G.SKILL Trident Z RGB 32GB 3200MHz DDR4 (F4-3200C16Q-32GTZR) Memory Kit Review

Memory by stefan @ 2017-09-26

G.SKILL has worked further upon the original Trident Z series in order to offer an even more customizable product; the RGB lighting is fully controllable via software and gives your rig an unique, personalized look. Unlike other manufacturers that tried to create something similar by using power and/or control cables, G.SKILL has succeeded to create even nicer effects by using only software programming.

Introduction

 

 

At first we would like to thank G.SKILL for offering us a sample of their Trident Z RGB 32GB 3000MHz DDR4 (F4-3200C16Q-32GTZR) Memory Kit for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About G.SKILL:

 

Our History

 

''G. SKILL'', established in 1989 by enthusiasts, is a leading memory module Manufacturer based in Taipei, Taiwan.With traditional strengths, we have built an excellent reputation by meeting market demand and fostering business competitiveness both locally and internationally with our dedications to provide competitive prices, On-Time Delivery, Assured Quality, Customer-Oriented Services and Diversity of Products.

 

Mission Statement

 

We are here to provide superior memory products, with satisfactory services in order to keep pace with our customers' growing needs, and help them by adding value to their purchases. We pledge we will continue to do so and enable both sides to obtain significant competitive advantages in the market segments.

 

Out History: Management

 

Investing in human resources is just one of the reasons why G. SKILL is able to provide such high levels of efficient and cost effective services.

 

G. SKILL is managed as a family, providing a dynamic, challenging and harmonious working environment for all employees. With the open-minded management, each individual with potential talent can be fully developed.

 

With this clear goal of providing satisfactory services for customers, our R&D department is constantly developing the fastest and best performing products; our marketing and sales departments ensure all the information needed is available and presented in a clear and understandable format.

 

Our History: Innovation

 

G. SKILL is able to quickly respond to the changing market conditions and fulfill customers' needs by fully utilizing flexible operating procedures. Our highly skilled teams in areas of research and development, technical support, sales, marketing and make G. SKILL the choice for businesses who recognize the importance of placing customers' cutting edge needs first.”

 

Product Features, Specifications

Product Features:

 

The Ultimate DDR4 Just Got Better!

 

Featuring a completely exposed light bar with vibrant RGB LEDs, merged with the award-winning Trident Z heatspreader design, and constructed with the highest quality components, the Trident Z RGB DDR4 memory kit combines the most vivid RGB lighting with uncompromised performance.

 

Full Range RGB Support

 

The uncovered light bar is designed for visual gratification in full RGB. The default lighting sports a fluid full spectrum rainbow wave. Downloadable software allows expanded effect and color customizations to the memory modules. Color match your build and rethink the possibilities with RGB.

 

Exceptionally Engineered

 

Trident Z RGB retains the iconic design element of the traditional Trident Z lineup – featuring luxurious hair-line finished aluminum heatspreaders and an aggressive fin design for highly efficient heat dissipation. The top of the heatsink has been exclusively engineered to mount a wider light diffuser for more extravagant lighting effects. Look no further for a memory that combines performance and beauty for building a stylish, modern PC!

 

Trident Z means Overclocking

 

Each memory kit contains specially screened ICs through G.SKILL’s unparalleled selection process and a custom engineered ten-layer PCB offering maximum signal stability; and every single kit is rigorously tested for reliability, compatibility, and performance across a wide range of motherboards.

 

Reveal Your Inner Colors

 

Create a one of a kind PC with the Trident Z RGB memory kit! The best thing about having RGB capabilities is the ability ot choose the colors you want. Whether it's white on one day or green on the next, you can be sure these modules will look current and modern in any build.

 

XMP 2.0 Support

 

Just set and go. Programmed with the latest Intel XMP 2.0 profiles, the only thing between you and extreme performance is a simple setting.

 

Asus Aura Sync Ready

 

Want to sync up your system lighting? Just use Asus Aura software to personalize the colors and effects of your Trident Z RGB memory and Asus Aura-ready motherboard!

 

Limited Lifetime Warranty

 

All G.SKILL memory products come with a limited lifetime warranty and the G.SKILL technical team is always ready to provide consumers with complete technical support via online forum, telephone, and email.

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

Packaging, A Closer Look

Recently, we have received another interesting product sample from G.SKILL, and this time we are talking about their Trident Z RGB series. The new DDR4 series is available in dual and quad-channel kits, with operating frequencies starting from 2400MHz and ending with no less than 4266MHz! In terms of capacity, G.SKILL does offer kits from 16GB (2x8GB) up to 128GB (8x16GB), a range that should satisfy any user.

 

The kits are shipped inside small cardboard boxes, which do show a photo of the actual product in operation, but also the compatibility with the Aura Sync technology from ASUS and Intel’s XMP 2.0:

 

 

 

A product description can be spotted on the back side of the packaging, along with two stickers that indicate the product code name, rated timings, memory quantity, operating speed but also recommended operating voltage:

 

 

 

After removing the top cardboard packaging layer, we ended up with four separate modules, packaged two-by-two:

 

 

 

Not one but two G.SKILL case stickers are to be found inside:

 

 

 

The Trident Z RGB series comes with high-quality brushed aluminum heatspreaders, as we have seen with the original Trident Z series. For a more efficient heat dissipation (especially when we have four modules close together), G.SKILL has used a top fin design, which fully benefits of the airflow inside the computer case:

 

 

 

A plastic top layer (light diffuser) is also included here, which helps creating an uniform RGB LED lighting effect:

 

 

 

The opposite module area does sport a similar look, only that here we do also find an authenticity sticker:

 

 

The said sticker does also show the module code name, rated speed and timings, the recommended operating voltage, memory quantity but also the fact that it is Intel XMP 2.0 ready:

 

 

A Closer Look Contd.

A top view on the module does show how the top light diffuser is shaped:

 

 

Let’s install the modules in our test bench and see how they perform:

 

 

Even with no extra software installed, the LED light show will begin and will display some very interesting effects; it is very important to mention that there is no need for extra wiring in order to operate the RGB system!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test Setup and Test Results Part I

Test Setup

 

CPU: Intel I5 7600K Retail

CPU Cooler: Deepcool Captain 240 EX RGB AIO

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming

RAM: Currently tested kit

Video: KFA2 GeForce GTX 1060 OC 6GB

Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W

SSD: OCZ Vector 150

Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840

 

The pre-programmed timings and frequencies can be also found by using AIDA64:

 

 

G.SKILL has certified this piece of kit at 3200MHz with latencies of 16-18-18-38, while running at 1.35V. As with every kit we have tried out in the past, we have also went ahead and overclocked it further, first to 3333MHz; the system booted just fine, but in order to obtain full stability while running four Memtest instances, we had to alter the timings to 17-19-19-40. We have tried even further at 3466MHz, but the system could not boot into Windows OS.

 

 

Validation

 

Starting with the JEDEC 2133MHz, we did benchmark the RAM step-by-step up to 3333MHz, in order for you to spot the performance differences.

Test Results

 

SuperPI XS 1.5 2MB

 

GeekBench 4

 

Blender Ryzen Rendering

 

 

 

 

 

Test Results Part II

 

AIDA64 Bandwidth

 

CineBench R15 Rendering

 

HWBOT X265 Encoding

 

PCMark 8

 

Ashes of Singularity - CPU Focused

 

PCMark 10

 

 

 

The RGB Control GUI Part I

The beta version software for controlling the RGB setup is available for us to download on the G.SKILL web page; several usage instructions are present here, which do help us with some issues we may encounter:

 

 

 

After the installation is completed, we will be prompted to reboot the system; afterwards, we will be able to take a look at the GUI, which is similar with the ASUS Aura application. Depending on the selected effect, we will get to see different configuration options:

 

Static

Breathing

Strobing

Color Cycle

Rainbow

 

The RGB Control GUI Part II

Comet

Flash and Dash

Wave

Glowing Yoyo

Starry Night

Music

 

Video Exemplification of LED Lighting System

It would be unfair not to show you guys what this kit can do via a short video:

 

 

Conclusive Thoughts

G.SKILL has worked further upon the original Trident Z series in order to offer an even more customizable product; the RGB lighting is fully controllable via software and gives your rig an unique, personalized look. Unlike other manufacturers that tried to create something similar by using power and/or control cables, G.SKILL has succeeded to create even nicer effects by using only software programming.

 

Besides the RGB feature, each module does feature a brushed aluminum heatsink with top fins, in order to keep the RAM in good operating conditions. We do also get RAM speeds to choose from 2400MHz up to 4266MHz and capacities up to 128GB, in order to cover most usage environments.

 

The F4-3200C16Q-32GTZR kit, as tested, can be found online for about 342 Euros; given the quality of materials, extra overclocking headroom and eye candy offered by the kit, we could easily say that this is a fair price!

 

G.SKILL Trident Z RGB 32GB 3200MHz DDR4 (F4-3200C16Q-32GTZR) Memory Kit is Recommended for:


We would like to thank again to G.SKILL for making this review possible!

 

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