We narrowed down the Silicon Power Xpower Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 memory kit and found it to be a contender for the best RAM list, with good overclocking headroom. Silicon Power does not yet have a large selection of DDR5 memory products. In addition to common run-of-the-mill memory modules, the Zenith series is also offered by the company’s Xpower gaming division. Silicon Power has announced his Zenith series with DDR4 memory kits. The company has since extended the Zenith series to his latest DDR5 standard. Like its predecessor, Silicon Power’s Zenith DDR5 memory kits offer consumers a choice of standard or RGB trim. Regardless of flavor, Zenith DDR5 memory kit capacities vary between 16GB (2x8GB) and 64GB (2x32GB), while available frequencies range from 5,200 MT/s to 6,000 MT/s.
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Silicon Power didn’t bother to redesign the Zenith RGB DDR5 memory modules. It looks just like its Zenith RGB DDR4 counterpart. If the company didn’t specify the type of memory on the heat spreader, consumers would have no way of distinguishing between them. Silicon Power always offers Zenith DDR5 memory with or without RGB in white or black.
Regardless of version, the memory has a non-intrusive aluminum heat spreader with a height of 38.5 mm (1.52 inches) or less. Overall, it’s a clean design with minimal marketing. His RGB version of Zenith DDR5 memory relies solely on the motherboard’s lighting software. Compatible with Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync.
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Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 C40 is a 32GB memory kit consisting of two 16GB DDR5 memory modules. These are single rank memory modules with SK hynix H5CG48MEBDX014 (M die) integrated circuit (IC). Each chip has a capacity of 2GB, so there are 8 in each memory module. The power management IC (PMIC) is from Richtek, specifically the 0D=8K J4N solution.
Memory defaults to DDR5-4800 with very loose timings of 40-40-40-77. Since this is a memory kit for Intel processors, it has only one XMP 3.0 profile. Activating the profile will enable the memory modules to support DDR5-5600 and set the timings and DRAM voltages to 40-40-40-76 and 1.25V respectively. For more information on timing and frequency considerations, see our “PC Memory 101” feature and our “How to Buy RAM” article.
comparison hardware
| memory kit | part number | capacity | data rate | key timing | Voltage | guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermaltake ToughRAM XG RGB D5 | RG33D516GX2-5600C36B | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-5600 (XMP) | 36-36-36-76 (2T) | 1.25 | lifetime |
| Silicon Power Xpower Zenith RGB | SP032GXLWU560FDH | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-5600 (XMP) | 40-40-40-76 (2T) | 1.25 | lifetime |
| Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 | CMT32GX5M2B5200C38 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-5200 (XMP) | 38-38-38-84 (2T) | 1.25 | lifetime |
| kingston fury beast | KF552C40BBK2-32 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-5200 (XMP) | 40-40-40-80 (2T) | 1.25 | lifetime |
| important | CT2K16G48C40U5 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-4800 | 40-39-39-77 (2T) | 1.10 | lifetime |
| Sable Rocket | SB-DR5U-16GX2 | 2 x 16GB | DDR5-4800 | 40-40-40-76 (2T) | 1.10 | 5 years |
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Intel system runs Core i9-13900K on MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X with 7D28vAA firmware. In contrast, the AMD system pairs a Ryzen 7 7700X with an MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi modified to 7D70v176 firmware. The Corsair CUE H100i Elite LCD Liquid Cooler maintains operating temperatures for Raptor Lake and Zen 4 processors.
MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio tackles more graphics-intensive workloads and ensures there are no graphics bottlenecks in gaming RAM benchmarks. Windows 11 installation, benchmark software, and games are on Crucial’s MX500 SSD. Meanwhile, the Corsair RM1000x Shift ATX 3.0 power supply powers the GeForce RTX 4080 directly using the native 16-pin (12VHPWR) power cable, providing clean and abundant power to your system. Finally, the Streacom BC1 open-air test bench is essential for keeping your hardware organized.
| component | intel system | AMD system |
|---|---|---|
| processor | Intel Core i9-13900K | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X |
| motherboard | MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X | MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi |
| graphics card | MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio | MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB 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 RM1000x Shift | Corsair RM1000x Shift |
| case | Streamom BC1 | Streamom BC1 |
intel performance
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The Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 was slightly slower than the ToughRAM XG RGB DDR5-5600. Silicon Power’s memory kits fell behind their rivals on nearly all performance and gaming benchmarks. Watch Dogs Legion.
AMD performance
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ToughRAM XG RGB DDR5-5600 continues to dominate AMD platforms, outperforming Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 in almost all workloads. Zenith RGB DDR5-5600’s best performance was shown in the HandBrake x265 conversion test, slightly outperforming ToughRAM XG RGB DDR5-5600.
Overclocking and adjusting latency
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SK hynix M-die ICs are definitely the best for overclocking at the moment. Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 memory easily pushed to DDR5-6800 at 1.4V. CAS delay (CL) went from 40 cycles to 34 cycles without issue. However, tRCD and tRP had to be increased from 40 to 45 cycles to achieve stability. Overall, this is a nice overclock and within expectations for an M-die IC.
Minimum stable timing
| memory kit | DDR5-5600 (1.4V) | DDR5-6800 (1.4V) |
|---|---|---|
| Thermaltake ToughRAM XG RGB DDR5-5600 C36 | 28-34-34-76 (2T) | 34-45-45-76 (2T) |
| Silicon Power Xpower Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 C40 | 28-34-34-76 (2T) | 34-45-45-76 (2T) |
Most users who need SK hynix M-die memory kit will probably overclock. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how tight the timings will be with the Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 memory kits. I tweaked the timings to 28-34-34-76 by applying a DRAM voltage of 1.4V.
Conclusion
The Xpower Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 C40’s out-of-the-box performance is nothing short of amazing. Instead, the memory kit’s biggest asset is the SK hynix M die, which is capable of achieving high frequencies.
However, there are two aspects to consider. Nothing is guaranteed in life, so neither is overclocking headroom. Silicon Power uses the Sk hynix M-die IC, but no two memory kits overclock the same, so you’re at the mercy of the silicon lottery. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the company will continue to use M-die ICs in this model. Indeed, it is not unheard of for vendors to replace raw materials in the middle of a product’s life due to supply security difficulties.
The downside of this memory kit is that it is available in the US market. At the time of review, the Xpower Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 C40 was not available on Amazon, but surprisingly the DDR5-6000 variant was. Regardless, this memory kit sells for around $120 in other markets. The retail price of the non-RGB version of the Xpower Zenith RGB DDR5-5600 C40 is $89.99Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that it will have the same type of IC as the RGB model.
