A Closer Look

The G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB modules in this review are Matte Black. Those familiar with G.SKILL Trident Z memory from the previous DDR4 generation will see similarities in design with a prominently featured black brushed aluminium strip in the middle. Trident Z series is easily recognizable thanks in part to the outward-protruding signature wing-like fins protruding upwards. G.SKILL does its due due diligence by implementing a heatspreader that covers the entire PCB. Since this is the RGB version, sandwiched between the heatspreaders is an opaque plastic strip to diffuse the LEDs.


The G.SKILL Trident Z5 series 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, rated XMP operating frequency and applied voltage for said memory profile.


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 DDR5-7200 kit weighs in at 59 grams on the scale. For Z-height, it comes in at 43 mm rounding up.


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. This will become important for those who will do heavy overvolting! Though it should be mentioned any overclocking beyond the binned XMP profile does void the warranty, as with any brand.


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, 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. With this revision, it does come with a small increase to primary timings as well that 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.