The HP V8 3600 MHz is a good looking kit of memory. The heat spreader has a lot of detail to the stamping that lends polish and style without the need for a lot of color. When color is called for, the RGB LEDs are more than bright enough for the task. The low-profile design also makes this kit a good choice where cooler clearance is a concern.

It's hard to compare the performance of the HP V8 3600 MHz. As a single channel kit, there is a huge performance penalty in most applications. For overclocking, the HP V8 3600 MHz proved to have a fair amount of headroom, reaching 4000 MHz stable with both my ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 and Intel Core i9-9900K combo and my MSI MEG X570 ACE paired with a Ryzen 5 3600X. The HP V8 3600 MHz did manage some gains in my timings test, but Hynix ICs just don't have as much headroom for tuning the timings as Samsung B-Die or Micron E-die.

The tested specification of the HP V8 3600 MHz comes in at around US$80 per stick, which must be purchased individually. I like what HP has done with the design of the V8. It is both modern and neutral enough to work in a wide variety of builds, and also very distinctly "HP." The problem starts with the price. At US$160 for the tested configuration, there is no shortage of higher specification options from well-established enthusiast memory brands. The V6 from HP suffered a similar problem at launch, but can now be found for competitive prices. If HP can bring the price of the V8 in line with other kits of this specification, the HP V8 could be a good addition to the DDR4 market.