A Closer Look

I really like the esthetic design of these sticks. The TridentX line goes straight for the kill with its red and black colors, which match many ASUS ROG products and AMD video cards perfectly. The fin styling is aggressive, so much so that I actually drew blood due to the sharp point of the fins poking my finger!


Even the sticker on these DIMMs is aggressive with a large and bold "TridentX" through the middle. The anodized finish of the fins really stands out against the black base of the DIMM's heatsink, and helps solidify the entire appearance of these sticks.


Looking at the sticks from the DIMM connector, it's easy to see that the heatsink here is fairly thick, rightly so since these particular sticks are rated to run at PC3-19200 speeds, or 2400 MHz, with 10-12-12-31 timings, while needing a power supply of 1.65 V.


I found several marking on the PCB surface. On one side, I found two gold letters spelling "GC", which may stand for "G.SKILL Corporation" with a number indicating that these sticks use an 8-layer PCB, on the other side.


The opposite side of the PCB surface has a PCB lot number on one end, and a sticker reading "G.SKILL Warranty" on the other end. I'm not exactly sure why that "G.SKILL Warranty" sticker is there, but be that as it may, it does show that even tiny details are not overlooked by G.SKILL with those stickers obviously being put there on purpose.


These TridentX DIMMs don't have to interfere with some tower coolers although they are pretty tall. The red fins, as you can see in the pictures above, can be removed easily with just a Phillips screwdriver. Removing the screw allows you to slide the fins off the heatsink to lower the module's height considerably, allowing for many more installation options with aftermarket coolers. I would leave them on since they do aid in cooling the sticks, but G.SKILL tells me that the sticks will run fine without them.


There are, as you can see, two screws, one on each side. You only need to remove one of the screws in order to remove the fin. I have to say that the screws in retail sticks will appear slightly different. I received these sticks a couple months ago and G.SKILL has since updated this part of the stick a tiny bit. You will find a red washer between the screws and the fin on retail sticks; something my sticks lack. The washer ensures that the fins have a tight fit with the heatsink and are not loose on the stick. Another interesting thing I noticed is that these particular sticks are single-sided, with just a foam pad on one side to allow the heatsinks to sit properly. The stick's single-sided nature is pretty obvious near its connector ends since, as you can see in the image above, surface-mounted bits can only be found on one side there.


These sticks make a pretty good visual impression even with the top part of the heatsink removed, although it doesn't look as aggressive without the fins installed. I actually rather like both appearances. This design choice will perhaps allow G.SKILL to release other TridentX sticks with the same overall design, but a different color scheme. I know I wouldn't mind a blue or white set!