The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 2×16 GB DDR5-6400 CL3 is reviewed in this article. This is the most advanced DDR5 memory available, but it is also the most expensive. Here you can check Best RAM for Ryzen 7 5800X
There was a rough start for DDR5 memory, but now it has come a long way. When DDR5 came out with Intel’s 12th Generation CPUs, it was almost impossible to get, and if you could get it, it was very expensive. That’s different now.
The worst of the supply problems are over, and DDR5 kits, even the most powerful ones, are easy to find. Because DDR4 prices are still too high, price parity is still a long way off, but DDR5 prices have come down.
Even though high-performance kits still cost more, the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 2x 16GB kit is a speedy choice. In our opinion, it’s not the first 6400MHz kit on the market, but we think it’s the first to come with a CL that low.
Pros
- Design is excellent
- Strong performance in apps that use a lot of memory
Cons
- It’s really costly
- 90% of people find it overkill
It’s clear that this G.Skill RAM is the best DDR5 memory kit on the market right now. If high-speed memory is on your shopping list, this is a kit you’ll want to check out. It costs $569 (£555, or AU $1,079).
One of the problems with DDR5 is that it takes a long time to start up. When you buy high-quality DDR4-3600 with tight timings from Samsung, you can still play games. With 32-39-39-102 timings, the G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-6400 kit from G.Skill can help a lot with this deficit.
Performance isn’t just about how long it takes for something to happen. Latency is just one of the things that there’s also all of the raw bandwidth that you get from a kit that’s running at this speed.
If you buy this set, you get 2x 16GB of storage, XMP 3.0 support, and a 1.40V operating voltage that you can use. It has ICs made by SK Hynix, which are known to work well at high speeds with most motherboards, especially after you’ve updated the BIOS on the motherboards.
Then again, you’ll want to check the QVL list on your motherboard to see if the kit is compatible. If it isn’t on the list, look for other DDR5-6400 kits. Then you should be fine.
Trident Z5 Specification
| Model Name: | G.Skill F5-6400J3239G16GX2-TZ5RK |
| Memory Type: | Unbuffered DDR5 |
| Capacity: | 32GB (2x 16GB) |
| Rated Speed: | 6400MHz |
| Rated Latency: | 32-39-39-102 |
| Tested Voltage: | 1.40v |
| Warranty: | Limited Lifetime |
| XMP: | Intel XMP 3.0 Ready |
| Price: | $569 | £555 | AU$1,079 |
We’ve already talked about G.Skill’s DDR5-6000 C36 kit, which came with a silver heatspreader. Black is the color of the 6400 C32 kit we have here. We think it looks even better than it already does. Black is easier to mix into more builds because it doesn’t stand out as much. If you want, you can change the color. Some kits can be too bright or have LEDs that aren’t covered, but the G.Skill’s more opaque cover and diffused light look really nice.
G.Skill’s Trident Z Lighting Control app can be used to change the RGB lighting in your home. It’s a simple piece of software that only takes up 6 MB of space. It was easy for us to play around with this app for a short time. Because G.Skill says the kit should work with apps for controlling your motherboard’s RGB lights, if you already have an app for controlling your motherboard’s RGB lights,
We know that the kit is fast on paper, looks good, and is easy to get, but how does it work? This brings us to one of the most common questions that people have about building a PC. Does it make sense to spend money on a lot of very fast memory kits? The answer isn’t “yes” or “no.” You have to think about the applications you run and the computer or tablet you’re going to pair them with. Faster DDR5-4800 kits can be worth it sometimes. At other times, though, they can be in the same “margin of error” range as a generic kit.
Video and file compression are two tests that show good progress. Because it’s the fastest on paper, it’s not a surprise that the G.Skill kit is the fastest of all the kits we tried. Even less of a surprise are the great AIDA64 results, which show the G.Skill kit taking the lead. The latency result is also great.
Test RIG
| CPU: | Intel Core i9 12900K |
| Motherboard: | Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Apex (DDR5) |
| GPU: | Zotac RTX 3080 Ti Amp Extreme Holo |
| SSD: | Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB |
| PSU: | Corsair AX1000 |
| Chassis: | Thermaltake Core P8 |
| Cooler: | Cooler Master PL360 Flux |
| OS: | Windows 11 Build 22800.282 |
People play games that have a lot of latency, but it can vary from game to game. Civilization VI has made some small progress, but it’s still a long way off.
Metro Exodus Enhanced also shows small gains, but what’s interesting about this test is that it’s based on the GPU, which means it’s not very fast. This is true when your CPU is limited, like when you want to play a game that runs quickly on a high-res screen.
If you want to buy very fast DDR5, you need to have a computer that can handle it. If you have a 12900K and an RTX 3080 Ti in your computer, you owe it to your computer to match it with a fast memory kit so you can get the most out of it. For most people, a kit in the 5200MHz to 6000MHz range will be good enough for most real-world situations.
Bios have come a long way since the Z690 boards have been out for a few months. A lot of progress has been made with our Asus Maximus Z690 Apex computer. Overclocking is a lot better now than it was in the beginning. There are a lot of SK Hynix kits out there that can be overclocked, but we think we’re at the limit of our CPU.
We don’t have to change the voltage of the RAM at all to reach DDR5-6667. We did, however, have to raise the voltage of the IMC to levels that we wouldn’t be comfortable with all the time.
If you don’t mind going the extra mile and have a good IMC, 7,000 MHz isn’t impossible. You can be sure it’s a kit that people who overclock have been using to break world records for memory speed.
It will be a lot of fun for you if you want the best kit you can get, love to tweak, and plan to use it for generations or two.
When it comes to G.Skill memory, it never disappoints. G.Skill’s new Trident Z5 DDR5-6400 CL32 kit is the best you can get right now. But should you? Honestly, Unless you have a very powerful computer, you can’t do this. In a pinch, you can get more value out of a cheaper kit by spending the money on a faster CPU or GPU. That will make a real difference in performance.
My favorite memory kit is the G.Skill DDR5-6400 C32. It’s the fastest one I’ve ever seen. There’s no doubt that it costs a lot and isn’t for everyone, but if you want the best equipment you can get, then you’ll be very happy with it. There are some products that we want even though we don’t need them.
