwidths delivered by DDR2-800 memory.

Most DDR2-800 memory modules are in fact just plain old DDR2-667 modules with slightly weaker timings and more voltage. Add enough voltage and some of the higher quality modules were hitting DDR2-1067 and beyond. Unfortunately, this ultra fast DDR2 memory did not come cheap, with many 2GB kits costing in excess of $500. The problem is these ultra high-end memory modules are far from being good value solutions. These top of the line memory kits are purely a luxury and those seeking a decent bang for your buck option will not even give these modules a glance.

The other problem is just about every major memory module manufacturer, and there are more than half a dozen of them, are struggling to differentiate their high-end parts. These days any performance focused memory module will feature a heatspreader and possibly even a colored PCB, but not many offer end users anything else. Back in the days, Mushkin developed the heatspreader which got them some recognition, but now everyone uses the heatspreader. Many have even tried to modify the heatspreader to create something even more exciting, though to this day the heatspreader is much the same as it has always been.

Corsair took the heatspreader and added activity LED’s, which was a pretty cool idea, and while it does nothing for the performance, case modders got very excited about these modules. Shortly after a few other memory module makers copied the activity LED’s, which in a sense stated that Corsair were successful with that idea. Since then there have been no other developments from memory module makers, limiting our choices to shiny heatspreaders with flashing lights. That was until now, it would seem, as OCZ launches their new FlexXLC Edition memory.

Finally, a memory module manufacturer has come up with an idea that not only makes their memory modules look cool, but also helps them run a lot cooler. Back when heatspreaders for memory modules were originally designed, most claimed they were a waste of time and did nothing for performance. They were pretty much spot on with their claims, as the memory chips found on older SDR and DDR memory modules produced very little heat. However today, with modules operating well above their designed specifications and requiring 2.4v+, heat is becoming a serious issue for memory modules.

This being the case, an idea that can eliminate this problem is obviously going to be a success. Recently Corsair unleashed their “Dominator Series”, which looked much like their “Pro Series”, but instead of LED lights these Dominator modules featured large fins designed for better cooling efficiency. Well, OCZ may have borrowed this idea for their FlexXLC Edition memory, but they have certainly taken it to the next level. Today we have the first ever water-cooled memory modules, brought to you by OCZ. Rated at PC2-9200 (DDR2-1150), they are also the fastest memory modules available.