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Recently we had a chance to take a closer look at the Patriot Signature Line memory kit. This time it will be something for more demanding users in the Patriot Viper RGB DDR4-3200. This memory has the optimal frequency for most modern computers and also RGB illumination so perfectly fits the gaming environment.
Before we move to the specifications and features, let’s read a word from Patriot about the Viper RGB memory series.
ENHANCE YOUR BUILD.
Patriot’s Viper RGB Series memory modules are designed with extreme performance. Built and tested for the latest Intel and AMD platforms. The bright RGB lighting brings a colorful dimension to any build and will take it to the next level.With a unique aluminum heatshield and aggressive design, the Viper RGB Series will look good in any build. The aluminum heatshield offers superior heat dissipation to ensure excellent performance, even when using demanding applications. The 5 RGB lighting zones are all fully customizable with our easy to use Viper RGB Software.The Viper RGB Series is suited with XMP 2.0 support for automatic overclocking and compatible with lead motherboard partners’ RGB sync applications. The Viper RGB Series DRAM has the most competitive and aggressive specifications in the Patriot OC DRAM product lines and is available with either a white or black heatshield.
Specifications and Features
FEATURES:
• Series: Viper RGB
• Edition: Black sides with Silver Viper logo
• Aluminum heat spreader with a unique and specific design element
• Feature Overclock: XMP 2.0 support for automatic overclocking
• Easy to use software application
• 5 Customizable RGB zones to add some flare to your PC
• Compatibility: Tested across the latest Intel and AMD platforms for reliably fast performance
• Compatible with lead motherboard partners’ RGB Sync application
• Limited lifetime warranty
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Capacity: 16GB (2 x 8GB)
• Base Frequency: PC4-17000 (2133MHz)
• Base Timings: 15-15-15-36
• Tested Frequency: PC4-25600 (3200MHz)
• Tested Timings: 16-18-18-36
• Voltage: 1.35V
• Format: NON-ECC Unbuffered DIMM
• Pin Out: 288-Pin
The tested memory kit contains two 8GB memory modules rated at DDR4-3200 and typical for this frequency main timings of CL16-18-18-36. The SPD profile is DDR4-2133 CL15-15-15-36 so also close to popular values for this type of memory.
What is less popular is used memory IC. Here we have Nanya A-die. More details about it are found below in the screenshot taken from Thaiphoon Burner software.
The memory has no problems to run at its rated speed. There were also no problems with compatibility on ASRock, ASUS and Gigabyte motherboards.
Below you can see over a 22-hour stability test in AIDA64. That amount of time is more than enough to say that our memory has no problems with stability since AIDA64 uses most of the available RAM.
Packaging and Product Photos
The Viper RGB memory arrived in a small and flat but flashy box. It clearly shows that inside, we will find RGB gaming memory. On the package, we also find all the required data about the product and its support.
Inside the package, we will find two memory modules, two Viper Gaming stickers and a short user’s manual.
The Viper RGB has an original design that points out the Viper Gaming logo. The design is, of course, a matter of personal preference, but it fits into gaming components so it should present great in a gaming PC.
The heatsinks are tall so we have to remember about the size of the CPU cooler. Most manufacturers take care of that, but there are still brands that are releasing large cooling solutions that can get in the way of your RAM.
One of the key features is, of course, RGB lighting. Below you can see how it looks in various modes. The memory is compatible with all leading motherboard brands so it shouldn’t be a problem to manage lighting modes on ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, or MSI.
The standard RGB mode is called Viper which you find in Gigabyte RGB software. The motherboard even sees that used memory is the Patriot Viper brand.
Below are additional screenshots from RGB Fusion 2.0 software where you can see available modes.
Performance
Let’s begin tests as it’s more important than how the memory presents on the motherboard.
The Viper RGB DDR4-3200 didn’t want to run stable above DDR4-3600 and didn’t really like higher voltages or tighter timings. Also, more relaxed timings couldn’t run much higher. Settings listed below seem optimal for this memory kit.
As usual, I will begin with the AIDA64 memory and cache benchmark. It’s the most popular and probably the best synthetic memory performance benchmark.
Depends on settings, we can see up to 10% higher bandwidth while the difference between settings is going up to 15%. The XMP is pretty good, but the latency could be better.
In 7Zip there is over 4% performance increase after overclocking. Not bad but not always worth it if we are using PC for work. XMP settings also perform not bad considering lower frequency. I guess that barely anyone would notice a real difference if not these numbers.
Compression results are slightly lower than we could see in previous Patriot review when we were testing the Signature Line memory, which was in the dual-rank configuration. Everything else shows apparent performance increase because of higher frequency and lower latency.
Results in the 3DMark series from UL are not much different regardless of memory settings. It’s a typical situation as memory performance in these benchmarks mostly affect CPU and physics tests.
What is interesting, results in PCMark 10 are also not much different in all our settings. Usually, there is a higher difference between the slowest and fastest setting. On the other hand, it shows that the XMP is performing well and isn’t much slower than the overclocked memory.
Another benchmark and also not a big surprise are that the scores in Cinebench R15 and R20 are higher than on Patriot Signature Line DDR4-2666 memory reviewed previously. At the same time, anything at DDR4-3000 or higher clock gives not much better results. Those who are into rendering may invest in higher memory capacity rather than top speed memory.
The last tests are related to popular games and virtual reality.
Depends on memory settings we can see up to 2FPS better results. Considering that our tests are passing 90FPS, then it’s not much. Those users who are not into memory overclocking can enjoy a high performance at XMP settings. The time required for stability tests can be used to play a favorite game.
Overclocking
Overclocking is never guaranteed, so the presented results may vary from results on other memory kits. I am not recommending overclocking if you do not know what are you doing. High voltages may damage hardware, and it will not be covered by warranty.
Because of the used Nanya A-die IC, our overclocking results are not the highest. We were able to achieve a sufficiently stable DDR4-3600 CL16 setting, so it’s still good news for AMD Ryzen users.
As I already mentioned earlier, the Viper RGB DDR4-3200 couldn’t run at much tighter timings or higher frequency. It also didn’t like higher voltages, so it wasn’t possible to set anything higher than what you already see in this review.
I assume that not all Viper RGB DDR4-3200 are on the same memory IC and may offer a higher overclocking potential. Overclocking is often a matter of luck and doesn’t describe the whole product line. I still think that most users will be satisfied with the results that we achieved.
Conclusion
Patriot Viper RGB 16GB DDR4-3200 is an interesting memory kit and could easily be recommended for all users, especially gamers. The Viper Gaming series, as its name suggests, is designed for gamers and is not a coincidence that we will find many features that are important for this specific group of users. The Viper RGB Memory kits are stable, fast, and offers exceptional looking lighting effects. Pretty much everything that gamers want nowadays.
We had no problems with the stability of the memory. Even though in this review we’ve used a Gigabyte motherboard then additional tests were also made on ASRock and ASUS motherboards. On all these brands, everything was working great and were no issues with XMP compatibility.
We would like to see higher overclocking results, but it’s never guaranteed. The memory performs well even at XMP settings, so there’s no need to adjust any timings manually. There is still some overclocking headroom which should be sufficient for AMD Ryzen users.
The Viper RGB 16GB DDR4-3200 CL16 is one of the least expensive memory kits on the market which also offers RGB illumination. We can find this memory in most popular computer hardware stores. Amazon is selling the reviewed memory kit for less than $90. This is a good option if we don’t want to spend too much and still enjoy memory with gaming features and RGB lighting.
Bartosz Waluk – Woomack
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