Now that we have benchmarked this memory, it is time to put everything into perspective. We will go over which platform this memory kit is best suited for, what Patriot could improve upon to make a better product, and finish up on a positive note.

In a break from the standard format, getting straight to the core of the review, there isn't much Patriot could improve upon from the Xtreme 5 series as a whole. After reviewing two other Xtreme 5 memory kits, this one falls under the same umbrella. This product performs exactly as advertised and is designed for users with an Intel 13th or 14th Generation (K) processor. It is also, to no fault of Patriot, a fact that these high frequency memory kits have inherently limited compatibility. We are well outside what is considered the plug and play experience. With that notation, the reminder of this review will focus on system compatibility and what to expect for basic overclocking.

Getting right into the basic compatibility concerns, 8200 MT/s is unlikely to even boot on AMD systems. With only a few AM5 X670 chipset motherboards that support 8000 MT/s, these higher supported speeds are a rarity. While 8400 MT/s support has been teased for select X870 motherboards from ASUS and Gigabyte, it doesn't matter which brand it is if the CPU cannot reach these speeds. Both the Ryzen 7000 and 9000 series share the same memory controller, which limits the chances of breaking the 8000 MT/s barrier. In the AMD test system, the 8200 MT/s XMP profile would not boot at all, thus no benchmarks were conducted. Do not buy this memory for AMD systems unless you plan on downclocking it and applying secondary and tertiary adjustments.

As noted previously, compatibility here is less about Patriot itself, but more about any memory kit that is binned 8000 MT/s and above. Simply put, this will not work on Intel 12th Generation (K) Processors or Intel Z690 motherboards for anyone but the most dedicated extreme overclockers. With Intel's next platform scheduled to debut later in 2024, the LGA 1700 socket is effectively entering the end of life phase. This means that the Z790 motherboard refresh released and launched alongside the 14th Generation Raptor Lake (K) processors is the best it will get for memory support. Ultimately only a handful of Intel Z790 motherboards are capable of 8200 MT/s for daily use, and they are all 2-DIMM slot motherboards. Even then, a plug and play setup isn't guaranteed. Be prepared to manually change the default System Agent (VCCSA), CPU_VDD2 (IMC) and CPU_VDDQ_TX voltages if system stability becomes a problem. That or use one of the lower MT memory profiles.

Now we have any compatibility covered, it's time to focus on this Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 8200 MT/s memory kit and what type of consumer would actually benefit. To be blunt here, buying this memory without the intent to overclock doesn't provide many real-world performance gains over a 7200 MT/s kit. It is worth acknowledging that system memory often only plays a minor role in higher frame rates for the majority of users. The lowest latency and highest bandwidth will always provide the greatest gains in the 1% lows. Still, other components like the processor and graphics card tend to play a more significant role in the overall frame rate for games. Which brings us to the actual targeted consumer. It is well established that some of the quickest gains for raising frame-rates in games and higher synthetic benchmarks scores will come from the manual adjustment of the secondary and tertiary timings at any frequency. There is no exception here either.

Even if these adjustments and basic overclocking can be accomplished with another memory brand, Patriot Xtreme series is still a great choice for newer overclockers and veterans alike. Firstly, there are the three XMP profiles, with the lowest one being 7800 MT/s, this greatly alleviates frustrations when dialing in memory at these speeds. Overclocking memory is a three-way puzzle. The motherboard, processor and system memory all have different limitations. Finding which component is the weakest link will be a big part of the overclock. These extra XMP profiles will absolutely be a great asset for reaching the goal of 8200 MT/s and beyond.

As we wrap up this review, it is worth another mention that this memory kit isn't for the casual user, to no fault of Patriot. 8200 MT/s is reaching the limits of what an Intel 13th / 14th Generation (K) Processor can do. The requirements are also steep, requiring a 2-DIMM slot motherboard as well. Intel's Ultra 200 series is coming soon, though speculation of its capabilities is dangerous to assume. For now, this is near the top of Patriot's "halo" product line, the Xtreme 5. It is given this title because the memory is binned higher than mid-tier products and generally overclocks better due to the stricter binning process. This is the only category that should be expected to perform exceptionally well, and memory overclocking is almost expected from the consumer. Just like the Xtreme 5 DDR5-7600 reviewed previously, the final comments are quite similar. Potential gains here are only as much as one is willing to put into memory optimization. It is easy to recommend this Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 DDR5-8200 memory kit if you have like-minded overclocking desires. Be warned the plug and play experience isn't here at all. However, having one of the fastest memory kits on the market right now fully adjusted to the highest performance possible on my personal system is what brings joy to this computer hobbyist. Patriot gives you an opportunity to experience this as well.