As we have pointed out in the introduction of this review, Ultra’s packaging has received a humbling in recent times. Those around during the early days of Ultra’s presence – that being during the battle of the Northwood Cs and Bartons – would remember quaint wood boxes with a felt lining, and modules with heat spreaders plated in gold. Unfortunately, the only surviving thing from this era is not a hint of cherry, or a throwback to the fit and finish of potential inspiration but rather, the link comes from the heat spreaders used.

Finished in metallic silver, and adorned with large stickers bent on authenticity, Ultra’s modules look as timeless as the others still holding tight to this design – that being Crucial. Once the bog standard heat spreaders, these bulky models have quickly given way in favor of custom designs, all of which seem to be intent on heat dissipation. Though, considering how much cooler DDR2 runs than its predecessor (even when slammed with tasks and heavily overclocked), these modifications seem to be nothing but cosmetic. In that respect, Ultra has chosen to go down a simpler road, which can undoubtedly lead to the prioritizing of R&D – making for faster chips with better circuitry, as opposed to fancy bits of metal atop them. The side opposite to the gigantic holographic stickers seems to hold with this minimalisitc flare, as it is entirely barren of design.

Unlike the micron chips featured on some other modules with higher densities, the Micron ICs found on these sticks are quite similar to the ones which populate Super Talent’s TX800. In that respect, we are assured that these modules, through rated for operation of 5-5-5-15 with the paltry stock DDR2 voltage, can easily operate at timings of 3-3-3-10 at DDR2-667 speeds, or 4-4-4-10 at DDR2-800 speeds. Bearing that in mind, users should no longer feel limited by the memory which they can buy – after all, it makes sense to have faster memory on hand for when you are able to upgrade the processor. For what it’s worth, when presented with three identical sets of memory, bar the warrantees and appearances, it makes the most sense to purchase whichever modules come with a better warrantee paradigm, and a better price. In this case, the trio of lifetime warrantees, equal prices, and the promise of free technical support, your choice will come down to personal preference, availability, and, for us select few, the maximum clocks these chips can attain.

With these modules examined inside and out, it’s about a good time to get things rolling, and to see how far and fast these little guys can go, before we clutch and shift them into the upper echelons of their possible speeds.