The DDR5 era has been with us for over two years, bringing faster speeds and greater memory capacities to our gaming systems. However, adopting this new technology requires upgrading to the latest processors and motherboards, as well as dealing with potential compatibility issues. The latest addition to TeamGroup’s lineup, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5-6400 Gaming Memory, aims to eliminates some of that problem, but specifically for Intel chipset. It delivers exceptional performance that has a promised one-click overclock rated speed of 6,400 MHz.
The T-Force Vulcan DDR5 is designed specifically for Intel chipsets, offering optimal performance with 12th and 13th generation Intel processors. While it is also compatible with AMD’s 6,000 series processors, achieving the RAM’s top speed of 6,400MHz is not guaranteed and may result in instability. Therefore, to get the most out of this memory module, it is best paired with an Intel-based system or get their T-Force Alpha Vulcan series which supports AMD.
When it comes to pricing, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5-6400 32GB (2x16GB) memory kit is currently listed at $149.99, which translates to approximately PHP 8,416.39 in Philippine currency. However, it’s important to mention that this specific speed variant may not yet be available in the Philippine market, particularly in online stores.
This review will provide an in-depth look at this promising new RAM module, its features, performance, and its compatibility with Intel systems.
Look and Feel
TeamGroup has chosen to maintain their signature black and red color scheme for the packaging of the T-Force Vulcan DDR5-6400 Gaming Memory. The vertical slim box features a striking design that showcases the Black and Red variant of the DDR5 module. On the front of the box, you will find key information such as the lifetime warranty label, an Intel XMP certified sticker, the speed of 6,400MHz, and the size of the RAM, which is 32 GB.
At the back it has a hole that you can peak the DRAM itself, also some detailed specification with its cooling and other technology.
Upon opening the package, you’ll find that the two DIMMs are securely placed within a plastic tray, which has been consistently used in TeamGroup’s previous products.
The T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module itself sports a matte black finish, constructed from a single block of aluminum alloy that seems to contribute to a reinforced structure, which may help the module maintain stability and durability. As a result, removing the heatsink cover could be challenging. Notably, this model forgoes RGB lighting in favor of a sleek, streamlined design.
On the back of the DDR5 memory module, the same V-shaped design is present, but without the T-Force logo. Instead, this area features the product information stickers, providing essential details about the module’s specifications and model number.
From the top view which is the primary visual element of the RAM when installed in your rig, despite the lack of RGB lighting, the striking letter T-Force logo contrasts effectively against the module’s black and white design, adding a distinctive touch to the overall appearance of your system and showing the single block of aluminum.
Additionally, the package includes some extra items, such as a T-Force sticker and a T-Force manual.
Features
The T-Force Vulcan DDR5 supports Intel XMP3.0, enabling users to enjoy ultra-fast overclocking speeds with a single click. This feature simplifies the overclocking process, allowing users to push their systems to the target overclock speed without tinkering the clock timing.
In addition to this convenient feature, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 also boasts other notable attributes, such as:
- Power Management ICs (PMICs) Equipped for Stable, Efficient Power Usage
- Strengthened PMIC Cooling Design
- On-die ECC for Stable Systems
- High-Quality ICs Selected for Stability & Reliability
Performance
Before putting the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module to the test, let’s take a look at some of its basic specifications. As evident, the DRAM manufacturer for this module is SK Hynix, and it features a maximum timing of 40-40-40-84 (XMP Profile), which runs its rated speed of 6,400MHz.
For this review, we will be testing the module at both its default speed of 4,800MHz and its XMP Profile (6,400MHz).
Here is the test setup we will be using for this review:
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel i5-13400F
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B760-F Gaming Wifi
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA Founder’s Edition GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6
- OS: Windows 11 Pro
- Game Test: Dirt 5, Resident Evil 6 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider
AIDA64 Memory Benchmark
AIDA64 Memory Benchmark is a comprehensive testing suite that measures the memory performance of a system. The benchmark focuses on four key parameters: Read, Write, Copy, and Latency that will test its Memory, and caches (L1, L2 and L3). These parameters help evaluate how efficiently a memory module can read, write, and copy data, as well as the response time (latency) between the memory and the processor.
For the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 at the default speed of 4,800MHz, the benchmark results showed a Memory read of 71,176 MB/s, write of 67,695 MB/s, copy of 65,779 MB/s, and a latency of 86.9 ns. When the module was overclocked to 6,400MHz using the XMP Profile, the scores improved significantly: Memory read increased by 32.5% to 94,343 MB/s, write increased by 26% to 85,307 MB/s, copy increased by 28% to 84,271 MB/s, and latency was reduced by 15.7% to 73.2 ns.
CPU-Z Benchmark
Next, we will discuss the benchmark results obtained from CPU-Z. Although this application primarily focuses on peripheral specifications, it does include a benchmark for CPU’s single and multi-thread performance. While this test is not directly related to memory performance, it is important to observe any changes when using the default and overclocked speeds.
At the default speed of 4,800MHz, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 achieved a CPU single-thread score of 718.4 and a multi-thread score of 6,511. When overclocked to 6,400MHz, the scores saw a slight increase, with a CPU single-thread score of 726 (a 1.06% increase) and a multi-thread score of 6,523.6 (a 0.19% increase). Although the improvement is not substantial, there is still a measurable increase in performance.
Super Pi Benchmark
Super Pi is a popular benchmark among overclockers, mainly used for evaluating single-threaded application performance. It calculates Pi to a large number of digits (32 million for our testing) using x86 floating-point instructions.
At the default speed of 4,800MHz, the memory module achieved a score of 7 minutes and 19 seconds. When overclocked to 6,400MHz, the score improved to 7 minutes and 2 seconds, representing an improvement of approximately 3.89%.
PCMark 10 Benchmark
PCMark 10 is a comprehensive benchmark that evaluates a system’s overall performance, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD storage, and motherboard. The benchmark covers various applications such as web content, photo manipulation, application rendering, document editing, content creation, and more. Although it assesses the entire system, it is relevant for our memory review as it provides a broader perspective on the module’s impact on system performance.
At the default speed of 4,800MHz, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module achieved a score of 7,622. When overclocked to 6,400MHz, the score improved to 7,919, representing an increase of approximately 3.89%.
Looking at specific subtests, we observed the most significant improvements in the following areas:
- Digital Content Creation: from 11,909 to 12,202 (a 2.46% increase)
- Writing: from 8,023 to 8,228 (a 2.55% increase)
- Spreadsheet Score: from 11,755 to 13,344 (a 13.52% increase)
- App Score: from 14,914 to 15,658 (a 4.98% increase)
These results suggest that the T-Force Vulcan DDR5’s overclocked speed can offer noticeable improvements in various application areas, which can be beneficial for users seeking to optimize their system’s performance. We mean, getting a higher clock speed DDR5 ram.
3D Mark Benchmark
3D Mark, Time Spy is a pure DirectX 12 engine has been built from the ground up to support new API features like asynchronous compute, explicit multi-adapter, and multi-threading, making it an ideal benchmark for testing the DirectX 12 performance of modern graphics cards. Although this test is more GPU-focused, it’s worth evaluating whether there are any improvements in performance when using the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module at different clock speeds.
At the default speed of 4,800MHz, we achieved a score of 12,959. When overclocked to 6,400MHz, the score increased slightly to 13,073, representing an approximate 0.88% improvement. With the test, we see it has little improvement in terms of gaming when using higher clockspeed.
7-Zip Compression
The 7-Zip compression benchmark is a useful test to evaluate system performance, as it is integrated within the popular file archiving tool which everyone can use and compare. In this test, we conducted 10 passes using a 32MB dictionary size and all 16 CPU threads of our Core i5-13400K processor.
At the default speed of 4,800MHz, we obtained a total rating of 84.542 GIPS. When overclocked to 6,400MHz, the total rating increased to 88.924 GIPS. This represents an approximate 5.19% improvement in performance.
Virtualization – Antutu Android Benchmark
Since we primarily focus on mobile video games, particularly MMORPGs, playing Android games on PC requires Android emulators. For this test, we utilized the LDPlayer emulator and ran the AnTuTu Benchmark to assess the performance difference when using higher RAM clock speeds in a virtualization environment.
During our testing, at the default speed of 4,800MHz, we obtained a score of 2,684,483. When we increased the clock speed to 6,400MHz, the score rose to 2,994,721. This represents an approximately 11.54% improvement in performance when using the higher clock speed. The results indicate that an increase in the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module’s clock speed can positively impact the performance of Android emulators, enabling a smoother gaming experience on a PC.
Game Benchmark
The final benchmark we conducted involved testing the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module’s performance in games. We selected three games with built-in benchmark tools for this purpose: Dirt 5, Resident Evil 6, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. These tools allow us to effectively measure the impact of the RAM on gaming performance. Note: We will only show the screenshot of benchmark result of 6,400MHz.
In the Shadow of the Tomb Raider test, an open-world game with various environments to render, we observed a performance improvement when using the overclocked speed of 6,400MHz. At the default speed of 4,800MHz, the module achieved 28,785 frames rendered and an average FPS of 183, while at the overclocked speed, it achieved 30,844 frames rendered and an average FPS of 196. This represents the same score of 7.1% increase in both frames rendered and average FPS.
In Resident Evil 6, a game published in 2012, we expected to see higher results due to its age. At the default speed of 4,800MHz, we achieved a score of 38,232, while at the overclocked speed of 6,400MHz, the score increased to 39,105. This represents a 2.3% improvement when using the higher memory speed.
In Dirt 5, a racing game with demanding graphics but minimal environment rendering, we observed consistent performance across both memory speeds. Since the game is locked at 60 FPS, we found that the average FPS remained the same at both 4,800MHz and 6,400MHz, with both configurations achieving the average of 60 FPS.
Conclusion
After thoroughly examining the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module, taking into account its design, packaging, performance in various benchmarks, and real-world game testing, we can draw the following conclusions:
The T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module offers a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic that is both visually appealing and functional, despite the lack of RGB lighting. The aluminum alloy construction provides stability and durability, while the matte black finish adds a touch of elegance.
Performance-wise, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module shows a noticeable improvement when overclocked to 6,400MHz compared to its default speed of 4,800MHz in many of the benchmarks. However, it is essential to note that the performance gains may vary depending on the specific use case, with some applications benefiting more from the increased memory speed than others.
In gaming tests, the memory module showed a positive impact on performance when overclocked, especially in titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. However, some games, like Dirt 5 and Resident Evil 6, did not show any significant difference between the two memory speeds due to their specific game settings.
It is important to mention that the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module is currently only compatible with Intel platforms and not recommended for AMD systems. Although it may still be usable with AMD systems, users will not be able to take advantage of the overclocking capabilities.
In conclusion, the T-Force Vulcan DDR5 memory module is a solid choice for users looking to enhance their Intel chipset system’s performance, particularly when it comes to gaming and memory-intensive applications. The improvements offered by the overclocked speed of 6,400MHz can provide a noticeable boost in various scenarios, making it a worthwhile investment for those seeking to get the most out of their DDR5-enabled systems. Plus, the module comes with a lifetime warranty, providing additional peace of mind for users.