A Closer Look

If you are at all familiar with the now iconic Trident Z and Trident Z RGB series, the profile of the new Trident Z Neo will be instantly familiar. In fact, G.SKILL hasn't changed the overall shape of the sticks at all. Instead, the classic brushed aluminium heat spreader is only half the story. The other half is a nicely finished silver.


The G.SKILL Trident Z Neo sticks offer a sturdy contrast between bright silver and brushed black that, while bold, will match nicely with a wide variety of systems.


"Trident Z Neo" is printed on the brushed black side of each stick. The 3600 MHz XMP timings of 16-16-16-36 at 1.35 V are ideal for AMD's new Ryzen 3000 or Threadripper 3 processors.


"G.SKILL" is etched into the RGB LED diffuser on the silver side of each stick, as well as directly into the middle on top.


The G.SKILL TridentZ Neo sticks are single-sided and use a 10-layer PCB for added stability.


The backside has the controller for the RGB LEDs, of which there are five on each side.


The markings on the ICs didn't turn up anything, though Thaiphoon shows that these are Samsung chips, and should offer good options for overclocking.


The PCB is made by Brain Power, which is a common supplier.


I like to weigh a stick from each kit I get as the difference in mass can be pretty drastic between kits. Mass is not the best indicator of cooling efficiency because material can matter, and of course, heat dissipation is reliant on surface area, not volume or mass. That said, it is still interesting to compare.

The G.SKILL Trident Z Neo comes in at 64.51 g on my scale, which is on the high end. The copper alloy heat spreader is heavier than aluminium counterparts. For height, the G.SKILL Trident Z Neo comes in at just over 43 mm with my calipers, a little below the average 45–50 mm range, which is great for cooler clearance.