Kingston Technology Company, the world’s largest producer of memory modules, has unveiled a series of new DDR2 products that operate at mainstream speed-bin, but with exceptionally low latency settings, which may allow 800MHz memory modules to outperform much higher-speed rivals in real-world applications.

“In lowering the latency even more, going to 3-3-3 with our new HyperX ultra low latency 800MHz DDR2 modules, Kingston is offering both gaming and tech enthusiasts the flexibility to drive performance and benchmarking scores to the limit,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston.

Kingston Technology claims that the company’s new HyperX ultra low latency PC2-6400 memory modules provide performance “without the need for overclocking”. But not everything is that simple. In order to operate at 800MHz with CL3 3-3-10 timings, the new modules have to use 2.3V – 2.35V voltage on voltage rails, which is 27.7% – 30.5% higher compared to default voltage of 1.8V for DDR2. Moreover, earlier it was reported that 2.4V voltage was very dangerous for DDR2 devices and getting close to that value with 30% increase over standard setting may hardly be called “without overclocking”.

Since end-users tend to pay more attention to clock-speeds that memory modules can achieve, despite of the fact that low latency settings may play a more important role in real-world applications, manufacturers of memory products are usually more concentrated on frequencies, rather than timings of their devices. Previously, the most well-known DDR2 modules with CL3 3-3-15 latency settings were OCZ PC2-5400 EL DDR2 Platinum Edition XTC, which needed 2.1V voltage to operate at 667MHz.

The new ultra low latency Kingston HyperX memory modules are available immediately: 512MB and 1GB modules have manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $69 and $128, respectively, whereas 1GB and 2GB dual-channel kits are set to be priced at $138 and $255, respectively. Kingston memory comes with a lifetime warranty and 24/7 technical support.