G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 48GB Review, Sleek Design, More Capacity

DDR memory usually comes in 8GB increments, such as 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, etc. Sometime last year, memory manufacturers announced 24GB and 48GB DDR5 capacities. The capacity is a bit odd; in addition to the usual 32GB and 64GB, we now have 48GB or 96GB memory modules. Today, we are checking out G.Skill’s Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 48GB (24GBx2) capacity. It has a memory clock speed of DDR5-6400 and a latency of CL32-39-39. It features a sleek look, with an aluminum heat spreader and eye-catching RGB lighting. If you want a DDR5 memory for your Intel (gaming) machine, please continue reading our G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5 memory review below.

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 Memory Kit Review

The Trident Z5 is G.Skill’s “ultra-high performance” DDR5 memory series, which sits on top of the Flare and Ripjaws memory series. There are two types of Trident: the Trident Z5 and the Trident Z5 Neo. Unlike other memory kits from other manufacturers, G.Skill decided to separate the memory kits for the Intel and AMD platforms. The Trident Z5 is designed for Intel systems, while the Trident Z5 Neo is for AMD.

G.Skill understands that not all gamers or enthusiasts are fans of RGB lighting. So, the Trident Z5 RGB or Trident Z5 Neo RGB is available for the RGB fans. For those who opt for function first rather than flare, the Trident Z5 and Trident Z5 Neo are the non-RGB variants. The Trident Z5 series is also available in a matte black or metallic silver finish.

G.Skill has many DDR5 memory kits; under the Trident Z5 series alone, there are several SKUs. The specific model that we have here for review is the F5-6400J3239F24GX2-TZ5RK. It is a DDR5 with a clock speed of 6400MT/s, 48GB memory capacity in total (24GB each stick), and a CAS latency of CL32-39-39-102. Below are the rest of the specifications.

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 48GB Specifications

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Packaging and Closer Look

The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB came with nice-looking packaging. The “Intel XMP” logo indicates that this memory kit is for Intel platforms. The word “DDR5” is also printed at the top portion, both on the front and on the back. A window on the front reveals how the matte heat spreader looks, and on the back, there are small cutouts for the sticker label on each memory stick.

Out of the many memory kits on the market, G.Skills Trident Z5 RGB is one of the best-looking, in my opinion. Aesthetically speaking, it looks sleek and stylish, and the RGB lighting is vibrant and saturated enough. The Trident Z5 family blends hypercar design with the classic Trident heat spreader for a modern and futuristic appearance.

It includes a black brushed aluminum strip set into metallic silver, matte black, or matte white, topped with a translucent RGB light bar for seamless lighting, perfect for various PC build themes. A Trident Z5 RGB branding is printed on both sides of the heat spreader, while G.Skill’s logo is printed in the middle of the RGB light diffuser.

G.Skill states that each memory module is “created from hand-screen DDR5 DRAM ICs to achieve high memory performance on DDR5 platforms.” If I am correct, G.Skill is using SKhynix memory modules. However, I don’t know why G.Skill decided not to put a thermal pad in the PMIC area. Only the ICs have thermal pads for cooling.

RGB Action

G.Skill has its own lighting control software to control the RGB lighting on the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5. However, it is only optional, especially if you do not want to install additional apps just for RGB lighting. Its RGB lighting is also compatible with Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion 2.0, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polychrome Sync.

Test System Used

In testing the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 48GB memory kit, I’m using a Z690 motherboard powered by an Intel Core i7-14700KF CPU. Below are the rest of the specifications of the system:

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 Benchmarks

For comparison, I included Kingston’s Fury Renegade DDR5-6000 CL32-38-38-80-118 32GB (16GBx2) and Corsair’s Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL30-36-36-73-112 32GB (16GBx2) memory kits. By the way, the Corsair Vengeance is an AMD EXPO memory kit, but I wanted to know if it will perform well on an Intel system.

AIDA64 Memory Benchmark Results

In the Aida64 memory benchmark, G.Skill’s Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 performed slightly faster in the copy, write, and read tests. I was expecting this since it’s slightly clocked faster than the other two DDR5 memory kits. However, it slightly performed slower during the latency test since its timings were not as tight or low as those of the other kits.

Cinebench 2024 Benchmark Results

In Cinebench R23, all three memory kits performed similarly, with the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5, just slightly outperforming the Fury Renegade by a hairline.

3DMark Benchmark Speed Way

In 3DMark’s Speed Way benchmark, the Fury Renegade outperformed the Trident Z5 RGB, but only by a few points. When it comes to performance, these three memory kits offer similar performance, especially in graphics-intensive scenarios like the Speed Way test.

Game Benchmarks

I tested the three memory kits using two games. I used their respective built-in benchmark tools for consistency. The results I got were quite interesting. In Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, there’s no substantial difference in average frames per second. However, in the low 5th percentile, the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB was slightly faster.

On the other hand, in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Corsair Vengeance gave the highest average FPS, with the Trident Z5 RGB falling behind. But their lows are pretty similar.

PCMark 10 Benchmarks

Finally, I tested the memory kits using the PCMark 10 benchmark test. This comprehensive test covers a wide range of activities, from everyday productivity tasks to demanding work with digital media content. It’s primarily divided into content creation, productivity, and essentials.

There’s also no huge difference in productivity. Well, I’m not surprised since these memory kits are clocked similarly, with the G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5 clock slightly higher at 6400MT/s. However, it does have slightly loose timings compared to the other memory kit.

Pricing and Availability

The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 memory kits are now available. At the time I published this article, the 32GB retailed for around $117, the 48GB for around $185, the 64GB for around $218, and the 96GB for around $340. Pricing varies depending on the capacity, speed, and timing of the memory kits. For the latest pricing and availability, kindly follow the link below.

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G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 memory kit is available on Amazon here.

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 48GB Review Conclusion

The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB is an excellent memory kit with a sleek design and eye-catching RGB lighting. Performance-wise, it performed well during the test and as expected. Although, I’d like to see slightly tighter or lower timings.

You could, however, manually set the timings and lower them or even overclock the clock speed. However, the results and performance vary between systems. While some motherboards can comfortably handle faster memory speed and lower latency timings, unfortunately, some motherboards can’t handle the settings, which may result in instability.

These new 48GB and 96GB memory kits use 3GB per IC, while the 32GB and 64GB use 2GB per IC. In my understanding, the newer 3GB per IC doesn’t perform as well as the 2GB per IC. The performance difference is not that huge. But based on the results above, Kingston’s Renegade Fury (16GB x2) performs slightly better overall despite having a slightly slower clock speed.

Should You Get The New 48GB/96GB Kits or the Older 32GB/64GB Kits?

Which one should you get if the memory kit with 2GB per IC is slightly better than the newer 3GB per IC? Well, that depends on your use. If you are in a competitive scenario and need the fastest memory kits, sticking to the 2GB per IC (32GB or 64GB) kits may work well for you.

However, if you need more memory capacity, the newer 48GB/96GB memory kits may work well. With more memory capacity, users can run more apps, including background apps, simultaneously, and it can be useful for apps that require more capacity, like video editing.

At the end of the day, G.Skill offers various configurations for its Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 series. It’s available in 32GB, 48GB, 64GB, and 96GB capacities. It’s also available in various clock speeds and timings. Not to mention, there’s a specific kit designed for Intel and AMD platforms. If this specific kit, DDR5-6400 CL32 48GB, doesn’t fit your needs, you can simply choose from the plethora of memory kits G.Skill offers.