Introduction

Neo Forza is one of the newer established manufacturers of DRAM memory modules and flash memory products in the consumer market. Under the guidance of parent company Goldkey, Neo Forza is a Taiwanese company founded in 2018 that focuses on enthusiast-grade products.

Neo Forza has a number of established and successful products, of which its memory lineup is the largest. The company prides itself on selecting high-quality chips through a strict filtering process. Neo Forza DDR4 production consists of Encke, Faye, Finlay and Mars product lines, while the next-generation DDR5 has been given new names to be distinguishable and refreshing. In mid-2022 Neo Forza DDR5 MK5 and Trinity were teased in a press release to the public. Alongside these new DDR5 memory lines, variations came with RGB and without; configurations included 32 GB (2x 16 GB) and 64 GB (2x 32 GB) memory kits with frequencies ranging from 4800 MT/s to 7200 MT/s. We actually covered the Neo Forza Trinity 64 GB memory kit already - Link here!

High capacity memory kits are common in the enterprise server space, but the demand for them in the prosumer space is much lower and nearly nonexistent for the general consumer. Those who need the extra system memory will be happy to hear Neo Forza now has both 64 GB (2x 32 GB) and 96 GB (2x 48 GB) configurations. Unlike the majority of DDR5 consumer system memory for sale today, higher capacity memory is dual-rank. These have ICs placed on both sides, which increases the raw bandwidth and uses fewer DIMM slots for the same capacity.


In this review, we will be taking a closer look at the Neo Forza MK5 DDR5-6000 2x 48 GB memory kit. Equipped with conservative timings of 40-40-40-76 operating at 1.30 V with a dual 6000 MT/s memory profile (XMP / EXPO) and with an added bonus, it also comes with a backup 5600 MT/s profile as well. This memory is well-suited for content creators and gamers who are ideally in need of more system memory beyond 32 GB, while still keeping those performance gains that higher frequency memory can provide compared to the baseline JEDEC 4800 MT/s DDR5. Due to the increased capacity, this memory is certainly not for everyone, as it has some minor drawbacks to consider too. We will of course cover that further along in this review. Because this type of memory configuration has a wide range of uses, we will also be testing it on both our AMD and Intel test systems to see how it compares to 32 GB and 64 GB memory kits too.

Specifications

Packaging

The Neo Forza MK5 DDR5-6000 comes in a blister pack with a sheet of paper behind the memory. The packaging itself has the company name in the top-left corner in bold letters, with the word DDR5 seen adjacent. All the information about the actual memory can be found on the sticker for each DIMM module. Flip the blister pack around, and the back has some product highlights like "Made in Taiwan" and "Lifetime Warranty," to name a few.

A Closer Look

Similar to the Neo Forza TRINITY series, modules are only available in black with the MK5 series lacking an RGB choice. These are also a complete redesign and bear no resemblance to their DDR4 siblings.


Unlike many brands, the logo here is off centered to accommodate the heat spreader design. Each side of the DIMM is different. One side has the Neo Forza logo and MK5 series branding, while the other just has "Neo Forza" written in plain text above the identification sticker.


Each DIMM module has an identification sticker listing the SKU, rated XMP operating frequency, and CAS value. These specifications are a bit harder to read without prior understanding of the formatting. The first two lines of text generally contain technical specifications useful to the buyer. Missing here, however, is the operating voltage, which is helpful to have for reference, but should not be overly concerning due to the DDR5-6000 XMP profile only needing 1.30 V.


Laying the DIMMs on the side, we see that Neo Forza does not have any sort of branding on top.


This Neo Forza MK5 DDR5-6000 2x 48 GB kit weighs in at 36 grams on the scale. For Z-height, it comes in at 38 mm, rounding down. Very close in height to bare DIMMs (Green PCB). This is good news for people with lower profile CPU fans or compact cases that often have issues with DIMM height.


After removing the heat spreader, a double-sided PCB is revealed, with eight 3 GB ICs per side for a total of 48 GB for each DIMM. One thing that stands out here is that some of the components that surround the PMIC on single-sided PCB layouts have been moved to the other side for these dual-rank PCBs. These also have a thermal pad for the PMIC and bucks as well.


A closer inspection of the ICs doesn't tell us much. These are Neo Forza branded, which is disappointing from a overclockers perspective. This is mainly due to not knowing the exact revision, which results in extra time spent trying narrow down the manufacturer and IC revision it could be. Luckily for the end user, currently only Micron / Spectek and SK Hynix have released Non-binary 3 GB ICs to the consumer market with one revision each. At 6000 MT/s and "looser" primary timings, knowing which one it could be isn't easy to tell just by those values alone. Nonetheless, we do have SK Hynix (H5CGD8MGBD-X021), which can be abbreviated to SK Hynix 3 GB M-Die, not to be confused with SK Hynix's first DDR5 M-Die (2 GB) in 2021.


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 "0P=AD 7G1" of which software reports Richtek as the manufacturer. An internet investigation provides no additional information.