Introduction

Netac is primarily known as an OEM provider for flash memory based products. Founded in 1999 and based out of Shenzen, China, Netac has started the transition to the retail space in 2021 to offer its own branded products. With Netac being relatively new to the consumer market, up until recently their offerings for DDR4 and DDR5 were only available under the Shadow RGB and Shadow II series, released early in 2022. Configurations for these are 16 GB (2x 8 GB), 32 GB (2x 16 GB) and 64 GB (2x 32 GB) kits and are already available for sale.


Today, we will be taking a closer look at the new flagship Z-RGB product line from Netac. This new series has memory kits for sale ranging from 6000 MT/s to 8000 MT/s, offering some of the highest binned kits for Intel users. In this review, will be going over the Netac Z RGB DDR5-6200 32 GB (2x 16 GB) memory kit, equipped with enthusiast grade timings of 32-38-38-96 and operating at 1.35 V for the 6200 MT/s Intel XMP profile. This memory has a unique appearance that can only be described as "bedazzling" to the onlooker and should be an interesting product to look at. With that said, it's time to get into the review, see how it compares to others and perform some overclocking as well!

Specifications

Packaging

Netac starts with a strong flashy presentation here. A very simple box design. It has a accurate depiction of the memory being sold, and what it actually looks like. At the top are all the badges pertaining to RGB support for ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync and ASRock Polychrome Sync motherboard software. Looking at the back of this box, we get little to no additional information about this the Z RGB memory kit. Besides the single sticker, you will be hard-pressed to know which series this memory belongs to. In fact, the Netac press release referred to the kit as "Hurricane Z RGB." A follow-up later with Netac reveals both names are actually correct, and it just depends on what region you are in. The kit should be only found and sold under the name "Z RGB" in the Western market.


Inside the box is the two memory DIMMs held firmly in place thanks in part to the padding and snug fit. These DIMMs also have protective plastic to help avoid scratches, fingerprints, or anything else that may occur during installation. There is also a microfiber cloth to wipe off those fingerprints too!

A Closer Look

First off, before getting to far into this review, let me say that these are incredibly hard to photograph due to the mirror finish on the heatsinks. As we go through the review, it will be more clear what these look like from different angles. That being said, these do look really nice in person, even if the photos here don't do it justice.


In one corner on each side the words "DDR5 Z" is inscribed.


On one side of each DIMM module is the identification sticker listing the SKU, rated XMP operating frequency, corresponding voltage of 1.35, and XMP related timings. There is a lot written on these and it can be confusing, those who aren't that tech-savvy will have a hard time deciphering which line of text is the important one. Basically all of it can be ignored besides what's written directly above the barcode.


Another odd looking photo here. Due to the mirror finish, the choice was to either reflect a black background or a white one, with neither being ideal. In any case, Netac does have some text of the light bar, though it is only on the opposing corners instead of in the center. This it isn't a huge deal for those who don't like logos or text on the memory because the name isn't directly in the middle. This entire top section will be illuminated and can be seen on the first page of this review and further along as well.


The Netac Z RGB DDR5-6200 CL32 Z-height is 51 mm after rounding down with the calipers and weighs in at 94 g on the scale. These might be the heaviest DIMMs reviewed so far!


After taking the heatspreader off, we see that these are single-sided DIMMs with eight 2 GB ICs. This is as expected for 16 GB DDR5 DIMMs. The thermal pad covers all the memory ICs. We can also now see how far the light diffuser extends, which is the reason for this even dispersion throughout. This isn't a new design either, just not many brands have a proper light diffusion implementation.

This particular kit does have a thermal pad covering the PMIC, but not for the surrounding components. This is a nice addition from Netac to include a thermal pad on the PMIC, but it is unknown how effective this is compared to just covering parts of the power section from a longevity standpoint. Either way, this shouldn't be a concern unless overclocking with high voltages.


A closer look at the ICs shows that these are SK Hynix (H5CG48MEBDX014). A bit surprising to see, considering how well these overclocked. Currently, Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix are the three big suppliers of DDR5 ICs. When it comes to overclocking, the general consensus is that SK Hynix does provide the highest frequencies and scales better with higher voltage. The kit we have here today is using M-Die, which is the predecessor to A-Die found in many 7000 MT/s+ kits, but is still quite good in regard to overclocking. In fact, the sub-timings can go a bit lower versus A-Die, but the modules can't clock as high in frequency and require more overall voltage for similar timings and configuration. This of course greatly depends on the IC quailty too (foreshadowing).


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=8KK62." Software reports this as Richtek being the manufacturer. Internet investigation provides no additional information.