On this review, we are taking a good look at the G.SKILL Trident Z RGB. We are specifically gawking at the F4-3600C16Q-32GTZR model. A Dual and Quad Channel capable kit of 4 with 8GB capacity each. This makes the memory kit compatible with Intel’s Dual and Quad Channel capable CPUs for the X299 platform.
The G.SKILL Trident Z RGB is a dedicated series of DDR4 DIMMs built specifically for the Intel HEDT systems. It is made to tackle the requirements of Intel’s latest X299 platform, with support of up to 3600MHz. It is RGB lighting enabled and is compatible with ASUS’ AURA technology for a seamless integration. Learn more from the official product page and get it at Amazon.
Table of Contents
Technical Specifications
The memory kit we got is a part of the vast Trident Z family of high performance DIMMs from G.SKILL. The Trident Z RGB family has frequencies ranging from 2400MHz up to 4266MHz; with 14 to 19 CAS Latency.
G.SKILL Trident Z RGB 3600MHz 32GB DDR4 Memory Kit | |
Series | Trident Z |
Generation | DDR4 |
Capacity | 32GB, 4x8GB |
Channels | Dual, Quad Channel |
Speed | 3600MHZ |
Latency | 16-16-16-36 |
Voltage | 1.35V |
Buffer | Unbuffered |
Error Correction | NON-ECC |
SPD Speed | 2133MHZ |
SPD Voltage | 1.20V |
Cooling | Passive, Heatsink |
Height | 44mm |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Features | Intel XMP 2.0 (Extreme Memory Profile) Ready
RGB Lighting |
Our kit is definitely among the top of the pack, with 3600 MHz of tested frequency and 16-16-16-36 timings. It is Intel XMP 2.0 certified but is intended to fully support Intel’s HEDT platforms.
Packaging and Accessories
The G.SKILL Trident Z RGB comes in a familiar packaging, though with a cutout this time to let us see a glimpse of the kit’s craftsmanship.
Bundled accessories are non existent, unless we’ll count the G.SKILL case badges and the internal shell.
Design, Build and Connectivity
The G.SKILL Trident Z RGB kit we got is shrouded in a combination of Black and Silver aluminum shells. Technically, the Trident Z RGB is a glorified Trident Z with a lighting bar instead of swap-able plastic bars.
With a height of around 44mm, the Trident Z RGB should be compatible with most tower and top down coolers. Each Trident Z RGB stick is a single rank module, with 8 banks of memory at 1GB each. Similar to the recent Flare X memory kit we tested.
There isn’t much to tell about the DIMMs other than their beauty and build quality. Truly well made products, featuring the expected quality assurance from G.SKILL.
Test Setup
The system performance shall be evaluated by various benchmarking tools and applications. We are testing this system with the high-performance settings enabled at the OS, with the default UEFI configuration. Background processes such as anti-virus and third-party applications are disabled as well. Outlined below are the applications and benchmark tools for reference:
TEST SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS | |
PROCESSOR | Intel Core i7-7800X |
MOTHERBOARD | MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC |
CPU COOLER | FSP Windale 6 |
MEMORY KIT | G.SKILL Trident Z RGB 3600MHz 8x4GB Kit |
GRAPHICS CARD | ASUS GTX 1060 STRIX OC 6GB |
INTERNAL STORAGE | Crucial BX200 480GB |
POWER SUPPLY | CORSAIR RM850X 850W |
DISPLAY | 27″ DELL U2715H + LG 43UF680T 4K UHD TV |
OPERATING SYSTEM | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
CPU AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE:
- Super PI – 32M Calculations
- wPrime – 32M and 1024M Calculations
- AIDA64 Extreme Edition – Memory Benchmark
PRODUCTIVITY PERFORMANCE:
- GIMP – 7 MB worth of image processing
- HandBrake – 150 MB MP4 to H.264 video encoding
- WinRAR – Internal benchmark tool
GAMING PERFORMANCE:
- Battlefield 4 – Ultra Settings | V-SYNC off
- DIRT: Rally – Ultra Settings | V-SYNC off
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Ultra Settings | HairWorks off | V-SYNC off
The F4-3600C16Q-32GTZR memory kit has a JEDEC standard of 2133MHz with default timings at 14-14-14-34 under 1.20v. At its XMP 2.0 settings, the Trident Z features a 3600 MHz frequency, together with a 16-16-16-36 timings under 1.35v.
We never had any problems with the Trident Z RGB on our MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC. Requiring us just to set the XMP settings and off we go on a good start.
CPU and Memory
Super PI is a single-threaded program that calculates pi to a specified number of digits after the decimal point. It is a widely used benchmark within the industry.
WPrime is a multi-threaded program that calculates a set number of square roots. It verifies the results by squaring them, then compares it with the original numbers.
The AIDA64 Memory Benchmark measure the data transfer bandwidth and latency of the system memory.
At 3600MHz, the Trident Z RGB showed us an excellent memory latency performance. The same thing goes with exceptional read, write and copy data rates from AIDA64. SuperPI performance is also excellent, allowing us to take a good look on how high frequency kits influence a system’s single-threaded performance.
Productivity
GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free and open-source image editing tool. A 7 MB worth of images is be processed and converted to gauge the system performance.
HandBrake is a free video encoding tool that supports a wide variety of media codecs. A 150MB worth MP4 video is converted using the H.264 codec to gauge the system performance.
WinRAR is a file archive utility that can create, view and unpack numerous archive file formats. The software’s built in benchmark tool is utilized to gauge the system performance.
Productivity performance showed us what the Trident Z could do in real world scenarios. We’ve got excellent compression speed with WinRAR, while HandBrake and GIMP only showed us marginal results.
Gaming
Battlefield 4 is Electronic Art’s popular First Person Shooter, running on the Frostbite 3 game engine developed by DICE. It utilizes the DirectX 11 and the Mantle API.
DIRT: Rally is CODEMASTER’s take on the rally racing game genre. It utilizes the EGO game engine with support for the DirectX 11 API.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is CDProjekt RED’s award-winning Action Adventure RPG. The Witcher 3 utilizes the REDengine 3 with DirectX 11 support.
We’ve got good performance gains on Battlefield 4 as far as 1% minimums are concerned. On The Witcher 3, we noticed 1% minimum and 99% average gains. There are no gains or what so ever at DiRT: Rally.
Conclusion
The G.SKILL Trident Z RGB at 3600MHz showed us what high frequency quad channel kits could do. Offering excellent data rates on our synthetic benchmarks while at the same time, providing good results on our applications. That includes most of our games and some real world benchmarks.
Admittedly, some gains are not that huge to begin with. But then again, the X299 platform is not that meticulous when it comes to memory frequency. It’s better to get a higher capacity kit over speed. With 32GB kindly laid out by this kit, you’re practically covered on that area.
Over all, the G.SKILL Trident Z RGB at 3600MHz is one fast and strikingly beautiful memory kit. At a sub $450 price point, it is one of the most expensive SKUs G.SKILL has to offer. But, if you’re looking for a trinity of clock speed, capacity and looks, this one perfectly got you covered.
G.SKILL Trident Z RGB 3600MHz 32GB DDR4 Memory Kit
Summary
Over all, the G.SKILL Trident Z RGB at 3600MHz is one fast and strikingly beautiful memory kit. At a sub $450 price point, it is one of the most expensive SKUs G.SKILL has to offer. But, if you’re looking for a trinity of clock speed, capacity and looks, this one perfectly got you covered.
Sir. Ask ko lang if I can mix ddr4 memory? For example. Ddr4 4gb and ddr4 8gb with same latency. Ok lang po ba yon?
It will work bro but not advisable.
Thank you sir. Nakaka-fry po ba ng board ang mixed ram?
Hindi naman bro. Usually babagsak yung ram sa frequency and timings provided ni JEDEC. Yun lang issue.
4