G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB 32GB 7200MHz (2024) Review

1. Introduction2. G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-72003. RGB4. Testing Methodology5. Intel: Memory Benchmarks6. Intel: Compute and Productivity Tests7. Intel: Encoding8. Intel: Rendering9. Intel: 3DMark Tests10. Intel: Gaming11. Intel: Office Productivity12. AMD: Testing & Memory Benchmarks13. AMD: Compute and Productivity Tests14. AMD-Encoding15. AMD: Rendering16. AMD: 3DMark Tests17. AMD: Gaming18. AMD: Office Productivity19. Closing Thoughts20. View All Pages

Designed for ultra-high-performance DDR5 platforms, G.SKILL's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-7200 features an aluminium heatspreader and is available in matt white, matt black or metallic silver. Priced at around £150 for the 7200 MT/s kit in for review today, we find out if it is worth buying.

 

G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB range of modules is extensive ranging from DDR5-5200 up to 8400MHz and in capacities from 32GB to 96GB. The G.Skill Trident Z 5 RGB kit we are reviewing here uses a pair of single-rank 16GB DIMMs (using SK Hynix A-die ICs), XMP rated at 7200MHz at 34-45-45-115 at 1.40v so pretty much in the middle of the range in terms of speed,

G.Skill backs the drive with a lifetime warranty.

Specification

• Model Number: F5-7200J3445GX2-TZ5RK.
• Capacity: 32GB (16GB x 2).
• IC: SK Hynix (A-die).
• Rated Frequency: DDR5-7200.
• Rated Timings: CL34-45-45-115.
• Voltage:  1.40v.
• Form Factor: 288-pin DIMM.
• Module Height: 42mm.
• XMP/EXPO: Intel XMP 3.0.

 
The front of the box that the memory comes in has a cut-out near the top, allowing you to see part of one of the modules. Below this are two illustrations of what the memory looks like. The bottom left of the box is home to the Intel XMP 3.0 Ready” sticker along with the Trident Z5 RGB branding. The rear of the box has two more cutouts (top and bottom) which lets you see the SKU sticker attached to the module. To the right of the bottom cut-out is the product sticker that displays the module density, configuration and what the XMP profile provides.

The heat spreaders on the modules are made from aluminium finished in (in the case of the review sample) matt black. Matt white and metallic silver finishes are available. Setting off the main finish, the centre strip of the module which holds the product name has a brushed aluminium finish. The spreaders give the module a height of 42mm. The modules are a single-rank design, under the heatsink, there are eight 2GB SK Hynix chips (H5CG48AEBDX018 – A-die) along with a Richtek RTQ5132GQW power management IC (PMIC).

The top of the module is home to the RGB defuser bar which covers eight RGB zones which are controlled by either G.Skill's own controller software or by the motherboard RGB system.

 

The memory runs at DDR5-4800 with timings of 40-40-40-77 natively with the single XMP 3.0 profile supporting DDR5-7200 with 34-45-45-115 timings at 1.4V.

G.Skill's Trident Z lighting control software allows you to set up four profiles independently with their own custom light setup. The modules can be set up together or as individual units. The software has fourteen lightening effects and a wide colour palette to set up your desired effect. There's also a Music Mode which can be customised but once enabled all the other profiles are disabled. However, in this mode, the modules will stay dark if there is no audio output.

If you want the modules to sync up with the rest of your lighting scheme, Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polychrome Sync are all supported.

We will be testing the memory kit performance with an Intel Core i7-14700K CPU, MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi motherboard and a GeForce RTX 4060 VENTUS 2X BLACK 8G OC graphics card. The processor is maintained at its stock frequency.

Test System

• Processor: Core i7-14700K (20 cores/ 28 threads)
• CPU Cooler: MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360
• Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi
• Graphics card: GeForce RTX 4060 VENTUS 2X BLACK 8G OC
• Power supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850W
• SSD: MSI SPATIUM M570
• Case: MSI MPG GUNGNIR 300P AIRFLOW
• OS: Windows 11

Thanks to MSI for providing the test system above.

Test Memory Kits

Our DDR5 comparison kits consist of:

• Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-5600 C36 64GB.
• Corsair Dominator Titanium DDR5-6000 C30 64GB.
• Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 C38 32GB.
• Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-5200 C36 32GB.
• Klevv Cras X5 RGB DDR5-6000 C40 32GB.
• Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan a DDR5-6000 C40 32GB.
• Teamgroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-6400 C40 32GB.
• Thermaktake Toughram RC DDR5-5600 C36 32GB.
• Thermaltake Toughram XG RGB D5 DDR5-7200 C36 32GB.

Tests

• 7-Zip v19.00 – Built-in 7-Zip benchmark test (CPU & Memory).
• Cinebench 2024 – All-core CPU benchmark (CPU & Memory).
• HandBrake H264 – Convert 1440p60 H264 video to 1080p60 H264 using the YouTube HQ 1080p60 preset (CPU & Memory).
• AIDA64 – Memory bandwidth, memory latency (Memory).
• 3DMark Steel Nomad / Steel Nomad Light (1440p) test (Gaming).
• 3DMark CPU Profile – CPU Profile test, Max Threads (Gaming).
• Corona 10 – (CPU & Memory).
• V-Ray 6 – (CPU & Memory).
• Total War Pharaoh (Gaming).
• Final Fantasy XiV-Dawntrail (Gaming).
• PCMark 10 (Office Productivity).

Memory Benchmarks

AIDA64

In the AIDA64 Memory Bandwidth test, the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-7200 sits on top of the results chart by quite some margin for both reads and writes.

The CL34 timings don't appear to be holding the memory back in any way in the AIDA64 benchmark.

Memory Mark

In the Memory Mark Read tests the Trident Z5 RGB 7200 doesn't do so well in the Memory Read Cached test as it sits in last place in the results chart. However, the Uncached Read figure of 22679MB/s is the fastest of the modules tested here.

In the Write test, the Trident Z5 RGB 7200 sits in second place behind Corsair's Dominator Titanium 6000 C30 modules.

In the latency results the Trident Z5 RGB sits in top sport but only just from the Dominator Titanium 6000 from Corsair.

Compute and Productivity Tests

7-Zip

In the 7-Zip Compressing benchmark, the Trident Z5 RGB 7200 sits in second place behind Corsair's Dominator Titanium 6000. But it does have a very small and we mean very small advantage over the Corsair memory in the Decompressing test.

Cinebench 2024

The G.Skill modules sit in the top spot albeit not by very much in the Cinebench 2024 multicore test.

Encoding

Handbrake

In the Handbrake test, the G.Skill memory set sits in a mid-table position but truth be told there's hardly anything in it between the first and ninth place on the results chart.

Rendering

Corona 10

The Corona 10 benchmark test result sees the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 7200 set, right down in the bottom half of the results chart, just behind the only other DDR5-7200 set tested to date in this list, Thermaltake's Toughram XG RGB D5 C36.

V-Ray 6

In the V-Ray 6 benchmark test, the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB pair of modules did enough to place second on the results chart although there isn't a lot in it between first place (Corsair Dominator Titanium 6000) and the G-Skill modules.

Blender

Using the three Blender benchmarks; Monster, Junkshop and Classroom shows basically no difference in performance between any of the modules in all three benchmarks. It's the same story when rendering a scene (in this case the Classroom) in the application.

3DMark Tests

CPU Profile

Albeit by small margins, the CPU-focused scoring in 3DMark puts G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 to the top of our charts.

Steel Nomad / Steel Nomad Light

3DMark's Steel Nomad benchmark is new replacement for Time Spy, the benchmark which we previously used for memory testing. Steel Nomad is a non-ray-traced gaming workload designed to test high-end systems while Steel Nomad light lightweight PCs and mobile devices.

Although the G.Skill memory set sits near the bottom of the results chart for Steel Nomad, in reality, there isn't a great deal of difference between it and Teamgroup's Vulcan α DDR5-6000 at the top of the chart.

In Steel Nomad Light the Trident Z5 RGB sits in first position in the table a little way ahead of the Teamgroup Vulcan α DDR5-6000 in second place. Also, this test sees a wider range of differences between the first and last spots on the results table.

Gaming (1080p)

Final Fantasy XIV – Dawntrail Benchmark

There's not much to choose from between all the sets in the Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail benchmark regarding fps, but there are more variations in scene load times with the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 7200 sitting in third place.

Total War Pharaoh

As with the Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail benchmark, there is no marked difference between any of the modules regarding the three Total War Pharaoh built-in benchmarks.

Office Productivity

PCMark 10

G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB 7200 memory displays pretty consistent performance in all three parts of the PCMark 10 benchmark.

We also tested the memory in an AMD-based system. We will be testing the memory kit performance with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU, MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi motherboard and a GeForce RTX 4060 VENTUS 2X BLACK 8G OC graphics card. The processor is maintained at its stock frequency.

Test System

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X.
• CPU Cooler: MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360.
• Motherboard: MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi.
• Graphics card: GeForce RTX 4060 VENTUS 2X BLACK 8G OC.
• Power supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850W.
• SSD: MSI SPATIUM M570.
• Case: MSI MPG GUNGNIR 300P AIRFLOW.
• OS: Windows 11.

Thanks to MSI for providing the test system above.

Memory Benchmarks

AIDA64

With a read result of 59,089MB/s, the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 7200 sits in fourth place in our results graph but its write result of 88,308MB/s is the second fastest of the DDR5 sets tested here behind Corsair's Dominator Titanium 6000.

Memory Mark

The drive sits in second place in the Memory Mark Read Cached chart with a result of 42,123MB/s. However, its Read Uncached result of 38,572MB/s is the fastest of the group of modules tested here.

While the Memory Mark Read Cached and Read Uncached are impressive, its Memory Mark Write result is less so.

The latency performance of all the tested modules is closely matched with only a 5ns difference between the slowest (Kingston Fury Beast 5200 C36) and the fastest, Corsair's Dominator Titanium 6000 C30.

Compute and Productivity Tests

7-Zip

In the 7-Zip benchmark, the G.Skill Trident Z5 sits behind the Corsair Dominator Titanium by a very small margin.

Cinebench 2024

In the Cinebench 2024 multi-core test the G.Skill set sits just behind Teamgroup's T-Force Vulcan α and Corsair's Dominator Titanium kits but there isn't much to choose between the top three kits in truth.

Encoding

Handbrake

Although it sits in last but one place in the results chart, the difference between the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB and the fastest kit in this test, Corsair's Vengeance RGB 5600 C36 is minimal, to say the least.

On paper G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB 7200 C34 should be faster than Treamgroup's T-Force Delta RGB 6400 C40 but in this test the G.Skill memory takes two seconds longer to complete the job than the Teamgroup kit.

Rendering

Corona 10

The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 7200 C34 sits above the only other DDR-7200 kit in this list, Thermaltake's Toughram XG RGB D5 which has a slower C36 rating. Both are outshone by Corsair's Dominator Titanium 6000 kit which tops the chart.

V-Ray 6

On paper, G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB 7200 with its C34 rating should outpace the C40 Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan α 6000 but you shouldn't believe everything you read as the Vulcan α outpaces not only the Trident Z5, a few others are left in the shade by it as well.

Blender

Although the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB set sits at the bottom of the results chart, there's hardly anything to choose between any of the memory kits in any of the three benchmarks.

Once again there is hardly anything to choose between memory kits in the render test. Just four seconds separated the top kit, Teamgroup's T-Force Vulcan α 6000, from the Kingston Fury Beast 5200 sitting at the foot of the table.

3DMark Tests

CPU Profile

In the 3DMark CPU Profile benchmark, the G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB maximum threads score see it in the lower half of the results chart but truth be told there's not a lot separating it from the Thermaltake Toughram XG RGB sitting on top of the pile.

Steel Nomad / Steel Nomad Light

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad test the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB kit sits comfortably in first place on the results chart.

In the Steel Nomad Light test both 7200 kits, the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB and the Thermaltake Toughram XG RGB are joint second place, a whisker behind Thermaltake's Toughram RC 5600 kit.

Gaming (1080p)

Final Fantasy XIV – Dawntrail Benchmark

There's not much to choose from between all the kits in the Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail benchmark regarding fps, but there are more variations in scene load times with the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 7200 sitting in third place behind the lead kit, KIngston's Fury Beast 5200.

Total War Pharaoh

As with the Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail benchmark, there is no marked difference between any of the modules regarding the three Total War Pharaoh built-in benchmarks.

PCMark 10

Office Productivity

G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB 7200 memory displays pretty consistent performance in all three parts of the PCMark 10 benchmark although it seems to perform better in the Digital Content Creation tests.

G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 memory line is an extensive one with a wide range of speeds and four kit capabilities so there should be a kit for most people. The line-up which supports Intel XMP 3.0 starts at 5200MHz (40-40-40-83 1.10V) with eleven-speed options up to the current flagship 8400MHz (40-52-52-1341.40V). There are four capacity options, (all using two modules per kit) 96GB, 64GB, 48GB and 32GB with varying speed options per capacity.

The kit we are looking at here sits in the middle of the speed range at 7200MHz. The F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK is a 32GB kit that uses SK Hynix A-die memory chips. It runs natively at DDR5-4800 with timings of 40-40-40-77 (1.10V)  but the single Intel XMP 3.0 profile bumps this up to 7200MHz combined with 34-45-45-115 timings at 1.4V.

The modules are 42mm high giving a wider range of compatibility with air coolers and motherboards. And while the RGB light bar is slimmer than many other modules, the LEDs are very bright, making their presence felt. The LEDs can be controlled by G.Skill's own Trident Z Lighting Control utility which can be downloaded from the G.Skill site. Or if you prefer to use your motherboard controlling software then most of the 3rd party software is catered for with support for ASRock Polychrome Sync, Asus Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync and Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0.

We found the 32GB G.Skill F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK kit on special offer (saving 12%) at Overclockers UK for £149.99 (inc VAT) HERE.

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Pros

• Performs well.
• Build quality.
• RGB.
• Limited lifetime warranty.

Cons

• Only one memory profile (XMP).
  

KitGuru says: To say that G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 memory range has a lot of options is a bit of an understatement. The 32GB 7200MHz kit we looked at here offers good all-round performance at a competitive price point.

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