How to identify your memory kit:
Basic features :
You’re going to tell me that this is pretty easy, since all you have to do is look at the references advertised by the manufacturer. Yes, but that’s not enough, especially if you’re planning to overclock it! Some information is given by the manufacturer, but you’ll have to dig around or even remove the heat sinks to find out the rest.
One side of the heatsink bears the words “Xtreem” and “Narvik Black – DDR5 – From T-Force Lab”, while the other has a label with the technical specifications of our model. This is what we’re going to look at in detail. For example, in the case of today’s model, here’s the information we know.
- Brand: Teamgroup
- Model: T-Force Xtreem
- Capacity: 2 x 24 GB
- Frequency: 8200 MT/s
- Timings: 38-49-49-84
- Voltage: 1.40 volts
- Review: –
In order to get an idea of the overclocking potential of your kit, this information is insufficient and you’ll need to go further. It’s also very important to know the revision of the PCB and the model of the chips used in your memory kit. Depending on this information, the kit’s overclocking performance will be very different.
To find this information, there is currently only one solution: disassemble the heat sinks. The Taiphoon Burner software does not currently support DDR5 kits. Nor is there any indication that this will be the case in the coming weeks.
CPU-Z always present :
Fortunately, our trusty CPU-Z software is always on hand, allowing us to verify this information, particularly with regard to the type of chips used in our kit. At present, there are three types of chip: Samsung, Hynix and Micron.
Our kit is perfectly recognized under Windows 10, and the various timings read perfectly. The memory chips used in our kit are Hynix. These are the chips with the best overclocking potential. However, one element catches our attention: the CPU-Z SPD tab shows an XMP profile at 7400 MT/s. Let’s reboot our PC to see if this profile is present in the BIOS.
The PCB of our memory kit :
We’re going to dismantle the heatsinks so that we can observe the PCB and identify the chips. Be careful not to accidentally detach any chips from the PCB! The best technique is to heat the heat sink with a hair-dryer, then gently pry it out, and be patient. As a reminder, the design of DDR5 modules is different from that of DDR4, with the presence of an on-board PMIC (power management integrated circuit) chip. The idea is to enable better power management and therefore system stability. Illustration photos courtesy of Kevin Wu, thanks to him.
Our kit therefore benefits from the Hynix H5CGD8MGBD-X021 3 GB chips, of which there are 8. As the “M” in the part number stipulates, we’re using Hynix M-die and not A-die chips, but this is a new generation that allows us to further improve the frequency rise. Our kit is an “SR” model for single rank, meaning that all the chips are on a single side. On the other hand, there are “DR” kits for dual rank , with chips on both sides of the PCB.
