Not so long ago OCZ released the world’s first water-cooled memory featuring a hybrid design which also allowed for passive cooling. Known as the FlexXLC Edition memory, we tested the PC2-9200 version and were most impressed with what the modules were capable of. The only downside of course was the cost and like many high-speed DDR2 memory modules, the PC2-9200 FlexXLC Edition memory cost a small fortune; around $520 US upon release. While the memory has dropped in price since then, it still costs around $470 US per 2GB kit.

The OCZ PC2-9200 FlexXLC Edition ran unrivalled for a short period of time till Corsair stepped things up a notch with their DOMINATOR Twin2X2048 10000C5DF (DDR2-1250) memory, featuring a unique passively cooled heatsink design. For now the battle of the fastest DDR2 memory is being won by Corsair, but in all honesty memory speed counts for very little. Rather memory timings, capacity and cooling appear to be far more important when using Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors on Microsoft’s latest operating system.

While 2GB’s of the Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048 10000C5DF memory will set you back $780 US, the new OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 Reaper HPC retails for just $280 US per 2GB kit. Sure it might only work at 1066MHz standard with CAS5-5-5-15 timings using 2.3 volts of power, but it is a damn site cheaper. Actually, with the recent arrival of the Nvidia nForce 650i and 680i chipsets, there is really no real need for high-speed memory as we see it. When overclocking using either chipset, the ability to run the memory at just 533MHz still exists, even on a 500MHz FSB which is incredible.

However, what is more incredible is the fact that low-latency DDR2-667 memory actually delivers better gaming performance than DDR2 memory clocked at 1200MHz! Therefore, while we are still right behind good quality memory, we are not pushing high-speed memory. That said, what we have here today is high-speed/high-quality memory, but the difference is with a $270 US price tag we are only paying for high quality DDR2 memory. Although good quality DDR2-800 memory can be had for as little as $190 US, the high quality stuff with custom PCB designs and cooling solutions start life around the $250 US mark.

There is so much variety when it comes to purchasing DDR2 memory and with such a large price difference between the cheapest and most expensive products, it is often difficult to choose the right memory. For basic overclocking needs or even just general gaming usage, quality memory can be purchased from well respected brands such as OCZ for half what these new DDR2 PC2-8500 Reaper HPC memory modules are worth. However, those that want to push their memory modules to the max and want to do it in style, will be interested in this new Reaper HPC memory...