DDR5 memory has come a long way since its rocky start; when DDR5 was launched with Intel's 12th generation CPUs, it was essentially unavailable worldwide and prohibitively expensive when available. That has now changed. The worst of the supply problems are behind us, and DDR5 kits are in plentiful supply, even at the highest performance levels; prices are still too high compared to DDR4, and while it will be a while before prices are comparable, DDR5 is more affordable than it was at the beginning of the year. [The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 2x 16GB kit is certainly a fast product. While not the first 6400MHz kit on the market, it is the first kit with a CAS latency of only 32, and one of the few with such a low CL.

Frankly, this G.Skill RAM is the highest spec DDR5 memory kit on the market today. If high-speed memory is on your shopping list, you'll want to look at this kit, but be prepared to empty your wallet, as it costs $569 (£555, A$1,079).

One of the weaknesses of DDR5 is its relatively high latency. This is one of the reasons why Samsung-based DDR4-3600 with its tight timings is still a viable option for gaming, and the G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-6400 kit with its 32-39-39-102 timings will help minimize this drawback greatly helps. Latency, however, is only one performance metric. There is also raw bandwidth to be gained from a kit of this speed. [The kit supports XMP 3.0 and has a 2x 16GB capacity at an operating voltage of 1.40V. The kit uses an SK Hynix IC that supports XMP 3.0 and has an operating voltage of 1.40V, which is known to run faster on most motherboards, especially after updating the BIOS. Still, check the QVL list on your motherboard to make sure your kit is supported. If it is not listed, look for another DDR5-6400 kit. If it is supported, you are good to go.

We previously reviewed G.Skill's DDR5-6000 C36 kit, which came with silver heatspreaders. The 6400 C32 kit presented here is black and we think it looks even better. The black color blends in more easily with more builds. Of course, it is RGB compatible and looks great. Some kits are too bright or don't cover the LEDs, but G.Skill's opaque cover and diffused light look very classy.

RGB lighting can be controlled with G.Skill's Trident Z Lighting Control app. It is a simple, lightweight software that is only 6 MB. I played with this app briefly and found no problems. However, if you already have an RGB control app for your motherboard, G.Skill says this kit should be able to integrate with RGB control software from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and Asrock.

We know this kit is fast on paper, looks good, and is widely available, but what about its performance? This is one of the most enduring PC builder questions. Is it worth the money for a super-fast memory kit?" The answer is not a simple yes or no. It depends on the applications you run and the systems you combine them with. In some cases it may be worth it, while in other cases the high-speed kit may be within the margin of error of a typical DDR5-4800 kit.

Two tests, file compression and video encoding, show decent improvement to start with; the G.Skill kit is the fastest of all the kits tested, which is no surprise since it is the fastest kit on paper. Even more surprising are the synthetic AIDA64 results, where the G.Skill kit leads. Latency results are also excellent.

Games tend to favor low latency, although it varies from game to game; Civilization VI shows a slight improvement; Metro Exodus Enhanced also shows a slight improvement, but what is interesting about this test is that it is GPU limited. The advantage becomes more apparent in CPU-limited scenarios, such as when high frame rates are desired on high refresh rate screens.

The bottom line remains that buying very fast DDR5 only makes sense if you have a system that can match it. If you are fortunate enough to have a 12900K and RTX 3080 Ti in your system, then you owe it to yourself to match your system with a high-speed memory kit to get the most out of it. For most others, a kit in the 5200MHz to 6000MHz range will provide perfectly acceptable performance in real-world scenarios.

It is clear that the BIOS has come a long way since the Z690 boards hit the market a few months ago. Our Asus Maximus Z690 Apex has really improved and overclocking is much better than it was in the early days; SK Hynix kits are known to overclock well, but we think we are reaching the limits of the CPU.

We were able to achieve DDR5-6667 without adjusting the RAM voltages at all, but we had to raise the IMC voltage to a level that was not comfortable 24/7. However, we had to raise the IMC voltage to a level that was uncomfortable for 24/7 use. If you don't mind pushing yourself too hard and have a good IMC, 7,000 MHz is not out of the question. It is definitely the kit that overclockers have been using to set world records in memory.

G.Skill memory rarely disappoints, and the latest Trident Z5 DDR5-6400 CL32 kit is the best we can find at the moment. But should you buy it? Honestly" No, unless you have a very high-end system. If your budget is limited, it is more economical to buy a cheaper kit and allocate that money to a faster CPU or GPU. That way, you will get a tangible performance benefit.

The G.Skill DDR5-6400 C32 kit is the fastest kit I have ever reviewed. It is definitely very expensive and impossible to recommend to mainstream buyers, but if you want the best kit, you will get a lot of satisfaction. It is one of those products with a halo that makes you want to own it even if you don't really need it.