The advance of DDR4 memory has sparked a race among manufacturers to set new frequency records. Technically, Corsair was the first to reach the market with 4,333 MHz modules, but G.Skill didn't wait long and announced its new 16 GB Trident Z memory (2 x 8 GB) based on Samsung silicon. These modules were validated for Kaby Lake platforms, and the company published images confirming a slight overclocking margin.
Both Kaby Lake and Ryzen serve as excuses to finally adopt DDR4 memory. Personally, I'm convinced that Intel and AMD could have made their processors work with DDR3 modules, and I admit that the lack of backward compatibility is a bit boring, but if the new memory is the best for these systems, then we have to use it. Now, there are small support details that haven't been fully resolved. Manufacturers are still working on the validation process, and I estimate that we'll see new BIOS updates in the coming months. Of course, this effort reaches all manufacturers, not just those responsible for motherboards, and on the memory side we find announcements like the one G.Skill made last Friday.
It's about its new package of Trident Z memory at a frequency of 4,333 MHz, divided into two 8 GB modules. The most striking thing is that the Trident Z reaches that frequency at 1.4V, a parameter that exceeds the "high performance" value of 1.35V for DDR4 memory, and the JEDEC standard of 1.2V. The modules include aluminum heatsinks and XMP 2.0 extensions, which should give enthusiasts enough room to play with timings and squeeze the memory to the max. G.Skill shared a couple of images showing its new memory running at DDR4-4505 without issues.
The validation issue is delicate, and for now, G.Skill only confirmed compatibility with Intel Z270 chipsets on the Kaby Lake platform (the image indicates an ASUS ROG Maximus IX Apex motherboard). It's a matter of time before more hardware joins, time that G.Skill will definitely take, because the memory has no price or release date.
