A Closer Look

The G.SKILL Flare X5 kits are currently only available in Matte Black and have a near identical appearance to the G.SKILL DDR5 Ripjaws S5. These are also fairly low profile with a height of 33 mm. No RGB lighting will be found here, which can be considered a selling point to some. If RGB is desired for memory that is designed to be paired with AMD, the G.SKILL DDR5 Neo series is something to consider as an alternative.


On one side of each DIMM module is the identification sticker listing the SKU, rated EXPO operating frequency, corresponding voltage of 1.35, and EXPO related timings.


Written on both sides is Flare X5 and G.SKILL


Laying the DIMMs on the side, G.SKILL is written in the center.


The G.SKILL Flare X5 DDR5-6000 Z-height is 33 mm after rounding up with the calipers. These are considered low-profile for DDR5.


Unfortunately, taking apart the memory fully was not possible without risking damage this time. Due to the how the top has interlocking hinges on both sides, disassembly was not performed. To get these heatspreaders off fully, either the metal would have to be bent or both heatspreaders would need to be removed together on one unit. As standard practice for memory, the side without memory ICs has a foam pad with the same thickness as the other to keep both heatspreaders even. These foam pads are often glued in place and become unusable once removed.

In any case, G.Skill has some cryptic numbers silkscreen onto the ICs, making them physically unidentifiable. Luckily software can tell us what these are, though it's subject to change. Looking at some motherboard QVL lists, G.SKILL uses Samsung and SK Hynix memory. This particular kit deploys SK Hynix M-Die. The PMIC has the part number "0D=98J1U." Software reports Richtek being the manufacturer. Internet investigation provides no additional information.

Currently, Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix are the three suppliers of DDR5 ICs. When it comes to overclocking, the current general consensus is that SK Hynix provides the highest frequencies, scales better with higher voltage and has the ability to offer low primary timings that are equal, if not better than the competition. The newly released SK Hynix A-Die can go even further. The kit we have here is using M-Die, which is the predecessor, but is still quite good in regards to overclocking.