G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal 64GB DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory Kit Review

G.Skill is back with the Royal series RAM that, in the last generations, made the most noise amongst gamers and enthusiasts due to its unique and elite design. G.Skill made us wait for its top series for a long time as DDR5 is already available for nearly three chipset generations. DDR5 modules get improved Royal heatsinks with fantastic RGB illumination, but for most users, the most important is what’s underneath. As you expect, the Royal series is built on premium ICs, but I won’t tell you everything in the introduction, and you have to read our review to find out more.

Because of the delays with the AMD 9000 Ryzen series processors, we will stick with the Intel test rig for which the reviewed memory kit was designed. We also asked G.Skill for the highest available dual-rank kit, as all previous DDR5 memory reviews were based on single-rank kits. Some readers were curious about how ranks affect modern games and other applications. G.Skill was so kind as to send us a 64GB DDR5-6400 CL32 kit, and we will show you how much you can expect from this kit.

Let’s begin with the specifications and features of the new G.Skill Royal memory kit.

Specifications and Features

Trident Z5 Royal is the luxury-class of extreme overclock performance DDR5 memory designed for Intel platforms, featuring a crown jewel design with a crystalline light bar for a magnificent display of customizable RGB lighting and electroplated aluminum heatspreaders with a mirrored finish in gold or silver colors.

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

Key Features

G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal Advert

Specifications

The tested Trident Z5 Royal memory kit contains two 32GB modules rated at 6400MT/s and tight timings of CL32-39-39-102. The XMP profile is programmed to use a voltage of 1.40V, which is still acceptable for even tight ITX PC cases with limited airflow.

As some readers may have guessed, the memory kit uses Hynix A-die IC, which is the only one that can handle such settings in 32GB modules. Two 32GB modules are dual-rank, which means in some applications they will be faster than 16GB or 24GB single-rank modules. On the other hand, they are harder to overclock and that’s why the 6400MT/s kit is the highest (so far) from the Trident Z5 family. I assume we will see one or two steps higher kits, so up to 6800MT/s around the same Hynix IC, but probably at more relaxed timings.

The tested G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal memory kit is designed for Intel chipsets and has programmed a single XMP profile. The day it arrived at our redaction, G.Skill released the Trident Z5 Neo series, designed for AMD Ryzen processors, with a programmed EXPO profile. G.Skill is not guaranteeing that, but our Royal kit works fine on ASUS B650E-I Gaming and Gigabyte B650E Master. The 6400MT/s is also the limit for a 1:1 IF/IMC ratio on modern AMD processors. However, this review will focus on Intel 14th gen. processors as the latest Intel offering, so we’re back on track with our thoughts.

The XMP timings are slightly tighter than those of some competitive memory kits, even single-rank. It suggests that the performance will be also slightly better, even though general specifications can be not much different. We won’t find many competitive 64GB 6400MT/s memory kits in stores as most brands decided to release only memory kits based on lower capacity modules – 16GB or 24GB.

It’s somehow strange as more users are starting to look after higher specified and higher capacity memory kits. We have to remember that applications are using more RAM nowadays and if we run multiple web browser tabs and additional software in the background, it’s not a surpruse today that 32GB RAM in use. This is why 48GB kits are getting more popular recently and going for a dual-rank 64GB is already nothing crazy.

Packaging and Product Photos

Packaging

The G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal DDR5 memory kit arrived in retail packaging. In a small, flat box, we will find two memory modules, an information card, a G.Skill logo sticker, and a small cloth to clean the heatsinks from fingerprints.

The package looks great and it suggests that inside we will find something high-end. It’s, in fact, an elite series that costs a premium. Considering the Royal series RAM is designed for enthusiasts and demanding gamers, it’s not for everyone. Understandably, some users won’t pay more for a unique design when they plan to hide the RAM in a PC case without a window. For those users, G.Skill has other RAM series at not much different settings.

G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal 64GB DDR5-6400 – Package 2

G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal 64GB DDR5-6400 – Package 3

G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal 64GB DDR5-6400 – Package 4

G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal 64GB DDR5-6400 – Package 5

The installation is 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 G.Skill website or the motherboard’s website.

Product Photos

Most of our readers know how the G.Skill Royal DDR4 series looks. Compared to the older version, the DDR5 series has a smoother finish and softer lines.  Also, the polishing quality and mirror finish effect seem better (even though it wasn’t bad before either).

I also noticed one thing which for most users isn’t so important but is worth mentioning as it’s one more improvement. The top edges of the heatsinks are not as sharp as they were in the DDR4 series. Even though the installation is simple, we have to put some pressure on installing modules and remember I cut my fingers once or twice with the DDR4 series. Nothing like that should happen with the DDR5 Royal memory. It’s nice to see improvements to an already great product.

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The new heatsinks look amazing. The Royal series heatsinks had little improvements, but they feel like a fresh new product. I wanted to ask G.Skill for the gold version, but it’s not available yet at 6400MT/s CL32. We will try to get back with a gold G.Skill Royal at interesting specifications in some time. On the other hand, the silver version matches better various motherboards. As always it also depends on other components.

The memory kit was manufactured in July 2024, what we can read on the label. We have a little delay with our review as it arrived at the end of July, but preparing everything for the review takes time.

RGB Illumination

RGB illumination is one of many strong points of the Royal memory series. G.Skill first started releasing crystalline top bars. Some other brands wanted to go a similar way, but the results were never as good as G.Skill’s. We can manage all the RGB modes from the motherboard’s software. G.Skill memory is fully compatible with all the leading motherboard brands like ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, or MSI, but also with less popular brands like Biostar or Colorful.

The test rig photos below present the RGB illumination. It perfectly matches used fans and other devices. It looks even better in reality. Especially when we use dynamic modes.

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Test Results

Stability at Rated Speed

The XMP profile was tested in the AIDA64 System Stability Test and passed without problems. There were multiple other tests and tests at overclocked settings that confirmed the high quality of the tested memory modules.

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. The results are easy to read and as we can see, it’s scaling great with memory frequency.

AIDA64 shows that we can expect better results from a dual-rank memory kit. The Royal kit shows 4-8GB/s higher bandwidth in memory read and copy than the KLEVV 6400MT/s CL32 kit which is single-rank. The latency is around 64ns, which is also great for an XMP profile. We have to remember that more standard memory series have 75-90ns latency at 6000-6400MT/s, so the Royal series brings quite an improvement out of the box.

PCMark10

PCMark 10 uses popular applications to perform tests close to daily tasks.
This benchmark suggests what we will see in most other benchmarks in our review. The Royal 6400MT/s kit is close in results to competitive 7200MT/s single-rank kits like the one presented in the comparison – Corsair Dominator Titanium. Our overclocking result is barely better than the XMP profile.

3DMark – Fire Strike Extreme

3DMark Fire Strike Extreme reacts well to RAM performance on our test rig.
The Royal memory shows it doesn’t need high frequency to beat higher-rated kits. UL benchmarks react well to the RAM specifications. It’s also a good sign for all those who don’t want to spend too much on the motherboard, and we know that manufacturers are only bumping the prices each generation. The G.Skill Royal at 6400MT/s should work fine on all, even cheaper motherboard series.

3DMark – Time Spy

In the Time Spy, we can see the same story as in the Fire Strike benchmark – the Royal memory at 6400MT/s achieves scores around single rank 7400-7600MT/s memory kits.

3DMark – Time Spy Extreme

In Time Spy Extreme results are slightly worse, but we can still count on scores around single-rank 7200MT/s kits.

Unigine Superposition

The Unigine Superposition benchmark is not reacting well to RAM performance. The Royal memory at the XMP profile still takes about the same spots as in Time Spy Extreme.

Final Fantasy XV Benchmark

The Final Fantasy XV Benchmark doesn’t show anything much different than the previous benchmarks.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

The Tomb Raider benchmark shows results not much different at single and dual-rank memory. Our results are still pretty good. For specific games at low display resolution, high-frequency memory kits seem to be a better choice.
We could gain 19FPS by overclocking our G.Skill Royal memory up to 7400MT/s. It shows that with a 48GB kit, we could go even higher and the Royal series has kits rated at 8000MT/s+ out of the box if we wish to get one.

Far Cry 6

Far Cry 6 presents about the same results as Tomb Raider. The Royal kit performs well, and better than the 6400MT/s KLEVV memory, but can’t pass higher frequency memory kits.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is the only game that gives us improvements because of the dual-rank memory design. The XMP profile of G.Skill Royal matches the FPS of the V-Color 8200MT/s kit. This is more than we could expect.

The performance of G.Skill Royal 6400MT/s memory is exceptional and better than expected. It’s faster than other popular 6400MT/s memory kits and in many tests, it could even beat higher-frequency memory kits. Considering it’s a 64GB kit, it feels like a good investment that balances high speed and high capacity in a unique high-end style.

There is always overclocking for users who expect more performance than at the manufacturer’s profiles. Let’s take a look at our results.

Overclocking

Temperatures and Voltages

The memory kit has the XMP profile set at 1.40V, which isn’t low, but perfectly fine for extended work. Since we tested it in the middle of the summer then the ambient temperature is higher, and we still could achieve pretty low temperatures of up to 64°C during long tests. The memory kit shouldn’t show any stability issues up to at least 75°C, so there is plenty of headroom for overclocking.
At 1.45V, sensors were showing about 3-4°C more, which is still a good result.

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.

DDR5-7400 CL36-46-46-54 1.45V

On our test platform, we could reach the 7400MT/s at quite tight timings. The required voltage was 1.45V, which isn’t a problem for daily work without additional airflow.

We could make the memory pass benchmarks at higher frequency, but we couldn’t fully stabilize it. We could set tighter timings, but lower CL requires a higher voltage and the test results don’t show significant performance gain. The presented overclocking result is not the highest possible setting. It’s more what you can expect without wasting too much time at still quite low voltages.

Our results prove that the G.Skill Royal besides the fantastic looks, has also a high overclocking potential. I’m sure that every computer enthusiast will have a lot of fun with this memory series.

If you are into overclocking, feel free to share your results on our forums.

Conclusion

G.Skill never disappoints and also this time we can count on a top-quality product that is perfectly designed for computer enthusiasts and gamers. During the tests, we had no problems with stability or compatibility. Everything was perfect, including RGB illumination. The tested G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal is faster than competitive memory kits and is even better than some other memory series at a higher frequency. We can also count on high overclocking potential – up to about 7400MT/s. Since the memory kit runs at lower frequencies compared to single-rank kits, we can use it on the most popular motherboards, and it should deliver optimal performance out of the box.

The G.Skill Trident Z Royale memory kit we covered costs $239.99 in the Newegg online store, which is surprisingly not as much as expected. The price is somewhere in the middle between the least and most expensive 64GB DDR5-6400 kits. It’s very reasonable for the elite Royal looks, compared to other G.Skill series, which we have to pay about $30 more. Anyone who doesn’t like RGB illumination or doesn’t want to pay a premium for mirror finish heatsinks can pick another G.Skill series and save some money.

The G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal 64GB DDR5-6400 CL32 memory kit is worth our recommendation thanks to its high performance, overclocking potential, top quality, exceptional design, and still reasonable price.

Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.

Bartosz Waluk – Woomack

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