$1.50 DDR RAM Heatsink Coolers in Hot Pink

If you're planning on over-clocking or simply need to lower the temperature of your internal, or Random Access Memory (RAM) for other reasons, coolers of some form might be of interest for you. Even though the fan(s) within your computer does the main work of keeping the general air temperature inside the case at an acceptable level, a passive RAM cooler (usually referred to as a heatsink), which I'll be demonstrating in this entry, instead does a more critical and immediate heat relief straight off the core. Through moving the heat right at the surface of the memory, the heatsink allows the RAM to dissipate its heat more quickly into the local air, which is then transported out of the computer chassis by the system fan.

Aluminium DDR2-RAM Coolers

Aluminium RAM heatsinks ready to be applied on
a 1GB Corsair DDR2-RAM stick

These basic aluminium RAM coolers I came across for just 3 bucks a pair (set of 2 coolers). They're made with the form factor of the last generation of internal memory; called DDR2, in mind, but you should be able to find a similar cooler for whatever is under your hood, such as the newer DDR3 sticks.

The coolers themselves are available in several different colours, but as usual I opted for the lovely hot pink ones. The heatsink are basically two metal plates applied easily using their rubbery, sticky surface. Given how they're constructed, the two plates of the coolers are apparently meant to be tethered to each other at the top of the RAM. But as you can tell by the pictures (see below), the thickness of the RAM sticks themselves does not allow them to do so.

Read before buying...

Installed. Only able to fit two coolers
within this particular system, as the
memory slots run so narrowly

Furthermore, before investing in anything too fancy and expensive, always have a quick check inside your case whether the cooler will be able to fit in the first place. Even when it comes to thin metal plates, take nothing for granted. In my case, the RAM sticks are so tightly placed, I wasn't able to use the coolers on any two adjacent RAM sticks! Instead I had to settle with the first and the 4th stick, as this combo appeared as the least ridiculous one.

Verdict

Unfortunately I have no means of measuring the heat near the RAM's, so I can't give you any hard numbers that would determine the factual effect of the coolers, but at least they look pretty sweet...

More pictures...

One side plate on. Forget about trying to get
the two platesto cling onto each other,
as they simply won't

The RAM itself is way to thick
for the two side plates to be able to hook
onto one another

Slapped on and ready to go