DDR5 memory is still expensive. Compared to DDR4, the current DDR5 memory is 1.5 times more expensive. At a very high price, there are not many supplies and not many people looking for it, but there are those who are looking for DDR5 memory for the best performance.
However, what they are looking for is not the usual DDR5 memory. Since there is a high possibility that the desired speed and performance cannot be achieved with standard memory, they are looking for a tuned memory whose timing has been verified for the speed they are targeting.
The product to be introduced today is DDR5 memory for such people. ADATA’s 6400MHz PC5-51200 memory and ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER package are such products.
■ DDR5 6400, the most affordable price to choose from
In DDR5, 6400 is quite fast. Compared to the standard memory speed of 4800, it is 33% faster and the timing remains the same at that speed, which is a characteristic of DDR5-6400 memory released these days. DDR5-6400 memory with higher performance than this does not exist, but since there is a price difference, DDR5-6400 memory with CL40 timing is attracting attention these days as a choice for cost-effectiveness.
CL32 memories with the best timing have a high possibility of malfunction depending on the CPU yield, so a proven combination is required. Of course, 100% compatibility is not guaranteed, so it is better to check the actual user experience or the motherboard manufacturer’s memory compatibility verification list as much as possible.
The ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER I introduce today is the CL40 product I introduced earlier, and it belongs to the lowest price among DDR5-6400 memories. Based on a package of two 16GB modules. Under this condition, there is no cheaper product than ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER, and even if you choose a product with similar conditions among other products, you will have to pay 20% more.
A person who buys this level of memory might say that the difference is not a big deal, but I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t think about 20%, not 10%. The memory chip itself is no different anyway, and the external differences such as heatsink, design, and RGB function are almost the same.
The DDR5 memory used in ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER is a Hynix product. Almost all of the currently used DDR5 6400 memory uses Hynix chips, so ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER is not special.
For the design, a combination of RGB LEDs at the top is applied to a general bar shape. It does not have an exaggerated shape like other companies, so it is less visually novel, but by grafting the diagonal heatsink design that is advantageous for cooling into a bar shape, it has completed a design with less liking and dislike without getting tired.
The product I used was 16GB per module, and it was single-sided instead of double-sided. A thermal pad for thermoelectricity is attached between the chip and the heatsink, and a filler presumed to be in the form of foam is inserted into the empty space on the opposite side to prevent the tension between the heatsink and the memory module from being drawn inward.
The heatsink itself is not removable, so the internal structure could not be checked, but the independent power supply line managed by PMIC and On-die ECC function were also applied to ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER.
■ ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER vs DDR5-4800
Before examining the performance of ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER, I would like to talk about the system and combination that I tested.
As mentioned earlier, DDR5-6400 module may not perform properly or may have boot problems depending on CPU yield, so caution is required.
In my test system equipped with Intel Core i9-12900 and ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WIFI motherboard, normal operation was possible based on XMP 1 mode, and the stress test passed without any problems.
Asus has not yet registered the verification results for this product, but since ADATA products are included in the DDR5-6000 module, it is likely that verification results will be registered for this product soon.
The performance of ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER brought better results than DDR5-4800 standard memory.
The memory bandwidth and latency improvement effects tested with AIDA64 were more than expected, and the transcoding process that consumes all CPU resources also reduced the working time by about 5 seconds.
Even games that don’t use all of the CPU resources, but are sensitive to memory bandwidth and latency, see 6 FPS or higher frames.
Considering the price of ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER, the performance improvement compared to the investment is not that big.
■ Stress test, is there anything wrong with the fever?
As with all semiconductors, although the speed is fast, the heat is inevitably increased.
Although the voltage used for DDR5 memory is reduced, the speed is faster, so heat is difficult to improve significantly. Tuning memories such as ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER are the same as the previous generation in terms of voltage and speed, so you can be more concerned about heat. there is only
Fortunately, the heat of the ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER did not exceed 62 degrees based on the SPD Hub chip built-in temperature sensor, so it was far from the limit temperature of the DDR5 memory chip.
For reference, the DDR5 memory chip temperature confirmed by igorslab is said to be at a very low level if the threshold is 95 degrees and below 80 degrees. There is no temperature sensor in the memory chip itself, so only indirect measurement is possible with the SPD Hub.
If you calculate the temperature of ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER according to this standard, the result is 80.3 degrees. Since the above-mentioned limiting temperature of the memory chip is 95 degrees, 80.3 degrees can be said to be a sufficiently stable temperature.
■ Supports various RGB lighting
ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER supports various RGB sync functions.
ASUS Aura Sync, a typical RGB LED sync function, is standard, and Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion 2.0, MSI’s RGB Mystic Light, and ASRock’s POLYCHROME are also supported. .
I installed the ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER on the ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WIFI motherboard introduced earlier, and I downloaded the Armory Crate tool that comprehensively controls the related functions to see the lighting effects of all parts that support Aura Sync. could be synchronized.
The bottom picture of the above picture was taken after unifying the motherboard lighting and ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER in red in Armory Crate.
■ Expensive but basic, ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER package
The first reason to choose ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER is the price. Among DDR5-6400 memory, there is no cheaper product than ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER, and the product that replaces it is almost 20% more expensive.
If it’s a CL32 rather than a CL40, the high price wouldn’t be a problem, but I think there are very few people who necessarily choose a product that is 20% more expensive with the same CL40.
Of course, I admit that it is not a product to choose based on price alone, but nonetheless, it is the psychology of everyone to find a cheaper product, so there will not be many other choices.
Since the memory chip is the same anyway and there is no problem in performance, if you are looking for DDR5-6400 CL40 memory, I think it would be the wisest choice to consider other products after checking whether ADATA XPG DDR5-6400 CL40 CASTER is suitable for your system.
