Introduction

With memory prices falling, now is a great time to be looking for memory upgrades. Fall hardware releases are in full swing, there is competition from both Intel and AMD, and the Red brand has thoroughly fixed the memory issues of generations past. No longer do users have to worry about memory compatibility or shopping for expensive AMD-branded kits. With 3200 MHz natively supported on the new Ryzen platform, options for enthusiasts have never been more open.

G.SKILL, the Taipei-based memory manufacturer, has a history of producing performance-oriented memory products. The brand has some iconic designs, from the classic Ripjaws to the popular Trident series. G.SKILL has consistently delivered competitive performance in a striking aesthetic package. The culmination of this evolutionary process has materialized into some of the most refined memory designs on the market, most thoroughly within the Trident Z line of DDR4 memory kits.

The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite is "meticulously crafted to display just the right amount of light refraction" with a crystalline light bar that "scatters the RGB colors in a magnificent display of LED lighting." This glamorous new light bar design has been paired with polished aluminium heat spreaders available in either a gold or silver finish. The new kit is glamorous to the point of excess and may leave customers wanting it on a shelf rather than in their system. G.SKILL is still committed to providing top-notch performance with their kits, and this one is no exception.

The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite kit I have for testing today features 2x 8 GB sticks at a blazing fast 4000 MHz speed and 14-15-15-35 timings. So is the G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite as fast as it is flashy?

Specifications

Packaging

The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite is designed from the ground up to feel like a premium product, which the packaging reflects. The satin black box wrapped in a cardboard band holding it closed is emblazoned with "G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite" in a flowing script.

Underneath the band is a simple G.SKILL logo in silver. The front of the box is otherwise unmarked. The back of the box is nearly as minimalist, featuring the specification sticker and some basic G.SKILL contact information.


Opening the box reveals the two sticks nestled in premium high-density foam, along with a microfiber cloth emblazoned with "Trident Z Royal" and a G.SKILL sticker. I would have liked the sticker to be in a stylized silver color rather than the standard G.SKILL one (much like the design on the sticker for the sticks, which I'll show later). I can certainly understand consistent branding, though.

A Closer Look

The Royal kits all follow the award-winning Trident Z tri-fin design, which is already distinguished. The polished silver finish is absolutely beautiful, with the faceted light bar as the proverbial icing on the cake.


The Trident Z Royal Elite design is simple and elegant; the heat spreader is split into geometric patterns that reflect light at different angles. The back of the stick is identical for all but the mandatory specification sticker.


The branding on the G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite is very minimalist, an absolute masterstroke of design by G.SKILL. Aside from the specification sticker, "G.SKILL" features along the bottom edge of each side. Given the premium nature of this kit, it is only fitting that it has premium specifications to match. The kit is rated for a 4000 MHz XMP profile at 14-15-15-35 and 1.55 V.


The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite sticks are single-sided and use Samsung B-die ICs on a PCB with 10 layers for added stability.


I like to weigh a stick from each kit I get as the difference in mass can be pretty drastic between kits. Mass is not the best indicator of cooling efficiency because material can matter, and of course, heat dissipation is reliant on surface area, not volume or mass. That said, it is still interesting to compare.


The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite comes in at 57.25 g on my scale, which is on the high end. The aluminium heat spreader is thicker than most, and the silver aluminium insert adds a fair bit of mass. For height, the G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite comes in at almost 43.08 mm with my calipers, which is right at the average of 45–50 mm.