G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6800 Memory Kit Review

RAM frequencies are going up faster than expected, so we try to keep up and present you with the latest and fastest memory kits. Today’s review will focus on the Trident Z5 RGB memory kit, rated at DDR5-6800 and has 32GB capacity. We already know it’s fast, but you must read our review to find out how well it performs and overclocks.

Not many RAM manufacturers have had a reputation for top quality for as long as G.Skill. There is a good reason why computer enthusiasts and overclockers have G.Skill memory kits on top of their lists for long years. Even if you aren’t sure how the specific memory kit will overclock, then with this brand, you are sure that the declared specifications are optimal and won’t cause compatibility issues.

Specifications and Features

Trident Z5 RGB series DDR5 memory is designed for ultra-high performance on DDR5 platforms. Featuring a sleek and streamlined aluminum heatspreader design, available in metallic silver or matte black, the Trident Z5 RGB series DDR5 DRAM memory is the ideal choice to build a high-performance system.

The below key features come from G.Skill, and you can find them also on the product’s website.

Features

• Blazing Fast DDR5 Performance – Ushering in a new era of memory performance with ultra-fast data transfer speeds, the Trident Z5 RGB is engineered to high performance and quality standards. Each Trident Z5 RGB memory module is created from hand-screened DDR5 DRAM ICs to achieve high memory performance on DDR5 platforms.
• Extreme Memory Performance with Intel Core Platform – G.SKILL is dedicated to developing performance overclocked memory kits. Designed and optimized on the Intel Core platform, Trident Z5 RGB taps into the speed potential of DDR5 to bring a whole new level of performance to worldwide overclockers and PC enthusiasts.
• Premium Dual-Texture Heatspreader Design – The Trident Z5 family incorporates hypercar design elements into the iconic Trident heat spreader, creating a sleek and futuristic look. Featuring a black brushed aluminum strip inset into a metallic silver or matte black body and topped with a translucent RGB light bar optimized for smooth lighting, the Trident Z5 RGB is ideal for a wide variety of PC build themes.
• Streamlined RGB Light Bar – Designed with a streamlined light bar, the Trident Z5 RGB looks sleeker than ever. Featuring customizable RGB lighting through the G.SKILL lighting control software or supported third-party motherboard software, personalizing the colors and lighting effects of the Trident Z5 RGB is a breeze.
• Engineered for Exceptional DDR5 Experience – Every Trident Z5 RGB memory kit is tested under G.SKILL’s rigorous validation process to ensure outstanding quality. Sync Up with System LightingWant to sync up your system lighting? You can use Asus Aura, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light, or ASRock Polychrome Sync software to personalize the colors and effects of your Trident Z5 RGB memory and compatible motherboards!XMP 3.0 SupportJust set and go. Programmed with the latest Intel XMP 3.0 profiles, a simple BIOS setting is the only thing between you and overclocked performance.
• Limited Lifetime Warranty – All G.SKILL memory products come with a limited lifetime warranty. The G.SKILL technical team is always ready to provide consumers with complete technical support via online forums, telephone, and email.

G.Skill Trident Z5 Advert

Specifications

The Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 is available in kits that contain two 16GB modules. 32GB is more than enough for gamers and most other users, while G.Skill offers higher-capacity memory kits at lower frequencies or more relaxed timings.
The XMP profile worked fine on MSI MPG Z790I Edge, ASUS Strix Z690I-Gaming WIFI (with the latest BIOS), ASRock Z790 Steel Legend, and Gigabyte Z790 AORUS Elite AX. It’s not guaranteed to work on lower series Z690 or Z790 motherboards. We can’t expect it to work at the DDR5-6800 on new AMD motherboards, but it shouldn’t be a problem to set DDR5-6400 and tight timings for optimal results.

The Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 memory modules are rated to work at 1.40V, a relatively low voltage considering it works at CL34. The main reason for that is the new Hynix A-die IC which requires lower voltages to achieve the same settings as widely used Hynix M-die (most of our preview DDR5 reviews were based on Hynix M-die memory kits). Hynix A-die can be found almost only in DDR5-6800 or higher memory kits, such as the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 8000, which tends to be expensive.

Below is a screenshot from ASUS Mem TweakIt software showing a timing table. Timings are not the tightest, but they are already pretty fast for an XMP profile. As usual, it’s because of compatibility. We must remember that not all motherboards will support RAM with overly aggressive timings, so manufacturers have to know their limits. G.Skill is known for well-programmed XMP profiles, and as I already mentioned, we had no problems with this profile on multiple motherboards.

Packaging and Product Photos

Packaging

The Trident Z5 RGB kit arrived in retail packaging, a flat box. The package is similar to that of other G.Skill DDR5 memory kits, so there is no surprise here. In the box, we will find two well-protected memory modules, an info card telling us that it’s not recommended to mix memory kits if we want to be sure about stability, and a G.Skill logo sticker. A little surprise is with the sticker as it used to be red, while now it is black. We don’t need anything else for the installation as it’s straightforward, and most users won’t have problems. Those who aren’t sure how to install memory modules on the motherboard should look at the user manual available on the manufacturer’s website.

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6800 CL34 – Package 1

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6800 CL34 – Package 2

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6800 CL34 – Package 3

RAM modules

Trident Z5 memory has already been with us for some months, so we know how it looks. There haven’t been any changes in higher memory kits, so we still have the same well-designed aluminum heatsinks and bright light bars on the top.

The height of the heatsinks is just right for most popular CPU coolers – 42mm (1.65 inches). It’s not such a big problem recently as most cooler manufacturers redesigned their products so they won’t interfere with tall RAM modules, and also liquid coolers are much more popular.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

RGB Illumination

The RGB illumination works without issues on ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, and MSI motherboards. In each case, you will need the motherboard manufacturer’s software to make it work. The illumination runs in rainbow mode by default (without any software).

Below are some test rig photos with RGB illumination on the Gigabyte Z790 AORUS Elite AX and ASUS Crosshair X670E Gene motherboards.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

LEDs are bright, and the light bar is evenly illuminated. All the colors are perfectly synchronized with other light sources on the motherboard, fans, and graphics card.

Test Results

Since the DDR5-6800 is already high frequency and we wanted to add to the comparison an even higher frequency, then for tests has been used MSI Z790I Edge motherboard, which is compatible with DDR5 up to 8000MT/s.

Stability at Rated Speed

The XMP profile was tested in AIDA64 System Stability Test and passed without problems.

Comparison Tests

Tests were performed on popular synthetic benchmarks and benchmarks included in popular games. The list consists of tests that react well to memory performance. Older popular benchmarks and tests based on pure CPU performance were skipped as we wouldn’t see any difference.

For readers’ convenience, I added the overclocking result for comparison so you see if it’s worth the overclocking.

Benchmarks list includes:

• AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark
• PCMark 10 – default benchmark
• 3DMark: Time Spy, Time Spy Extreme, and Fire Strike Extreme
• Superposition Benchmark – 8K Optimized
• Final Fantasy XV Benchmark – 4K High Details
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 1080p, high details, default benchmark
• Far Cry 6 – 1440p, high details, default benchmark
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – 1440p, high details, default benchmark 

AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark

AIDA64 offers us the most popular synthetic memory benchmark. Results are easy to read; as we can see, it’s scaling great with memory frequency.

Our results are very high, with over 100GB/s out-of-the-box memory read. Overclocked results are much more impressive, but we will have to wait until an average gaming PC reaches this bandwidth. G.Skill offers DDR5-8000 kits at more relaxed timings and lower voltages than our overclocked settings, so if you wish to achieve a stable 8000MT/s, then the only issue can be the price of the whole setup that may handle it.

PCMark10

PCMark 10 uses popular applications to perform tests close to daily tasks. Even though results are slightly different, you wouldn’t notice any difference when translated into daily work.

3DMark – Fire Strike Extreme

The new CPU series probably is the main reason why the performance gain in our 3DMark results is higher than expected. It’s still not a huge difference, but competitive overclockers would benefit from the high-frequency memory kits.

3DMark Time Spy

The Time Spy results are already close, but we can still tell that the higher frequency is faster.

3DMark Time Spy Extreme

In Time Spy Extreme, the story repeats. The Trident Z5 beats other memory kits, as expected.

Unigine Superposition

Results in the Unigine Superposition benchmark are better than expected at DDR5-6800, and our overclocked result. This benchmark is usually not reacting well to RAM speed, but this time we can see over 140 points difference between the slowest and the fastest memory kit in the comparison.

Final Fantasy XV Benchmark

The Final Fantasy XV Benchmark suggests a trend visible in most other benchmarks. The higher the frequency, the higher the performance. On the other hand, similar to the Unigine benchmark, these results are close to the margin of error.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

In games at lower display resolutions, like 1080p in the Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we can see even 20FPS gain because of RAM speed. Again, I’m surprised at the additional gain from overclocking the Trident Z5 memory kit.

Far Cry 6

In Far Cry 6, overclocking gave us only 1FPS, so as we see, faster RAM usually doesn’t mean much, as even at DDR5-6000, it’s fast. Lower frequency memory kits at tighter timings can be an answer to reduce costs and keep high performance. Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 CL30 kit proves it’s still fast in games.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

It looks a bit better in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, where we could reach 108FPS and an additional 4FPS by overclocking up to 8000MT/s.

One more time, we can see that DDR5 is already fast, so further overclocking doesn’t give us as much as we could expect. It’s still free additional performance, especially when DDR5 memory kits are getting cheaper daily.

There is always overclocking for users who expect more performance than using XMP settings. Let’s take a look at our results.

Overclocking

Temperatures and Voltages

The Trident Z5 RGB uses Hynix A-die IC, which runs higher at the same voltages as Hynix M-die, the most popular IC in 6000-6600MT/s kits. Both ICs are scaling well with the voltage up to a point when temperatures will limit us. The thermal limits of the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 kit are about the same as previous Hynix IC memory kits, so we should keep it below 65°C (better if lower) if we want to overclock it to higher speeds.

For daily overclocking, including games, I’m not recommending anything above 1.45V as the performance gain at tighter timings, or higher frequency won’t be apparent. At the same time, memory may generate random errors, or we may require direct cooling or multiple push-pull fans in the PC to force good airflow. As long as we have a good motherboard, 1.40V will be enough for even DDR5-7600 but at more relaxed timings.

DDR5-8000 CL34-45-45-58 1.55V

On our test platform, we could reach the DDR5-8000 at tight timings, but the required voltage was 1.55V. Since there was good airflow, then we had no problem with overheating.

Tertiary timings could still go lower, but there was little change in performance, and our motherboard was starting to have random booting problems, so I skipped that. We could achieve 47ns latency with additional tuning, but stability became an issue.

The tested DDR5-6800 kit can run at about the same timings as retail DDR5-8000 CL38 kits. For that, it won’t require such high voltages and is much easier to stabilize. Of course, there is no guarantee that every memory kit will overclock the same, while higher frequency memory kits have that guaranteed by the manufacturer.

If we can’t reach DDR5-8000, we can count on DDR5-6800 at CL30, DDR5-7200 at CL32, or DDR5-7600 at CL34. All these settings will provide a similar gaming experience. Most Z790 motherboards are limited to about DDR5-7200, so to make something more, one of the few top models are required, and they cost a lot. The MSI Z790I Edge we used is one of the cheapest motherboards with high RAM frequency support, but it still doesn’t guarantee DDR5-8000.
If we use more robust motherboards like ASUS Apex, we can probably reach DDR5-8400+, but for our tests, this motherboard was unavailable, and the MSI Z790I Edge is limited to DDR5-8000. It doesn’t change the fact that the overclocking potential of our memory kit is very high, and the results are excellent.

Since prices are decreasing, the Trident Z5 DDR5-6800 will be significantly popular in the upcoming weeks. If you are into overclocking, feel free to share your results on our forums.

Conclusion

G.Skill delivered another well-designed memory kit, which is also one of the cheapest memory kits with the latest Hynix A-die IC. Overclockers know it’s good news, and prices are constantly decreasing. The tested memory kit costs $259.99 in the Newegg online store. If we look at what we could buy at this price in the last months, then it’s inexpensive, and I’m sure that many of our readers already think of ordering one of these kits.

The memory kit looks fantastic, performs exceptionally well, and has high overclocking potential. There were also no problems with compatibility or stability during tests. The XMP profile was fully compatible with ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, and MSI motherboards. Also, RGB illumination was working without issues.

Since higher frequency Trident Z5 memory kits have at least 32GB capacity, we can be sure we won’t need to add more for a long time. One more time, G.Skill proved why it’s so loved by the community of overclockers and computer enthusiasts. High speed, full compatibility, and stability. You can’t go wrong with G.Skill RAM. One more Approved Stamp goes to G.Skill. This time for the exceptional Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6800 CL34 memory kit!

Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.

Bartosz Waluk – Woomack

Related Articles

• G.Skill Trident Z5 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory Kit Review
• ADATA XPG Caster RGB 32GB DDR5-6400 Memory Kit Review
• Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6600 CL32 Memory Kit Review
• V-Color Manta XSky 32GB DDR5-6600 Memory Kit Review
• Silicon Power XPOWER Zenith 32GB DDR5-5600 CL40 Memory Kit Review