DDR3 has been labelled as overpriced since its release and as such, enthusiasts have been slow to take advantage of the higher bandwidth available. However, prices are starting to drop more in line with DDR2 and the CSX Diablo3 kit is now well within reach without making your wallet cringe at the prospect of the upgrade. Add to the fact that this kit is basically identical to the much more expensive Crucial kit makes the CSX's a seriously attractive buy. 

 

The packaging is the only aspect I could fault with the kit, but it is clear that this is the only area in which corners have been cut, and personally I don't mind that too much if it helps bring the price down, which it certainly appears to have done. The modules themselves are near perfect, but if I was nit-picking then I would have preferred a more dynamic font than the one used. Still, that's a very minor point as the heatspreaders are lush and cool the modules very well.

 

 

Weighing in at a little over £100 (estimated), I can see no reason, other than the presentation, why anyone wouldn't want to buy this kit over lower specification, more expensive kits on the market. With a little persuading, these kits break the 2000mhz barrier, managing to hold tighter timings than our previous extreme clockers, the Crucial Ballistix. Add to that a massive 2.1v available and warranted for use, it's clear CSX have faith in the quality of this kit. Sure, CSX are a little bif of an unknown area, but Micron chips (D9GTR) are not and if you can live with the packaging for the minute or so you will see it, then I couldn't recommend this kit more.

 

 

So in short, as its name suggests, the Diablo kit is the supercar of DDR3. Its sleek lines, gaping heatsink and ultra fast performance match that of the Lamborghini namesake, but unlike the Italian beast you won't need an off shore bank account to pay for them.

 

 

Recently one of the Diablo3 Sticks started to create errors and this was confirmed by memtest86+. How this stick became faulty is a bit of an unknown. It could have been static from the numerous setups it's been installed on or it could just have been over zealous overclocking. However, a quick call to Ahmad in the returns department for CSX sorted the problem with a 'no quibble exchange' and as promised, no RMA number was required. A 'next day delivery' was also promised by CSX and sure enough, they arrived on my doorstep the next day. This was quite simply an amazing returns procedure which was both hassle free and speedy in resolution. An excellent example of how it should be done.

 

CSX have also taken on board our comments regarding the packaging as the cheap printed paper insert has gone, replaced with a card insert that folds out to give you a guide on what voltages and timings to use on each chipset tested. Well done CSX!

 

In view of the update the ratings have been adjusted accordingly.

The Good
• Ultra fast performance
• Lifetime Warranty/fast returns turnaround
• Cool running
• Micron D9GTR IC's
• Price

The Mediocre
• Heatsink size may be an issue for some
• Additional voltage (up to 2.1v) while good didn't seem to allow the ram to scale any better

The Bad
• Nothing, zip, nada.