By: Jonathan Kwan
January 9, 2025
I was walking from the parking lot to the engineering building at the University of Calgary when I heard three guys behind me talk about Canadian politics. They clearly come from a fiscally conservative view, so I joined their conversation to give them a run for their money from a liberal perspective. One of their biggest criticisms was the carbon tax under Justin Trudeau, which they argued inhibited economic growth, increased taxpayer burden, and caused unnecessary inflation. I pointed out that, according to multiple studies done by economists, a carbon tax is the most economically efficient way to reduce carbon emissions compared to other methods, and the impact of climate change costs significantly more than the prices paid for carbon pricing. Furthermore, most people get more than what they pay into the carbon tax according to official government statistics. We chatted a bit more, and eventually they admitted I could be right, and they will spend more time learning about this topic. I told them how much I respected their open-mindedness and respectfulness in that conversation, and that was when I broke the news that I did not believe anything I just told them -- I actually agreed with them. I often find one can learn a lot by understanding opposing viewpoints, and it is twice the fun when you can act in that character in the real world. A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra RGB DDR5-6000 2x24GB, a modestly clocked set that hides legendary SK hynix M-die ICs that ran perfectly stably at DDR5-8400 in the real world. Today, we have yet another kit from Patriot that packs M-die ICs under the hood, but this time, it starts at 400MHz higher. Are these secretly DDR5-8400 or faster RAM acting as DDR5-6400 memory, or was my last overclock a fluke? Read on to find out!
Our review unit of the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6400 2x24GB came in a small brown corrugated cardboard box from Fremont, California, USA alongside the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6000 2x24GB, Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6000 2x48GB, and Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra RGB DDR5-6000 2x24GB. With the DDR5 RAM supply issues recently, the value of this package is astronomical since we received it. Using the UPS Standard service, everything arrived in excellent condition from Patriot's headquarters to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for our review today.
I have always found Patriot's retail memory packaging to be interesting, and the latest Viper Elite 5 Ultra is no exception. As you can see in our photo above, the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra's retail box design is quite large for a memory kit. I am a big fan of products that come in an actual retail box. The silver background is clean, while a photo of the dual channel kit occupies the majority of the real estate up front. The red Viper Gaming logo is located at the upper left-hand corner. Meanwhile, on the upper right corner of the box, you will find a label indicating its capacity, configuration, and speed. Our particular variant is the non-RGB version as its name suggests, but an RGB version is also available. The Elite 5 Ultra DDR5 Memory branding in reflective silver text is at the bottom. An Ultra Compatible badge is located near the bottom right corner. If you want to take a look at the RAM itself, two parallel windows show off the modules at the back.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6400 2x24GB, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Series Name: Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5
Memory Type: DDR5
Form Factor: UDIMM
Module Configuration: Kit of 2
Color: Black
RGB Options: RGB / Non-RGB
Capacities: 128GB (2x64GB) / 96GB (2x48GB) / 64GB (2x32GB) / 48GB (2x24GB) / 32GB (2x16GB)
Base Speeds (MT/s): 6400 / 5600 / 4800
Base Timings: 40 / 46 / 52
Base Voltage: 1.1V
Tested Speeds (MT/s, Up to): 8000 / 6400 / 6000
Tested Timings (Up to): 28 / 32 / 36 / 44
Tested Voltages (Up to): 1.4V / 1.35V
Dimensions (L x W x H): 0.6 cm (L) x 13.5 cm (W) x 4.4 cm (H)
Weight: 46g
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
Out of the box, you will receive each memory module in the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra kit packaged in its own compartment in the enclosed clear plastic tray. There is nothing else included, but I am not sure what else you can expect from a DDR5 kit either, haha.
A screenshot of the memory tab in CPU-Z with Patriot's Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6400 2x24GB installed. The SPD timings table in CPU-Z reads standard JEDEC specifications programmed into the memory as well as XMP data for running the memory at various speeds. Our ASUS ProArt Z890-Creator WiFi motherboard used for testing had no issues detecting and working with the Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6400 RAM right out of the box. The Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-6400 2x24GB retails for approximately $400 at press time, but availability and price may vary significantly due to DDR5 supply issues.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Test System
3. Benchmark: AIDA64 CPU
4. Benchmark: AIDA64 FPU
5. Benchmark: AIDA64 Memory
6. Benchmark: PCMark 10
7. Benchmark: 3DMark
8. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 11
9. Benchmark: SuperPI 1M, Cinebench 2024
10. Overclocking and Conclusion
