OCZ Technology, a leading maker of high-speed memory modules for enthusiasts, announced on Tuesday its new Gold-series memory sticks for gamers that utilize the company’s new eXtreme thermal convection (XTC) heat-spreaders, which are claimed to provide better cooling.

“Based on the overwhelmingly positive results and feedback on the XTC heat-spreaders, we believe that we need to make XTC available for a wider spectrum of modules than originally planned,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, vice president of technology development at OCZ Technology.

The new 512MB and 1GB memory modules Gamer eXtreme XTC PC2-4300 (533MHz) and PC2-5400 (667MHz) are rated to function at CL3 3-3-12 and CL4 4-4-12 latency settings respectively. The new products are designed to work with increased to 1.9V voltage setting, but can handle higher – up to 2.2V – voltage without avoiding warranty thanks to OCZ’s extended voltage protection technology.

XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) cooling system consists of four pieces: two honeycomb-like heat-spreaders and two small frames that preserve mechanical stability and serve for decoration purposes. The heat-spreaders which are mounted directly onto the memory chips in a manner that avoids gaps between the heat-spreaders and actual memory chips, which provides more efficient heat conduction and dissipation.

The honeycomb-like heat-spreader seems to be made of aluminum, which dissipates heat rather quickly. Additionally, OCZ claims that honey-comb like design has higher surface area than conventional solid heat-spreaders, while the perforations allow convection to even more effectively reduce heat. The company did not unveil how much more efficient XTC is compared to typical heat-spreaders. The size of the perforations, height and thickness of the heat-spreader should be very well balanced for efficient performance.

“By employing XTC heatspreaders on our premium Gold DDR2 GX memory we are able to offer high-end gamers and enthusiasts a superior solution that addresses the unique requirements of the latest 3D intensive titles,” Mr. Schuette added.