G.Skill TridentX 2933MHz F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG 8GB Memory Kit Review

1. Introduction2. G.Skill Trident X 2933MHz Memory3. Configuring the BIOS & Overclocking4. System Configuration5. SiSoft Sandra6. MaxxMem27. Super Pi8. WinRar9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

When it's pure speed and record-breaking memory you're after, there are few better kits than those from G.Skill's TridentX series. Can the 2933MHz TridentX 8GB memory prove yet again that it is built for ultra-high frequencies?

At 2933MHz, G.Skill's TridentX F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG is one of the fastest memory kits available on the market. Available in 8GB and 16GB capacities, G.Skill has built the 2933MHz TridentX for the purpose of providing record-breaking overclocks to hardcore enthusiasts.

With 2933MHz CL12 settings, how does G.Skill's 2933MHz TridentX 8GB fair in our benchmarks and overclocking tests?

Specifications:

• PC3-23400(2933MHz).
• Timings: 12-14-14-35-2T.
• Voltage: 1.65V.
• XMP 1.3 Ready.
• 8GB (2x 4GB) kit.
• Lifetime warranty.
  
• Model number: F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG.

We received the G.Skill TridentX memory in a plain brown box that features a brand logo and security sticker.

G.Skill includes a large memory fan which is powered by a molex connection with the TridentX kit's bundle. Due to the high frequency and 1.65V operational voltage of the TridentX modules, a fan is a worthwhile additional that will help to free up some extra overclocking headroom with higher voltages.

A G.Skill case stick and user guide are also supplied.

In terms of appearance, G.Skill has managed to create some of the most eye-catching, good-looking memory modules that are available to purchase. The bold red and dark black colour scheme works perfectly; we can see many ROG motherboard users opting for this kit due to its aesthetic appeal.

Despite the almost full coverage heatsinks, G.Skill still ensures that a black PCB is used. We are glad to see this choice being made as black PCB's are far more attractive than their green counterparts, yet aren't significantly more expensive.

With a maximum height of around 54mm, the TridentX modules are around 24mm taller than a standard stick of DDR3 memory. If CPU cooler interference becomes an issue, the fins atop the main heatsink body can be removed to reduce the modules' height to around 40mm.

We are using the ASRock Z87 Extreme9/ac motherboard to test today's memory kit. It supports RAM from many manufacturers and gives us a large amount of flexibility to tinker with memory multiplier, base clock and timings settings. It is also the first motherboard that we have tested at KitGuru to support the G.Skill memory kit's 2933MHz XMP profile.

The fully-functioning XMP 1.3 profile configures the memory kit for use at its 2933MHz frequency and correct timings.

Windows and CPU-Z registered the memory's functioning settings as correct.

Our system's CPU-Z validation can be found here.

 

To eliminate memory frequency bottlenecks, we used increased voltages for the CPU VCore, CPU Cache, and CPU Input, as well as ASRock’s automatic System Agent Offset of +0.204V, according to CPUID HWMonitor. The CPU multiplier was dropped to 39x, representing stock levels which are in line with the ASRock motherboard's turbo settings.

Timings were loosened to 13-15-15-35-2T and DRAM voltage was increased to 1.700V.

Unfortunately, not even a 101MHz base clock was able to boot successfully. We did manage one post at the 101MHz base clock (hence obtaining the above screenshots), but the system reported one of the sticks as unstable.

After spending many hours trying to obtain an increased frequency via many different overclocking settings, we were unsuccessful. We tried the 30x divider, an increased base clock and the 29.33x divider, and a 125MHz base clock (from the 1.25x BCLK multiplier) and the divider necessary for 3000MHz, but none of the settings would boot with stability.

Either our 4770K's IMC is incapable of pushing past 2933MHz with stability, or the motherboard doesn't like frequencies above 2,933GHz. Perhaps the memory modules were to blame, although we would expect them to at least show stability with a frequency increase of only 29MHz applied. We would be inclined to blame a mixture of motherboard and CPU for the unsuccessful overclocking attempts.

We are using an Intel Core i7 4770K processor with an ASRock Z87 Extreme9/ac motherboard.

We will be testing the G.Skill TridentX 2933MHz F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG memory kit at:

Stock speed – 2933MHz 12-14-14-35-2T @ 1.65V

Overclocked speed – N/A

Z87 Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50GHz.
• Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme9/ac.
• Graphics Card: nVidia GTX 760 2GB.
• System Drive: 500GB Samsung 840 Series SSD.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i.
• Case: NZXT Phantom 630.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Comparison memory:

• 8GB Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 2 2133MHz (11-11-11-30).

Software:

• SiSoft Sandra 2013
• MaxxMem 2
• WinRar

SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software.

Sandra is a (girl’s) name of Greek origin that means “defender”, “helper of mankind”. We think that’s quite fitting.

It works along the lines of other Windows utilities, however it tries to go beyond them and show you more of what’s really going on. Giving the user the ability to draw comparisons at both a high and low-level. You can get information about the CPU, chipset, video adapter, ports, printers, sound card, memory, network, Windows internals, AGP, PCI, PCI-X, PCIe (PCI Express), database, USB, USB2, 1394/Firewire, etc.

Native ports for all major operating systems are available:

• Windows XP, 2003/R2, Vista, 7, 2008/R2 (x86)
• Windows XP, 2003/R2, Vista, 7, 2008/R2 (x64)
• Windows 2003/R2, 2008/R2* (IA64)
• Windows Mobile 5.x (ARM CE 5.01)
• Windows Mobile 6.x (ARM CE 5.02)

All major technologies are supported and taken advantage of:

• SMP – Multi-Processor
• MC – Multi-Core
• SMT/HT – Hyper-Threading
• MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2, AVX, FMA – Multi-Media instructions
• GPGPU, DirectX, OpenGL – Graphics
• NUMA – Non-Uniform Memory Access
• AMD64/EM64T/x64 – 64-bit extensions to x86
• IA64 – Intel* Itanium 64-bit

Interestingly enough, Patriot's slower -2133MHz – memory beats out G.Skill's 2933MHz TridentX kit in Sandra's memory bandwidth tests. This is a very surprising result, especially given the frequency difference that should have a much more significant effect than timings.

Cache bandwidth paints a similar picture to that of the previous test, with Patriot's slower memory taking the performance lead.

When it comes to a latency test, G.Skill's significantly faster TridentX memory shows a result which is around 12% better than that of the 2133MHz Patriot kit.

MaxxMem2 PreView is a handy, free program to rate memory performance. It can be downloaded over here.

Another bandwidth test shows the 2133MHz Patriot memory outperforming G.Skill's faster TridentX kit. It would seem that there is an underlying configuration setting limiting the G.Skill memory's performance.

Latency again shows a positive result for the G.Skill memory; Patriot's 2133MHz 11-11-11-30 kit is outperformed by the same 12% as it was in Sandra's latency test.

Super Pi is used by a huge audience, particularly to check stability when overclocking processors. If a system is able to calculate PI to the 2 millionth place after the decimal without mistake, it is considered to be stable in regards to RAM and CPU.

We used Super Pi’s ’16M’ benchmark setting.

Super Pi shows a slight preference towards faster memory.

WinRar is one of the most popular archive manager programs available. It can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format. You can try WinRAR before buy, its trial version is available in downloads.

WinRar's built in benchmark and hardware test can help us indicate performance gains experienced by overclocking our memory.

WinRAR performance helps to show the real world performance gains that can be obtained from high-speed memory such as G.Skill's 2933MHz TridentX. A performance advantage of just over 8% is shown by the G.Skill memory.

If you're after some of the fastest memory that money can buy, there are few kits that will please you more than G.Skill's 2933MHz TridentX. Out-of-the-box performance isn't going to blow you away, but with some time and effort, as well as some luck from the Haswell CPU lottery, G.Skill's TridentX 2933MHz modules can be tweaked to deliver promising results.

Real world out-of-the-box performance using the 2933MHz XMP configuration is impressive, as proven by the WinRAR and Super Pi benchmarks. The TridentX kit proved that it offers a substantial performance increase over 2133MHz memory that possesses tighter timings.

Bandwidth performance of the G.Skill TridentX 2933MHz memory kit was quite startling. The Patriot memory kit continuously outperformed G.Skill's significantly higher bandwidth option with looser timings. As a stark contrast, latency performance showed G.Skill's memory to have a distinct lead over the slower Patriot memory which utilises tighter timings.

It would seem that a limitation or less-than-ideal set of configurations provided by our test system's motherboard are responsible for the poor bandwidth scores. This gives a clear indication that plenty of knowledge and patience is required to get the best possible performance from the G.Skill TridentX 2933MHz memory kit. G.Skill hasn't built this set of DDR3 memory with plug-and-play users in mind.

Worth noting is the ability to pair G.Skill's TridentX 2933MHz memory kit with a motherboard willing to accept the sticks. Of the seven Z87 boards that we currently tested at KitGuru, ASRock's Z87 Extreme9/ac is the only one capable of booting successfully with the TridentX's XMP settings.

Given the extreme overclocker target audience, the limited XMP support isn't a huge issue. Hardcore gamers or enthusiasts would be wise to think carefully about their motherboard choice before rushing out to purchase this kit.

Priced at $369.99 from Newegg, and not currently available in the UK, G.Skill's TridentX 2933MHz F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG 8GB memory kit targets extreme overclockers who are looking to break world records. With this in mind, the price is unlikely to be of much concern. To enthusiasts and hardcore gamers wanting fast memory for their high-end systems, there are cheaper options to be had.

Given the target audience, G.Skill's TridentX 2933MHz F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG 8GB memory kit is certainly worth buying, especially for hardcore overclockers who are preparing to break world records. Plug-and-play users should look elsewhere for a cheaper option which may offer better out-of-the-box performance.

Pros:

• Very high out-of-the-box frequency.
• XMP support.
• Attractive styling.
• High-performance heatsink and fan for overclocking.

Cons:

• Very pricey.
• No good for plug-and-play users.
• Limited XMP motherboard compatibility.

KitGuru says: A blazingly-fast memory kit from G.Skill which has the ability to operate at near record-breaking frequencies. Just make sure you have plenty of patience and the correct motherboard to get the most out of these modules.

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