L
ike many PC part
manufacturers,
Antec has
recently branched out
from cases and power
supplies and gotten into
the memory game,
although it has a fairly limited range of
modules compared with the likes of
Corsair. Its 5 Series modules don’t really
appear to stand out from the crowd either,
with a fairly unremarkable design.
To make matters worse, these kits are only
available in speeds up to 3000MHz, which
might be okay for a typical Intel PC, but they
won’t enable you to get the most out of the
latest AMD 3rd-gen Ryzen systems, which
benefit from faster memory. Despite these
shortcomings, though, the 3000MHz kit still
costs the same amount of money as most
other kits with higher speeds.
Under the hood you’ll find Micron B-die
chips, which are rated at latency timings of
16-18-18-36 at 1.35V and 3000MHz; these
are quite loose given the lowly frequency.
Still, if you need RGB lighting, but only have
room under your CPU cooler for short
memory modules, the Antec 5 Series may
well be what you’re looking for.ANTEC 5 SERIES /£109 inc VAT
SUPPLIER overclockers.co.ukWith a height of just 38mm, the Series 5
modules are among the shortest RGB DIMMs
we’ve tested. This means the DIMMs will clear
many large, overhanging CPU air coolers,
which won’t be true for most of the kits on test
this month, especially the gargantuan Team
Group Night Hawk RGB and Corsair Dominator
Platinum RGB. Meanwhile, the sides offer
large heatsinks, but overall there are certainly
better-looking modules on test this month.
Looking at the RGB Lighting, the 5 Series’
LEDs sit in diffusing plastic strips, and look
relatively vivid in terms of colour. There’s also
an offset metal strip, which splits the lighting
into two sections. It looks attractive, but the
asymmetry might be jarring for some people.
However, Antec’s web page only states
that the 5 Series’ lighting is compatible with
Asus’ Aura Sync software to control the
lighting patterns and colours, and no other
motherboard makers’ software, which would
make them very restrictive given there’s no
universal software from Antec as an alternative
either. However, the kit we tested worked
fine with our MSI motherboard’s Mystic Light
software, so we think Antec probably needs to
update its product page so that owners of non-
Asus motherboards aren’t put off.
In terms of performance, the Antec’s lower
memory speed, compared with other kits
on test, wasn’t an issue with our MSI Z390
test motherboard, but you’ll likely see some
performance improvements if you opt for
faster memory on an AMD 3rd-gen Ryzen
system, thanks to some of the inner workings
of the CPU being tied to memory speed.Unfortunately, though, the Micron B-die
chips didn’t take too kindly to overclocking,
hitting just 200MHz above their rated
frequency of 3000MHz, even once we’d
upped the DDR voltage to 1.4V. This was in
stark contrast to the ADATA XPG Spectrix
D60G 3200MHz kit, which costs less money
and managed to hit 3800MHz with its
Samsung B-die modules.Conclusion
The Antec 5 Series’ supremely low module
height will definitely offer greater compatibility
with large heatsinks that overhang your DIMM
slots, but it otherwise doesn’t do particularly
well against the competition. It’s too expensive
for the speeds on offer and overclocks poorly,
so you’re rather stuck in terms of frequency.
It isn’t available in particularly high speeds
either, making it especially unappealing to
owners of the latest AMD systems. The price
doesn’t reflect these limitations either, with
cheaper kits offering faster speeds, far more
overclocking potential and better RGB lighting.SPEC
Memory chip Micron B-die
Timings 16-18-18-36
Voltage 1.35V
Height (from base) 38mm
Stated software compatibility Asus AuraVERDICT
These short modules are good if you have a
large CPU cooler that overhangs your DIMM
slots, but they overclock poorly and need to
offer more at this price.SNOWBALL FIGHT
+ Attractive RGB lighting
+ Very low profileBLACK ICE- Better lighting
available elsewhere - Competing kits are
faster and cheaper - Unremarkable design
PERFORMANCE
25 / 30DESIGN
24 / 35OVERALL SCORE
72 %
VALUE
23 / 35LABS TEST / RGB MEMORY KITS
L
ikemanyPCpart
manufacturers,
Antechas
recentlybranchedout
fromcasesandpower
suppliesandgotteninto
thememorygame,
althoughit hasa fairlylimitedrangeof
modulescomparedwiththelikesof
Corsair.Its5 Seriesmodulesdon’treally
appeartostandoutfromthecrowdeither,
witha fairlyunremarkabledesign.
Tomakemattersworse,thesekitsareonly
availableinspeedsupto3000MHz,which
mightbeokayfora typicalIntelPC,butthey
won’tenableyoutogetthemostoutofthe
latestAMD3rd-genRyzensystems,which
benefitfromfastermemory.Despitethese
shortcomings,though,the3000MHzkitstill
coststhesameamountofmoneyasmost
otherkitswithhigherspeeds.
Underthehoodyou’llfindMicronB-die
chips,whichareratedatlatencytimingsof
16-18-18-36at1.35Vand3000MHz;these
arequiteloosegiventhelowlyfrequency.
Still,if youneedRGBlighting,butonlyhave
roomunderyourCPUcoolerforshort
memorymodules,theAntec5 Seriesmay
wellbewhatyou’relookingfor.
ANTEC5 SERIES/£109inc VAT
SUPPLIER overclockers.co.ukWith a height of just 38mm, the Series 5
modules are among the shortest RGB DIMMs
we’ve tested. This means the DIMMs will clear
many large, overhanging CPU air coolers,
which won’t be true for most of the kits on test
this month, especially the gargantuan Team
Group Night Hawk RGB and Corsair Dominator
Platinum RGB. Meanwhile, the sides offer
large heatsinks, but overall there are certainly
better-looking modules on test this month.
Looking at the RGB Lighting, the 5 Series’
LEDs sit in diffusing plastic strips, and look
relatively vivid in terms of colour. There’s also
an offset metal strip, which splits the lighting
into two sections. It looks attractive, but the
asymmetry might be jarring for some people.
However, Antec’s web page only states
that the 5 Series’ lighting is compatible with
Asus’ Aura Sync software to control the
lighting patterns and colours, and no other
motherboard makers’ software, which would
make them very restrictive given there’s no
universal software from Antec as an alternative
either. However, the kit we tested worked
fine with our MSI motherboard’s Mystic Light
software, so we think Antec probably needs to
update its product page so that owners of non-
Asus motherboards aren’t put off.
In terms of performance, the Antec’s lower
memory speed, compared with other kits
on test, wasn’t an issue with our MSI Z390
test motherboard, but you’ll likely see some
performance improvements if you opt for
faster memory on an AMD 3rd-gen Ryzen
system, thanks to some of the inner workings
of the CPU being tied to memory speed.Unfortunately, though, the Micron B-die
chips didn’t take too kindly to overclocking,
hitting just 200MHz above their rated
frequency of 3000MHz, even once we’d
upped the DDR voltage to 1.4V. This was in
stark contrast to the ADATA XPG Spectrix
D60G 3200MHz kit, which costs less money
and managed to hit 3800MHz with its
Samsung B-die modules.Conclusion
The Antec 5 Series’ supremely low module
height will definitely offer greater compatibility
with large heatsinks that overhang your DIMM
slots, but it otherwise doesn’t do particularly
well against the competition. It’s too expensive
for the speeds on offer and overclocks poorly,
so you’re rather stuck in terms of frequency.
It isn’t available in particularly high speeds
either, making it especially unappealing to
owners of the latest AMD systems. The price
doesn’t reflect these limitations either, with
cheaper kits offering faster speeds, far more
overclocking potential and better RGB lighting.SPEC
Memory chip Micron B-die
Timings 16-18-18-36
Voltage 1.35V
Height (from base) 38mm
Stated software compatibility Asus AuraVERDICT
These short modules are good if you have a
large CPU cooler that overhangs your DIMM
slots, but they overclock poorly and need to
offermoreatthisprice.SNOWBALL FIGHT
Attractive RGB lighting
Very low profile
BLACK ICE- Better lighting
available elsewhere - Competing kits are
faster and cheaper - Unremarkable design
PERFORMANCE
25 / 30DESIGN
24 / 35OVERALLSCORE
72 %
VALUE
23 / 35LABS TEST / RGB MEMORY KITS