Custom PC - UK (2020-04)

I

t was lucky that G.Skill was using

Samsung B-die memory in its

Trident Z modules when Ryzen

hit the shelves back in 2017. That first

generation of Ryzen CPUs and AM4

motherboards were a bit finickity when it

came to memory, and they worked best

with those Samsung chips. As such, G.Skill

became one of the go-to choices. It was

also one of the first to offer cableless RGB

lighting and at decent speeds too.

The memory compatibility issues of

2017 and 2018 have long since died away,

but Trident Z remains highly popular and

continues to be one of our favourite kits.

What’s perhaps surprising, though, is that

the original Trident Z RGB kits are still readily

available, so we felt it necessary to fully

reassess their capabilities. The question is,

how well have they aged?

G.Skill is still using the same basic design

that’s largely carried into its outrageous Royal

modules that we also looked at this month.

A key benefit is that their height is kept to

44mm, which is significantly shorter than

either of Corsair’s modules in this test. Even

so, this is still potentially too tall for some CPU

coolers, so it’s still best to check compatibility

before you buy. The modules are attractive

G.SKILL TRIDENT

Z RGB /£95 inc VAT

SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

with or without lighting too, thanks to the

striking brushed aluminium side plates,

but like Corsair’s Vengeance RGB Pro, they

look best stacked together. Sadly, G.Skill

doesn’t offer dummy modules so you’ll

need to delve a little deeper into your wallet

to achieve that look here, especially with a

quad-channel motherboard.

Whether you opt for dual or quad-

channel, there are plenty of speeds

available, ranging from 2400MHz up to

4000MHz, although some can be tricky to

track down in the UK. As usual, under the

hood are Samsung B-die chips and these

have timings of 16-18-18-38 at our kit’s

rated 3200MHz frequency. We upped the

DDR voltage to 1.4V to see how far we could

push them and managed a respectable but

not amazing 3466MHz – far short of the

ADATA XPG Spectrix D60G, which despite

also sporting 3200MHz Samsung B-die

chips, managed 3800MHz.

To control the RGB lighting, you’ll need to

use either ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte or MSI’s

RGB software, where you’ll get varying

levels of control over the modules. There’s

the option to use a vast array of static colour

options as well as half a dozen or more

lighting effects. The overall look is excellent,

making for some of the best-looking RGB

DIMMs out there, which is more than we can

say for the garish Trident Z Royals.

Conclusion

The G.Skill Trident Z RGB modules still have

a lot going for them and now that memory

prices have calmed, you’ll have change from

£100 for the 3200MHz kit we tested.

The lighting looks fantastic in the wake

of fresh competition, and you can use your

motherboard’s RGB software to control

the modules and synchronise it to your

motherboard lighting. While they’re not as

low-profile as the Antec 5 Series, they’re still

compact and would be our first port of call if

compatibility was a priority for a large heatsink.

Available in a range of speeds, we prefer them

to G.Skill’s Trident Z Royal, although Corsair

and ADATA pip G.Skill to the post with cheaper,

faster, better-looking options.

VERDICT

Still a fantastic memory kit, but our 3200MHz

sample had limited overclocking headroom.

ZORRO

+^ Great lighting

+^ Flexible software^

control

+^ Low price

ZZZZZ

-^ Average overclocking
-^ Aging design
-^ The competition’s
lighting is slightly better

PERFORMANCE

25 / 30

DESIGN

29 / 35

OVERALL SCORE

82 %%

VALUE

28 / 35

SPEC

Memory chip Samsung B-die

Timings 16-18-18-38

Voltage 1.35V

Height (from base) 44mm

Stated software compatibility Asus

Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI

Mystic Light, ASRock RGB LED

I

t wasluckythatG.Skillwasusing
SamsungB-diememoryinits
TridentZ moduleswhenRyzen
hittheshelvesbackin2017.Thatfirst
generationofRyzenCPUsandAM4
motherboardswerea bitfinickitywhenit
cametomemory,andtheyworkedbest
withthose Samsung chips. As such, G.Skill
became one of the go-to choices. It was
also one of the first to offer cableless RGB
lighting and at decent speeds too.
The memory compatibility issues of
2017 and 2018 have long since died away,
but Trident Z remains highly popular and
continues to be one of our favourite kits.
What’s perhaps surprising, though, is that
the original Trident Z RGB kits are still readily
available, so we felt it necessary to fully
reassess their capabilities. The question is,
how well have they aged?
G.Skill is still using the same basic design
that’s largely carried into its outrageous Royal
modules that we also looked at this month.
A key benefit is that their height is kept to
44mm, which is significantly shorter than
either of Corsair’s modules in this test. Even
so, this is still potentially too tall for some CPU
coolers, so it’s still best to check compatibility
before you buy. The modules are attractive

G.SKILL TRIDENT

Z RGB/£95inc VAT

SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

with or without lighting too, thanks to the

striking brushed aluminium side plates,

but like Corsair’s Vengeance RGB Pro, they

look best stacked together. Sadly, G.Skill

doesn’tofferdummymodulessoyou’ll

needtodelvea little deeper into your wallet

to achieve that look here, especially with a

quad-channel motherboard.

Whether you opt for dual or quad-

channel, there are plenty of speeds

available, ranging from 2400MHz up to

4000MHz, although some can be tricky to

track down in the UK. As usual, under the

hood are Samsung B-die chips and these

have timings of 16-18-18-38 at our kit’s

rated 3200MHz frequency. We upped the

DDR voltage to 1.4V to see how far we could

push them and managed a respectable but

not amazing 3466MHz – far short of the

ADATA XPG Spectrix D60G, which despite

also sporting 3200MHz Samsung B-die

chips, managed 3800MHz.

To control the RGB lighting, you’ll need to

use either ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte or MSI’s

RGB software, where you’ll get varying

levels of control over the modules. There’s

the option to use a vast array of static colour

options as well as half a dozen or more

lighting effects. The overall look is excellent,

making for some of the best-looking RGB

DIMMs out there, which is more than we can

say for the garish Trident Z Royals.

Conclusion

The G.Skill Trident Z RGB modules still have

a lot going for them and now that memory

prices have calmed, you’ll have change from

£100 for the 3200MHz kit we tested.

The lighting looks fantastic in the wake

of fresh competition, and you can use your

motherboard’s RGB software to control

the modules and synchronise it to your

motherboard lighting. While they’re not as

low-profile as the Antec 5 Series, they’re still

compact and would be our first port of call if

compatibility was a priority for a large heatsink.

Available in a range of speeds, we prefer them

to G.Skill’s Trident Z Royal, although Corsair

and ADATA pip G.Skill to the post with cheaper,

faster, better-looking options.

VERDICT

Still a fantastic memory kit, but our 3200MHz

sample had limited overclocking headroom.

ZORRO

+Greatlighting

+Flexiblesoftware

control

+Low price

ZZZZZ

• Averageoverclocking


• Agingdesign


• The competition’s
  lighting is slightly better

PERFORMANCE

25 / 30

DESIGN

29 / 35

OVERALLSCORE

82 %%

VALUE

28 / 35

SPEC

Memory chip Samsung B-die

Timings 16-18-18-38

Voltage 1.35V

Height (from base) 44mm

Stated software compatibility Asus

Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI

Mystic Light, ASRock RGB LED