G.Skill TridentZ5 RGB DDR5 6400 MHz CL32 2 x 32 GB
G.Skill is a company (from Taipei) whose products don’t need an introduction, as it’s one of the most well-known RAM manufacturers. The provided sample is from a Trident Z5 series consisting of two 32 GB modules with a frequency of 6400 MHz. At first glance, it should be the sweet spot choice for the AMD Ryzen 7000 series and the Intel processors. We already covered the 5600 MHz CL36 (RGB-less) variant back in March’2022 (and it earned the “Recommended” award), 7200 MHz CL34 (with the RGB lighting) also in March, but 2023 (this time it was the “Top Pick”). The last kit was checked on October’23; it was the 2x24 GB 7200 CL36 (with a “Silver” award).
This time, the sample is from the high-capacity kits (2x32 GB), reaching up to 6800 MHz; here, it’s a 6400 CL32 version.
This top-tier series in the G.Skill offers frequencies up to 8400 MHz. This series got the following prizes:
- European Hardware Awards 2022/2023 for best system memory series
- BC – Best Choice award
- reddot winner 2022
A quick reminder - DDR5 is the newest technology to hit the market, make headlines, and break world records. DDR5 already set spectacular results in overclocking (of course, using the LN2), even at 11648 MHz. DDR4 RAMs operate on a single 64-bit bus, while DDR5 has two 32-bit buses (plus, in both cases, an additional 8-bit for ECC). As a result, a single module is identified as a Dual Channel, while two are identified as Quad Channel. However, the solution does not match the throughput of HEDT platforms with processors with a four-channel controller. The internal (A / B) channels of DDR5 RAM also share the RCD (Register Clock Driver), which provides more output signals and more extended pulse reading (8 vs. 16). The DDR5 comes with a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC) from the most important things you need to know. It’s responsible for controlling voltage changes, optimizing the energy draw, and making it less demanding for the motherboard controller. The DDR4 nominal voltage is 1.2 V; for the DDR5, it’s 1.1 V. Typical XMP voltage for the older type of memory is 1.35V (sometimes 1.45 V); now, it’s mostly 1.25 V. Speaking of the XMP, till now, it was 2.0 revision, with the introduction of the DDR5 we’ve got the rev 3.0. The main difference is that the number of profiles has increased from three to five (three for the manufacturer settings and two placeholders for the users).
After this short introduction – let’s present a bit of the review sample. There are three color variants:
Our sample is not the highest frequency kit (from the upper end of the scale for 2x32 GB kits) from the Trident Z5 RGB series, with a 6400 MHz clock, CL32-39-39-102, at 1.4 V. The series range is from 5200 to 8400 MHz (but that’s very picky with the motherboards). There’s also a Trident Z5 without the RGB lighting on offer (but with a narrower selection of the frequencies). Overall, the G.Skill TridentZ 5 RGB DDR5 memory kit is an impressive option for high-performance memory with low latency and stunning RGB lighting.
The RGB can be controlled via the following:
- Asus Aura Sync
- Asrock Polychrome RGB
- Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0
- MSI Mystic Light Sync
It’s a series with an XMP profile. For the AMD AM5 platform, the following ones are available:
The height of the memory module is 43 mm, so it’s a relatively low-profile form, which should cause rare problems with the (air) CPU coolers.
We’ll check the kit on two platforms, with Z790-based motherboards (Asus Z790 Maximus Hero) combined with the Intel Core i9 13900K and the Asrock X670E Steel Legend combined with an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X. The used GPU is the Nvidia Geforce RTX 4090, so it shouldn’t be a limiting factor for memory performance. We are traditionally going to try and squeeze something more out of it. You can always stay safe and stick to the advertised frequency and latencies using XMP 3.0. The default parameters and visual aspects look attractive – we must check the performance then. A limited lifetime warranty backs the G.Skill TridentZ RGB series. Ok, next page, please.
