The Module

The 256MB Mushkin PC3500 Black DDR SDRAM module is a double-sided module with eight DDR SDRAM chips. It also comes with a copper heatspreader. Here is a picture of the front and back of the module.

Front view

Back view

The copper heatspreader is tightly adhered to the module so it's very hard to remove. Please don't try to remove it as doing so voids your warranty.

If you are just curious about how the Mushkin module looks like, here's what it looks like beneath the heatspreader!

Without heatspreader

The Heatspreader

Although Mushkin used 3M thermal tape to keep the heatspreader in contact with the memory chips, the modules I received showed no contact between the heatspreader and some of the memory chips!

This only happened to the farthest memory chip on each side. The other memory chips were firmly adherent to the heatspreader.

I tried pressing the heatspreader fins together but that didn't work at all. On closer inspection, the heatspreader fins appeared to curve a little at both ends.

According to Mushkin, they discovered that the heatspreaders bent a little when the Mushkin label was being carved into the fins. They have since refined the process and the problem has been resolved.

If your memory module has this problem, don't worry! Mushkin will replace all bent heatspreaders with the new improved heatsinks.

Module Specifications

Here are the specifications for this memory module :-