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Our video for the G.Skill Sniper X DDR4-3400MHz kit is unusual as it majors on the cosmetics of the RAM kit along with the compatibility with AMD Ryzen while saying very little about performance. We skipped that important element in the video because the Sniper X performs exactly as well as we expected and it is pretty much impossible to show DDR4 performance visually. Rest assured in this written review we will tackle each of those points.
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Specification:
Capacity: 16GB (2x 8GB)
Base Frequency: DDR4-2133MHz (PC4-17000)
Base Timings: 14-14-14-34
Tested Frequency: DDR4-3600MHz (PC4-28800)
Tested Timings: 16-16-16-36
Voltage: 1.35V
Format: Non-ECC Unbuffered 288-pin DIMM
Dimensions: 135.7mm length x 7mm wide x 43mm tall
Overclocking: XMP 2.0
G.Skill offers its Sniper X range with a choice of three camouflage designs. Our 3400MHz kit came with an Urban Camo design that uses black, white and grey in the colour scheme. The 3600MHz kit we have has the same design which helped when it came to waving the RAM modules around during our video. The two other designs are Classic Camo (green and khaki) or Digital Camo (black and yellow) and we recall seeing them at Computex and thinking they looked appealing.
It is worth reiterating that none of these camouflage designs work in that way inside a PC as the designs actually help the memory to stand out visually. If you truly want memory that is discreet you would do better to look for a kit with a low profile heat spreader in plain black.
Compatibility
The reason that Sniper X caught our attention, apart from the interesting styling, is that it is compatible with AMD Ryzen. Up to this point is you wanted to buy G.Skill that was certified to work with AMD you have to select FlareX which uses Samsung B-die and tops out at 3200MHz. The updates for 2nd Gen. Ryzen helped memory compatibility so this Sniper X 3400MHz now sports the ‘Compatible with Ryzen’ sticker, whereas the Sniper X 3600MHz is only certified for Intel.
For absolute clarity, we have tried the Sniper X 3600Mhz with Ryzen 7 2700X and the system was unstable. On the other side of the scale we have not used 1st Gen. Ryzen with Sniper X so you need to double check your motherboard compatibility list.
The versions of Flare X and Sniper X that we have seen all use Samsung B-die memory. SniperX is available in speeds from 2400MHz to 3600MHz and it seems unlikely to us that the slowest speeds will also use B-die. You simply cannot generalise with this stuff and have to take each kit of DDR4 on its own merits.
The curious thing about Sniper X is that it is relatively tall for memory that does not have RGB on the top of the heat spreader. Each module is 43mm tall which is a full 10mm taller than Corsair Vengeance LPX. It has to be said the Corsair LPX is the king of low profile memory that uses a heat spreader, although some bare RAM is lower in height.
Performance and testing
We tested the Sniper X using the same test system as the HyperX Predator RGB and Patriot Viper RGB kits we recently reviewed.
Test System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (4.0GHz all cores)
Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero Wi-Fi
CPU cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S24
Graphics card: GTX 980 4GB
Power supply: Seasonic Prime Titanium 1000W
SSD: SK Hynix SC300
OS: Windows 10 64-bit.
At the time we did those reviews our GTX 1080 graphics cards were in use inside the Corsair 1000D Monster Build so the DDR4 was tested with a GTX 980 that was available. When we came to test the G.Skill Sniper X we used the GTX 980 again to maintain consistency.
Performance overview
There is no doubt the G.Skill Sniper X 3400MHz performs well on an AMD platform, however the speed difference between the 3400MHz Sniper X and 3200MHz Flare X is very small. If you see a difference of two percent in any single test you are doing well, which is only a fraction of the six percent difference in memory clock speed.
You may find that certain games pick up a frame or two in minimum frame rates, which would offer a small benefit.
When we reviewed the Hyper X Predator 2933MHz we came to the conclusion that 2933MHz memory did not present a bottleneck to Ryzen 7. It follows that 3200MHz is certainly fast enough for this platform and that 3400MHz will not unlock any extra benefit.
We also failed to spot any difference in behaviour between the 3200MHz B-die FlareX and 3400MHz B-die Sniper X, so the fact they are catalogued in different parts of the G.Skill product range shouldn’t affect our thinking about this DDR4 kit.
The main reason we can see for buying G.Skill's Sniper X is to get the fastest DDR4 that works reliably in an AMD system. Naturally you can also install the Sniper X kit in an Intel PC but that is true of a vast range of DDR4. Sniper X looks slightly more snazzy than FlareX, however they are visually very different so while it is tempting to say that Sniper X replaces FlareX it is more accurate to call Sniper X an alternative visual style.
Sniper X stands at the same height as FlareX so when you compare the two types of memory physically it is purely a matter of choosing the one you think looks best.
The absence of RGB will horrify some customers but will doubtless please others. G.Skill sells the excellent Trident Z RGB and showed the even more impressive Trident Z RGB Royal at Computex, so if you want RGB they have you covered. Sniper X simply goes in the other direction.
Our biggest issue with this F4-3400MHz kit is that the extra 200MHz doesn’t make a tangible difference. There will always be people lining up to buy the fastest memory with the tightest timings and lowest latency but we very much doubt they will be able to demonstrate what the extra speed brings. We are also sure they will pay a premium for the speed as fast DDR4 is horribly expensive.
The official G.Skill outlet on Amazon listed this Sniper X kit at an expensive £260 however they are currently showing the item out of stock while I see the 3200MHz kit is in stock at £165. In our video we made a bit of a song and dance about the price as £260 seemed far too expensive while £210 would have been about right. By contrast the Sniper X 3200MHz kit at £165 looks like very good value for money.
Pros:
- Compatible with AMD Ryzen, as well as Intel.
- Samsung B-die delivers 3400MHz and decent 16-16-16-36 timings.
- Rock solid performance.
- The camouflage design of Sniper X looks fun.
Cons:
- Faster DDR4 yields minimal benefits.
- RGB lovers should look away.
- Fast DDR4 continues to be expensive.
- Sniper X is fairly tall.
KitGuru says: Sniper X sports a stylish and fun heat spreader on its Samsung B-die chips. Beneath that surface it is all business.
