Kingston unveils new HyperX Beast and HyperX black modules

Kingston has announced a new entry in its DRAM family, and this time it's using aesthetics rather than raw performance as its selling point: the modules come on a snazzy-looking black printed circuit board.

The new black PCBs will appear in two module families, Kingston has declared: its high-end Predator HyperX Beast and its entry-level HyperX black - with a lower case 'b' - for those whose aesthetic requirements are not matched by a bottomless budget. The latter modules will be available in 4GB and 8GB capacities, either as single modules or as 8GB or 16GB dual-channel kits at 1333MHz or 1600MHz frequencies, CL9 or CL10 depending on the precise model chosen.

The HyperX Beast modules, by contrast, sit at the very top end of the company's offerings. Claimed by Kingston to be the fastest and highest-capacity Intel XMP certified kits on the market, the HyperX Beast DIMMs are available at speeds of 1600MHz to 2400MHz and CL9, CL10 or CL11 depending on the model chosen. Module size options are 4GB and 8GB, but they are not sold individually: instead, buyers are asked to shell out for two-module, four-module or eight-module kits, with the latter offering 64GB of DDR3 1866MHz CL10 memory or 2133MHz CL11 with bundled cooling fan.

The Hyperx black modules include the company's signature entry-level heatspreader, finished in - as you may have guessed - black and silver. The Beast modules, however, include a higher heatsink component for improved cooling, measuring 132mm x 41.4mm compared to 133.35mm x 30mm for the Hyperx black modules. 'Our customers and fans have asked us to come out with HyperX memory featuring black PCBs to better match their system designs,' claimed said Ann Keefe, Kingston's regional director for the UK and Ireland, at the unveiling. 'We are able to match good looks with high performance. The black on black combination allows for easy pairing with any colour component on the market.'

Formal pricing for the new modules has yet to confirmed, although if the company is planning to ask too much of a premium for the mostly-hidden black PCB it may find buyers give it short shrift.