[section_title title=Introduction & Closer Look]
Introduction & Closer Look
Brand: KLEVV
Model: CRAS 3000MHz 16GB (4x4GB) – KM4C4GX4A-3000-16-18-18-36
UK Price: £205.94 @ Amazon UK (At time of review) – Click to purchase here!
US Price: N/A
Essencore might be a relatively unknown name to the masses and young in the game, but don’t let that fool you. They have been causing ripples across the European memory and semiconductor market over the past few months with their KLEVV brand of memory; gaining credit and plaudits from numerous sources including media and consumers. So what’s so special about Essencore and the KLEVV brand? Well having only been established in 2014 with 12 employees on their books, they strive and aim to be the “champion in semiconductor and memory products”. With a fully in-house team with the aim in avoiding supplier and distribution issues, they have the ethos of quality over quantity and going by some of the comments made about themselves over the past couple of months, it really does seem to be the case.
We managed to get a hold of one of their top rated memory kits in the shape of the KLEVV CRAS 3000MHz modules with this particular kit featuring a quad channel 16GB format; 4 x 4GB modules are included with quad channel support for Intel’s X99 platform, as well as dual channel mode for Intel’s latest Skylake architecture.
So what’s so special about this particular kit of memory? Well starting with the packaging, the KLEVV CRAS 3000MHz 16GB kit comes inside a very premium looking box. The packaging has an all-black design with the box having a corrugated ridged feel about it.
Inside the premium feel packaging, we have the KLEVV CRAS DDR4 modules themselves in individual resealable blister packs surrounded by a cushioning of tough foam; this prevents the modules moving around in transit thus preventing damage.
Taking a look at the KLEVV CRAS modules themselves, if first impressions were the be all and end all of reviews, they would get platinum based on looks; they not only look premium but feel amazing to hold. They do have a bit of weight to them due to the nature of the heat sink, but unlike cheaper RAM which uses cheap plastic heat sinks, the CRAS uses a premium metal design. The majority of the module is black with a square pattern across the main heat sink, with an aluminium plate with the KLEV logo and the CRAS moniker, “Creative Evolution”.
This particular kit comes in with speeds at 3000MHz with CAS timings of 16-18-18 with an operating voltage of 1.35v. This means that compared with DDR3 memory of similar speeds, the KLEVV and in general, DDR4 provides an overall lower power draw and gives a much more efficient operation. CL 16 timings at 3000MHz are also relatively good considering the speed to latency ratio and some kits generally favour higher speeds for increased latency; not Essencore or KLEVV!
One of the most interesting features of the CRAS modules is their top integrated light bar; the KLEVV CRAS comes in 2 varieties, with red or white bars. Today’s model features RED LEDs and as you can see by the image below, it’s one very sexy looking kit of memory; probably some of the nicest looking memory we have ever seen here at Play3r.
So we have seen the KLEVV CRAS 3000MHz 16GB quad channel kit in the flesh, but now it’s time to see how they perform in a series of benchmarks; can KLEVV perform as good as it looks and feels? Let’s find out…
