A Closer Look

The G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB modules in this review are Matte Black. Those familiar with DDR4 Trident Z memory kits will see the similarities in design, featuring a black brushed aluminium strip in the middle. The heatspreader covers the entire PCB for full coverage with the outward-protruding signature wing-like fins. Since this is the RGB version, the top has an opaque plastic strip to diffuse the LEDs.


The G.SKILL Trident Z5 brand name has also been placed in the right corner of each DIMM, in direct contrast to the black-brushed aluminium.


On one side of each DIMM module is the identification sticker listing the SKU and rated XMP operating frequency. Previous Trident Z5 reviews here noted a lack of critical information such as full XMP timings and the applied voltage. It's nice to see this information making a return. This is just an inconvenience for those that handle a lot of memory on a daily basis.


Laying the DIMMs on the side, you can see "G.SKILL" written in white lettering in the center. The entire plastic strip in the middle will be illuminated when the system is powered on and lighting can be controlled with supported motherboard software.


The G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6800 kit weighs in at 61 grams on the scale. For Z-height, it is 43 mm rounding down.


After taking the heatspreader off, we see that these are single-sided DIMMs with eight 2 GB ICs. This is as expected for a DDR5 32 GB kit since densities increased with DDR5. The thermal pad covers all the memory ICs. This particular kit does not have any coverage for the PMIC and surrounding components. Upon closer inspection half the RGB LEDs are on the back of the PCB, which allows for a more even spread.


A closer look at the ICs shows that these are SK Hynix (H5CG48AGBD-X018). Currently, Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix are the three suppliers of DDR5 ICs. When it comes to higher frequency memory, SK Hynix is currently unmatched and without a direct competitor. Micron's first DDR5 iteration Rev.A only reached a mere 5600 MT/s, with the Rev.G, recently released coming in at 6600 MT/s. Samsung has been mostly absent for the first year, with Samsung B-Die (DDR5) rarely seen in retail kits above 6400 MT/s. While both companies have more revisions in the works for 2023, SK Hynix's new A-Die memory is currently the only one breaking the 7000 MT/s retail barrier.

The kit we have here today is using SK Hynix A-Die. It will overclock the highest of all the current memory ICs offerings, but the primary timings are also a bit looser as we will see in the overclocking section of this review.


With DDR5, one of the major changes is how the motherboard directly provides 5 V to the memory module's PMIC, which is then stepped down and split accordingly. No longer is the motherboard responsible for regulating the voltages, as with DDR4. The PMIC has the part number "0D=9DK6W." Software reports this as Richtek being the manufacturer. Internet investigation provides no additional information.