Here we see the Reaper modules out of the package. The heatspreaders are constructed from aluminum with copper being used for the heatpipes. Aside from the heatpipes and upper deck of aluminum fins, the modules don't really look much different from anything else on the market. I have heard mixed opinions about the looks of these modules: you either love it or hate it - I've heard a little of both. For me, the design isn't hideous by any means, but I have certainly seen better looking memory.



My biggest concern with this Reaper kit is how high the heatspreaders rise above the actual memory module. From the pictures above, you can see that one Reaper module is taller than two "regular" sized memory sticks. This could potentially cause installation problems should your CPU heatsink be large enough to hang over the RAM slots. If your CPU heatsink isn't too large, than you should certainly benefit from the increased surface area that the Reaper heatspreaders bring to the table.

Move ahead as we look at the test system and software that will be used to benchmark these modules...