Introduction

With memory prices continuing to plummet, now is a great time to be looking for memory upgrades. 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. Thermaltake is best known for their cases and power supplies, but the brand has expanded a great deal to include both AIO and custom liquid coolers, peripherals, and even desks and chairs. The company has put a particular emphasis on developing comprehensive, user-friendly RGB solutions with broad compatibility and control options. Thermaltake brought that RGB expertise into the memory space with the Thermaltake TOUGHRAM RGB and is now expanding it with the new Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB!

The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB comes in speeds of up to 4600 MHz and capacities of up to 16 GB (2x 8 GB). To aid in both appearance and performance, the Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB also features an aluminium heat spreader with a sleek dual-tone finish. Finally, it boasts software certifications with all four major motherboard vendors, as well as Thermaltake's own comprehensive software. If you have ever wished you could synchronize your RGB memory with Alexa voice commands over a voice compatible controller, Thermaltake has you covered. With ever-increasing flexibility and control, this is an amazing time to be a lighting enthusiast.

The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB kit I have for testing today features a Ryzen-optimized XMP profile: 16 GB (2x 8 GB) of 3600 MHz memory at 18-19-19-39 and 1.35 V. With a new aesthetic and promising RGB from a well-known brand, all that is left is to see how it performs.

Specifications

Packaging

The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB packaging is a sleek satin black cardboard box dominated by a picture of a TOUGHRAM XG RGB stick in the center. "Thermaltake" is in the top left, with the memory speed and capacity on a badge on the right. "TOUGHRAM XG RGB" is printed along the bottom with the badges for Thermaltake's RGB software. The back of the box has a bullet list of features, as well as more software compatibility badges and the full specification stickers.

The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB packaging is well designed and has more information than most other memory kit packaging.


Inside a traditionally molded plastic tray, the memory sticks are held firmly and kept quite safe from all but the most careless handling.

A Closer Look

The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB sticks cut a rectangular profile, but within that profile is a lot of detail to take in.


The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB sticks have a two-tone design with deep black on the right side and metallic gray on the left. The left side also features a lined pattern that lends the sticks quite a bit of character. The two sides are separated by a polished, metallic piece.


Instead of one continuous LED diffuser, the TOUGHRAM XG RGB features four diffuser sections. Two sections split along the top and two smaller sections on each side. The specifications on this sample Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB are quite good, with a 3600 MHz XMP profile at 18-19-19-39 and 1.35 V.


"TOUGHRAM XG RGB" is printed on the top-right side of the LED diffuser, with the Thermaltake logo on the heat spreader just below it.


The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB sticks are single-sided and use SK Hynix CJR-die ICs on a 10-layer PCB 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 heat dissipation is of course reliant on surface area, not volume or mass. That said, it is still interesting to compare.

The Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB comes in at 59.59 g on my scale, which is on the high end. The aluminium heat spreader is thicker than most. For height, the Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB comes in at almost 49.01 mm with my calipers, which is right in the average of 45–50 mm.