Patriot Viper RGB 16GB DDR4-3600MHz Review

1. Introduction2. RGB Lighting3. Performance4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

Patriot has launched a series of DDR4 memory called Viper RGB that combines their snake logo with the RGB lighting that so many people have come to love. Of course we are aware that some KitGuru readers are RGB Heathens so we shall merely point out the RGB control for this new memory includes an option called Dark that allows you to shut off the lighting.

The new DDR4 gives you the choice of aluminium heat shields that are either black or white with Patriot Viper Eyes designs on the sides. These dual channel kits are 16GB in capacity (2x8GB modules) and come in five different speed ratings. You can have a kit running at 2666MHz, 3000MHz or 3200MHz with black or white heat shields, or you can step up to 3600MHz or 4133MHz which will restrict you to black heat shields.

We were sent a 16GB kit of DDR4-3600MHz which is positioned as the second fastest kit in the range, however we cannot currently see the 4133MHz on sale anywhere so it seems to us that Patriot sent the fastest memory they could deliver.

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Specification:
Capacity: 16GB (2x 8GB)
Base Frequency: DDR4-2133MHz (PC4-17000)
Base Timings: 15-15-15-36
Tested Frequency: DDR4-3600MHz (PC4-28800)
Tested Timings: 16-18-18-36
Voltage: 1.35V
Format: Non-ECC Unbuffered 288-pin DIMM
Dimensions: 135.7mm length x 8.2mm wide x 45.4mm tall
Overclocking: XMP 2.0
RGB Lighting: 5 customizable zones
Lighting Control Compatibility: ASRock Polychrome Sync, Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion and MSI Mystic Light.

Here is the full list of prices (at time of writing) and timings for each of the five speeds that Patriot offers:

• £165 (SRP £195) 2666MHz 15-17-17-35 at 1.2V
• £170 (SRP £198) 3000MHz 15-17-17-35 at 1.2V
• £185 (SRP £219) 3200MHz 16-18-18-36 at 1.35V
• £235 (SRP £260) 3600MHz 16-18-18-36 at 1.35V
• £255 4133MHz 19-21-21-41 at 1.4V

Patriot was pretty much obliged to deliver this range of Viper RGB memory as every memory manufacturer needs to offer RGB to their customers. What Patriot has done is to go the extra distance by providing their own control software, as well as full compatibility with the four RGB software systems used by ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. This control is carried out through SPD so there are no external cables, or any other mess or clutter. Plug in the memory, use your preferred software and you’ll be running in no time at all.

Patriot’s own software works very nicely, although the interface is simply enormous. Going to the other extreme we have the tiny interface used by Asus Aura, which is the software that is intended for use with our chosen Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero Wi-Fi motherboard. Aura has recently been updated to version 1.06.29 that supports Patriot and HyperX RGB memory and it worked absolutely flawlessly.

When you get up close to the Viper RGB you can clearly see the five LEDs in each module. Patriot isn’t trying to make a secret of the relatively small number of LEDs as you can configure each zone individually using their software, however the result is that the lighting looks good but does not look as amazing as some other memory we have seen.

We usually test memory on an Intel platform, and we do this for two reasons. The first is that Intel tends to be the mainstream choice for gamers and enthusiasts so it makes sense to cater for the majority of the buying public. The second reason is that memory support for AMD has a history of flaky behaviour and it is fairly hopeless running tests when you may suffer a blue screen simply by enabling XMP. In fairness to AMD we should point out that XMP is an Intel standard but if we put the naming scheme to one side we simply want to install the memory, hit the switch in the BIOS and run the memory at its rated speed.

Since AMD launched the 2nd Gen Ryzen we have noticed more memory manufacturers claiming their RAM is compatible with the AM4 platform. It is worth noting that Asus has a memory setting called DOCP (Direct Over Clock Profile) on its motherboards that is the equivalent of XMP. This seemed like a good opportunity to test four fast DDR4 memory kits on AMD so we lined up:

• 16GB HyperX Predator RGB DDR4-2933MHz
• 16GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200MHz
• 16GB G.Skill SniperX DDR4-3400MHz
• 16GB Patriot Viper RGB DDR4-3600MHz

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
Storage drive: Samsung 960 Pro
OS: Windows 10 64-bit.

Testing Overview
You can clearly see from our results that the synthetic Sandra and AIDA64 tests show that faster memory gives you more bandwidth. Balanced against that Cinebench R15, 3D Mark Fire Strike and Blender offer little hope that the increased memory bandwidth gives an actual benefit, and when you add in the occasional quirky result it is very hard to argue that faster memory is demonstrably better. The one area that seems clear is that faster memory helps to increase minimum frame rates in games.

We have our doubts about the benefits of extremely fast DDR4 but if you’re going down that path the Samsung B-die chips used by Patriot are the best of the bunch. The default timings at 2133MHz are 15-15-15-36 and these barely change at the XMP speed of 3600MHz as they remain almost the same at 16-18-18-36. That is very good to see and we were not the least surprised to see how well the Patriot Viper RGB performed in our synthetic benchmarks.

In terms of the styling and cosmetics, the modules look absolutely fine and will work in most custom builds. It helps that you can choose either white or black heat shields, depending on the speed of the memory that you choose.

The lighting control works well and while you can use Patriot’s own software it is clearly preferable to use one unified piece of software for both your motherboard and the memory. In our case Asus Aura did a very good job and we didn’t notice any problems in the synchronisation between the lighting on the chipset, I/O panel and the RAM, although the shades of each colour weren’t exactly matched.

Let’s finish on a high note as the pricing of Patriot Viper RGB is very competitive. We all know that DDR4 is horribly expensive but Patriot is offering some of the best memory on the market at a price that is very reasonable. If you like the look of the Viper logo you really ought to dive right in.

You can view the whole Viper RGB range HERE. This 16GB 3600MHz kit is currently priced at £236.82.

Pros:

• The latest version of Asus Aura software worked perfectly with this RAM.
• Pricing is very reasonable.
• 45mm tall heat shields should install neatly in most systems.
• Viper RGB behaved perfectly with AMD 2nd Gen Ryzen.
• The Samsung B-die used by Patriot runs at 3600MHz with XMP enabled.

Cons:

• The five LED layout looks a little basic.
• Super fast DDR4 offers little tangible benefit.
• Styling of the aluminium heat shields won’t appeal to everyone.

KitGuru says: Patriot Viper RGB performs well at a reasonable cost.

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