G.Skill has one of the most diversified product portfolios for enthusiasts, and the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 memory kit is one of the best times to buy DRAM in memory these days. It’s a proposal. DRAM prices plummeted by as much as 20% in the first quarter of this year and will continue to fall well into the second quarter. As a result, the best RAM should be a little cheaper going forward. Adoption of DDR5 won’t happen overnight, but the low price makes the transition easier. Unlike when DDR5 first launched, there are now more options on the market. G.Skill has one of the most diverse product portfolios for enthusiasts.
Ready for Intel processors, the Trident Z5 RGB lineup consists of many premium memory kits. The Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 memory kit could be an option to consider if a consumer wants something faster than his default DDR5-4800 memory but doesn’t want to cross the DDR5-7000 mark. I have. Like other performance memory kits, Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 supports XMP 3.0.
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The Trident Z5 RGB has a wing-like design or a fin-like design, depending on how you look at it. It has become an icon of the series. The appearance of the aluminum heat spreader will vary depending on the variant selected. Our review sample has a matte black exterior with a strip of matte aluminum in the middle, highlighting the Trident Z5 RGB logo. G.Skill has refreshed its design several times over the years, but the vendor has consistently kept the memory at a reasonable height. At 42mm (1.65 inches), the memory doesn’t skimp on clearance space. However, if your CPU cooler is greedy for intervals, you should double check.
The Trident Z5 RGB is an avid product with the word “RGB” in its name, so logically it rocks RGB lighting. An RGB light bar is sandwiched between his two sides of the heat spreader. Lighting can be fine-tuned via the Trident Z Lighting Control program or motherboard software. Memory compatibility includes Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polychrome Sync, allowing you to synchronize Trident Z RGB’s lighting with other components in your system. increase.
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With the heat spreader off, we can see that G.Skill uses the H5CG48AGBDX018 (A die) IC from SK hynix for this particular DDR5-6800 memory kit. Each memory module has a capacity of 16 GB. So a single sided setup contains 8 of his 2GB A die ICs. G.Skill likes Richtek’s power management ICs (PMICs) and shows it with the Trident Z5 RGB memory kit. The memory modules in this kit have 0D=9D T1R units.
When you first take the memory out of the package, it runs at DDR5-4800 with default timings set to 40-40-40-77. G.Skill usually does not equip multiple XMP 3.0 profiles with performance memory. So the only profile for the memory module is to set the data rate to DDR5-6800, the timings to 34-45-45-108 timings, and the DRAM voltage to 1.4V. For more information on timing and frequency considerations, see the PC Memory 101 feature and how to buy RAM stories.
comparison hardware
| memory kit | part number | capacity | data rate | primary timing | Voltage | guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Group T-Force Delta RGB | FF3D532G7200HC34ADC01 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-7200 (XMP) | 34-42-42-84 (2T) | 1.40 | lifetime |
| G Skill Trident Z5 RGB | F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-7200 (XMP) | 34-45-45-115 (2T) | 1.40 | lifetime |
| Corsair Vengeance RGB | CMH32GX5M2X7000C34 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-7000 (XMP) | 34-42-42-96 (2T) | 1.45 | lifetime |
| G Skill Trident Z5 RGB | F5-6800J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-6800 (XMP) | 34-45-45-108 (2T) | 1.40 | lifetime |
| Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB | CMT32GX5M2X6600C32 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-6600 (XMP) | 32-39-39-76 (2T) | 1.40 | lifetime |
| G Skill Trident Z5 RGB | F5-6400J3239G16GX2-TZ5RK | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-6400 (XMP) | 32-39-39-102 (2T) | 1.40 | lifetime |
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The Intel test system revolves around Intel’s Core i9-13900K processor and MSI’s MEG Z690 Unify-X motherboard, running 7D28vA8 firmware. In contrast, the AMD testbed leverages the Ryzen 7 7700X and ASRock X670E Taichi, which are currently on 1.11.AS06 firmware.
Corsair’s CUE H100i Elite LCD liquid cooler keeps temperatures constant for Raptor Lake and Zen 4 processors. Additionally, the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Trio tackles our gaming RAM benchmarks.
Your Windows 11 installation, benchmark software, and games reside on Crucial’s MX500 SSD, while a Corsair RM650x power supply provides the power your system needs. Finally, the Streacom BC1 open bench table keeps the hardware in place.
| component | intel system | AMD system |
|---|---|---|
| processor | Intel Core i9-13900K | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X |
| motherboard | MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X | ASRock X670E Taichi |
| graphics card | MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio | MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio |
| depository | Crucial MX500 500GB, 2TB | Crucial MX500 500GB, 2TB |
| cooling | Corsair iCUE H100i Elite LCD | Corsair iCUE H100i Elite LCD |
| power supply | Corsair RM650x 650W | Corsair RM650x 650W |
| case | Streamom BC1 | Streamom BC1 |
intel performance
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The Trident Z5 RGB memory kit didn’t work as well as I thought it would. It lagged behind competitors such as the Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6600 C32 and G.Skill’s own Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 C32. The memory didn’t stand out even on certain benchmarks.
AMD performance
The current state of the AGESA code and silicon limitations put AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors at a disadvantage when it comes to memory support. However, good samples with powerful IMC (Integrated Memory Controller) usually support DDR5-6400 to DDR5-6600 memory.
On the particular Ryzen 7 7700X, DDR5-6400 is the upper end, so DDR5-6800 is beyond the realm of possibility.
Overclocking and latency tuning
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Most high frequency memory kits don’t have overclocking headroom. So the Trident Z5 RGB memory maxing out at DDR5-7000 was well within our expectations. I didn’t even need to tweak the memory timings. Adding 0.05V to the DRAM voltage is sufficient.
Minimum stable timing
| memory kit | DDR5-6800 (1.45V) | DDR5-7000 (1.45V) | DDR5-7000 (1.5V) | DDR5-7200 (1.45V) | DDR5-7400 (1.5V) | DDR5-7600 (1.45V) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Group T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-7200 C34 | none | none | none | 34-41-41-81 (2T) | none | 36-46-46-86 (2T) |
| G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-7200 C34 | none | none | none | 34-41-41-81 (2T) | none | 36-46-46-115 (2T) |
| Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-7000 C34 | none | none | 32-42-42-96 (2T) | none | 34-42-42-96 (2T) | none |
| G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 | 32-42-42-96 (2T) | 34-45-45-108 (2T) | none | none | none | none |
I certainly got better results with DDR5-6800. However, setting it to 1.45V within the BIOS allowed me to lower the memory kit to 32-42-42-96 without issue.
Conclusion
The Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 packs all the attributes of a dedicated DDR5 memory kit. Unfortunately, its performance holds it back, and I’m surprised to find it outperforms the slower Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6600 C32 and Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 C32 memory kits on paper. It should have been. Sure, a little manual overclocking can help push DDR5-6800 memory kits in the right direction. Still, not everyone is into overclocking, and no brand can guarantee that every sample has good overclocking headroom.
G.Skill Drops Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 Pricing $169.99 (opens in new tab)but if the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 C32 offers better performance, it’s not easy to warrant a purchase. $139.99 (opens in new tab)The Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6600 C32 is also fast, but $199.99 (opens in new tab)So, let’s get off topic for now. However, DRAM prices are trending downward. So if G.Skill ends up adjusting the price, the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 C34 might look more attractive in the not too distant future.
