Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB DDR5-7000 32GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review

TweakTown's Rating: 100%

The Bottom Line

You will not find another kit as affordable, as flexible, or as stunning as the Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB. Not only do the XMP 3.0 results speak for themselves, this is one hell of a kit for the overclocker that isn't quite on the bleeding edge.

Pros

• RGB
• Overclockability
• Lower cost
• White spreaders
• B-Die ICs

Cons

• XMP performance is just a tad low, but not a concern
• Whitewashed IC

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Newegg for $130.99 USD

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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Most of what we have seen recently from Patriot is designed for those who like to run benchmarks and stability programs rather than the average gamers and productivity types. While we love pushing the boundaries of what is possible with today's latest and greatest products, we are the few compared to the masses who use their PCs for more "normal" tasks but still like to tinker. Even though Patriot is our new go-to company for anyone wanting the fastest kits with performance, where it isn't just an MT/s rating selling the gear, Patriot accommodates the entire spectrum of its user base.

One step down from the Xtreme series is the Elite series, which is made for those who want more than what JEDEC offers, but the series stops at a more reasonable level. Patriot does so to ensure users can achieve the XMP profiles with more typical components without needing the best IMC on the planet and one of maybe three motherboards we know of that are designed to allow it. As many users migrate to four DIMM layouts on their motherboards, it complicates things regarding the maximum speed while keeping things stable. Enter the Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB DDR5.

While we do not expect to see amazing things with such a kit, Patriot showed us they are unafraid to hold back their 32GB kits. As many recently have been non-binary 48GB kits backed with M-die ICs, it has been quite a while since we tinkered with B-die DIMMs. Today is that day, and while we know what B-die is capable of, Patriot shows us that our preconceived boundaries for these ICs needed broadening. Even though we went on about lower speeds and the utmost stability, Patriot and their Viper Elite 5 RGB 7000MHz are about to show us that even if you are a more mainstream customer, they leave plenty of room for you to play with as you try your hand at attaining some free performance out of them.

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Breaking down the PVER532G70C38KW part number, we can tell a lot about this set of RAM. The PVER stands for Patriot Viper Elite RGB, and the 532G is about it being DDR5 with 32GB of density. Moving on, the 70 stands for 7000 MT/s, and the C38KW tells us the CAS 38 latency and that these sticks are white. Beyond that, this is a U-DIMM set with built-in ECC ability, as usual. White is the Elite 5 RGB backdrop, but Patriot went to the other end of the spectrum on the aluminum heat spreaders and diffusers and chose black as the accent color. However, as we saw at CES, they also have a yellow-orange accent option in the new TUF kits.

When the defaults are set in the BIOS, the PVER532G70C38KW will post at 4800 MHz with 42-40-40-77 2T timings, sipping 1.10VDIMM to do so. Those willing to make another trip to the BIOS and enable XMP will be greeted with their rated speed and timings of 7000 MHz and 38-48-48-88 2T timings, but this time requiring 1.45VDIMM to do so. Beyond the standard specifications, size sometimes matters, and the Patriot Viper Elite 5 is only 41.1mm tall, 133.5mm long, and 7.1mm thick. Each stick in the kit weighs 43.5 grams, and as all Patriot Viper RAM is, these are also backed with a limited lifetime warranty.

While the faster M-die kits are hit and miss for availability, this 32GB kit of Elite 5 RGB is everywhere we looked, and for a downright reasonable price, too. At both Amazon and Newegg, sold by Patriot, you can find a set just like what we are about to show for $129.99. The 32GB 7000 MHz market starts at this price point - RGB or no RGB. $ 129.99 is the bottom line of what this category of DDR5 is selling for. At the top end are the likes of the Corsair Dominator Titanium at over $200, but to be fair, the timings are slightly improved. With that in mind, not very many offerings come in white, and to get white, RGB, decent performance, and overclock-ability at a better-than-fair market value, you honestly should read on, as we feel this is a kit for anyone, and well worth your time.

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Packaging and Patriot Elite 5 RGB

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Opting for white on white, Patriot highlights an illuminated Viper Gaming Elite 5 RGB set in the center. At the top, on the left, is the logo, while on the right, we see the density and speed of the kit. Across the bottom is the name, including RGB, as the image shows.

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Flipping things around, we are told that these are DDR5 performance U-DIMM, XMP 3.0 ready, limited lifetime warranty kits in many languages. At the left is the product sticker and QR code for access to the patriot Viper Gaming site, their social media addresses, and various methods of RGB synchronization. To the right, we get a pair of windows allowing us to see the product stickers on the back of each stick and a partial view of what the front alludes to inside the box.

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Inside the cardboard box, you will find your sticks encased in plastic, protecting the finishes Patriot offers in the Elite 5 RGB and keeping static from wreaking havoc. Along with the memory, you will also get a sticker, which, in our case, will go on one of two sliding mirror doors in our office.

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With nothing to block the view, we get our first peek at the Viper Elite 5 RGB in all its glory. With uniquely shaped white heat spreaders and the black painted accents following some of those body lines, the Viper Elite 5 RGB has an individualized appeal we do not see from other companies. With so much white going on here, the black accent at the left with the Viper name and the large black Viper head logo is the right way to go with the aesthetic.

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Even though we saw this through the packaging, we like to show the product stickers. The PVER532G70C38KW part number is displayed above the density, speed, CAS latency, and voltage requirement. It also tells us not to remove these stickers, that they are made in Taiwan, and we also see a serial number under the bar code.

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In a more typical orientation to what they may look like in a system, we are one for the notch, as even something so little can drastically change appeal. We also love that the Viper name is visible from all angles, ensuring anyone who sees your RAM immediately knows who made it.

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We said from all angles, and the Viper name on the top surface of the diffuser ensures a head-on view is just as informative. We also like that there are no drastic shape changes or breaks where the spreaders might cover the diffusers, as the RGB lighting can do its unimpeded best.

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Again, we never advise you to open your RAM, but we do to show what is under the aluminum. In this instance, we found a Richtek 0d-9E PMIC, which is unlocked and should be perfect for our needs. The ICs are Hynix B-die, but Patriot whitewashes the ICs for binning purposes and uses a PM2G805BU-480 part number on these sticks.

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Upon the first boot attempt for images, we started with red illumination, which started at the center and extended to the ends in a bullseye pattern. Once things settle down, the default RGB pattern is what we see here, where the colors again start at the center and work their way to the edges with smooth color transitions and no visible hotspots.

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For some odd reason, Thaipoon Burner did not want to function properly, but we could grab the Mem TweakIt screenshot to help show what was happening behind the scenes. The initial timings are loser than we would like, but it does ensure stability at this speed. We also see the tRFC is low, as is the tREFi, but could be lowered for additional performance, should you tinker around with the memory timings.

Test System Details

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To obtain the Intel CPU-Z screenshots, you will see directly following this image; this is the system we used to do it, as well as to get the results seen in the following pages. Thanks to ASUS, Intel, be quiet!, MSI, EKWB, and Sabrent for supporting us with this venture. Detailed specifications of the system can be found below.

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After clearing CMOS and enabling XMP, we boot to Windows and find that the Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB gives us what we expected to see. All is well with the speed at 7000 MHz and the 38-48-48-88 2T timings. Our APEX Encore set the VDIMM at 1.45V, as it should be, but the SA was 1.233V, and the MC was set to 1.385V.

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Bumping the VDD and VDDq to 1.55V, the B-die comes to life when attempting to tighten the timings. As you see, we had no issues with stability as our Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB tuned down to 32-44-44-88 2T without any hassle.

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We got decent results by switching back to the XMP 3.0 timing set and attempting to shoot for the stars for speed. Strike that. These are great results, as not many kits offer a 733 MHz bump with as little effort as we had done here. That leaves out Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB sitting at 7733 MHz, which is, again, stable.

Chad's Intel DDR5 Dual-Channel Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Maximus Z790 APEX Encore - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i9 14900K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB - Buy from Amazon
• Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming Trio 24G - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4 PLUS-G 4TB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: Custom Thermaltake Core P3 TG
• Power Supply: be quiet! DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Home - Buy from Amazon

Intel Performance

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Using AIDA64 to start our testing, the read performance is where we expect them to land. At 107,866, they are ever so slightly behind the Corsair kit with C34 but are ahead of the Fury Renegade RGB, and that kit is plain faster. Opting for the lower timings, we did gain 859 MB/s over XMP, but that added speed at 7733 MHz delivered a 9475 MB/s advantage over XMP.

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The XMP 3.0 settings have Patriot in the same spot yet again, but we got 91,926 MB/s in write performance this time. With tighter timings, we pass Corsair, with the difference to XMP being 1228 MB/s this time. Increasing the speed nets us a boost of 7538 MB/s beyond what the XMP settings offer.

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Looking at the copy performance in AID64, we find Patriot in the same spot, right between the Corsair and Kingston kits at 95,704 MB/s. With lowered timings, we gained 2069 MB/s over XMP, but with more speed, that gap changes to 7812 MB/s.

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Latency is quite good for the speed and timings the Elite 5 RGB comes with. Ever so slightly behind Corsair at 65.1 ns is where XMP gets us. The 64.1 ns of the CAS32 option is also quite good, but the 61.7 ns of the 7733 MHz option is very close to some of the best we have seen.

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Super Pi results can be seen as mediocre at first glance, but look at who they beat. Not only are the Kingston lower on the chart, but these sticks surpassed the much faster TEAM Narvi black kit. Times did improve with some tinkering, and while tighter timings have an advantage, we got the lowest time with more speed added to the equation.

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PCMark 10 is the story of efficiency in how a kit is programmed. At 9964, things seem bleak, but remember that the Narvic Black did worse. We broke into the 10k scores by reducing the timings but took third place at 10,043 at 7733 MHz.

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Running file compression through 7-Zip, the Patriot Viper Elite 5 RGB falls into place at 169 seconds to complete the nearly 8GB of files. We reduced that time by another four and a half seconds with tighter timings but took an astounding twelve-point-one seconds off that time using the 7733MHz we got from it.

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Ahndbrake and transcoding were a bit tougher on Patriot and their XMP profile. While the score is near the bottom, it is still better than Kingston could do with more speed at hand. At CAS 32, we could lower that time by an additional three-point-four seconds, but getting the six-point-three second advantage with more speed is almost unheard of for this test.

Final Thoughts

Out of the box, the white-and-black appeal is something that needs addressing. There are few solutions for those looking for that all-white theme, and many are just white copies of kits that are not great for their categories' performance. Patriot delivers the entire mix of things users want in their DDR5 without skipping anything. You get RGB, you get performance for the speed, and even while you may assume the timings could be better, pulling ahead of the faster Fury kit and even comparable to the much faster Narvic Black in a couple of metrics is Patriot playing above their pay grade with the Viper Elite 5 RGB that we have in hand. While they may not be the latest in non-binary DDR5, it shows how well the good old B-die kits still are in a world where M-die is heralded as the new king of ICs.

Back to Patriot's competition in the charts. While Corsair may have done slightly better, you need to consider it uses an XMP profile with 34-42-42-96 2T, so in all respects, it should outperform this Patriot RAM. However, the Fury Renegade RGB should be above Patriot, and they weren't. There is no world where the Viper Elite 5 RGB at 7000 MHz should outpace the TEAM T-Force Xtreem Narvic Black at 8200 MHz, but it did.

Overclocking flexibility is also a huge plus for our Viper Elite 5 RGB. Considering we could go from 38-48-48-88 2T down to 34-44-44-88 2T with a tenth of a volt applied to VDD and VDDq, and changing some number in the BIOS is terrific. More than what M-die will move, it is nice to get back to the B-die and be impressed with the flexibility we have in this aspect. We also never expected to get 733 MHz more out of these sticks, again simply with a little additional voltage and changing the speed in BIOS. With virtually no effort, you can get tremendous results, and we just barely scratched the surface, as this kit will keep scaling with more voltage, but it is beyond the scope of how we do our reviews. The best part is that at no time did overclocking options lose to the XMP profile, so either way you decide to go, the effort is worth the time invested to tinker with them.

On top of all the greatness we have been going on about, there is one last thing to consider: cost. The current market shows us that no matter what you like in styling, any 7000MHz kits with 32 GB of density start at $129.99 and work through and past the $200 mark. So you get stunning-looking sticks with some of the best RGB in the game and can get them at rock-bottom pricing, as they list at $129.99 at Amazon and Newegg. In all honesty, we could not ask for more, as Patriot and their Viper Elite 5 RGB delivered in all respects and have impressed us beyond what we assumed was possible from this set of DDR5.