Teamgroup is a brand that we have been working with for several weeks now and that offers us the opportunity to test the new kits available when they are released. After the excellent Teamgroup Delta RGB 6600 MT/s CL34 with M-die chips, we had the chance to receive a kit equipped with A-die chips, the Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34. It is a kit that consists of two 16 GB arrays operating at a voltage of 1.40 volts. At the time of writing our article, we have not yet found any sites referencing this new DDR5 kit and therefore, we do not yet have an exact idea on its price in Europe. They are currently on pre-order at OCUK for a price of £499.99. You should also know that a 7600 MT/s kit is also available for pre-order.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Teamgroup for giving us the opportunity to review this kit with the new Hynix A-die chips. These are currently the chips with the best overclocking potential.
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Packaging Description:
The kit from Teamgroup is delivered in a cardboard box with a sober color code. The brand emphasizes the RGB of its kits, with a black and a white backlit module on the front. We can distinguish the labels of our two black bars on the back of the box through a cutout. We can see that they are enclosed and protected in a transparent plastic protection. On the back of the box is also a label that informs the future buyer of the characteristics of his memory kit.
There is a new version also with A-die chips and clocked at 7600 MT/s with timings of 34-42-42-84. These chips are even better sorted and are capable of holding this frequency.
Features and cooling:
This kit is therefore clocked at 7200 MT/s with timings of 34-42-42-84 requiring a voltage of 1.40 volt to operate. It is composed of two 16 GB strips for a total of 32 GB. We are here on full black at the level of the radiators. You should know that a white version should also be available. See you in a few days to discover the performance first on the ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme and then in a comparative test DDR5.
In terms of dimensions, we are on modules of 46.1(H) x 144.2(W) x 7(E) mm. The heat spreaders are made of aluminum. They are in charge of dissipating the heat generated by the PCB composed of ten layers as well as that of the memory chips. On the upper part of the module, there is the RGB backlight area in which the addressable LEDs are inserted. The shape resembles the American stealth fighter planes. Our modules are of course compatible with RGB software from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Biostar and ASRock.
On the first side, there are several inscriptions, the name of the series as well as DDR5 and RGB. A cutout in the heatsink highlights the letter “R”. On the other side, a label shows some of the characteristics of our kit. To finish this presentation, you should know that the kit is XMP 3.0(Extreme Memory Profile) compatible. So don’t forget to activate the profile directly via the BIOS of your motherboard. [nextpage title=”What’s new in DDR5: “] The arrival of the Z690 chipset coincides with the arrival of new DDR5 memory modules. The main change is an increase in frequency and a higher capacity. Be careful, let’s make things clear straight away, it is not possible to use DDR5 modules on a DDR4 motherboard and vice versa. Even though DDR5 also has 288 pins, the notches do not match and this is voluntary in order not to have disasters.
The arrival of the PMIC module:
The great novelty of DDR5 is the presence of a PMIC module(Power Manager Integrated Circuit). Its role is to regulate the power supply of the memory stick. There is therefore one per strip. This one will use the 5 volts of your motherboard and convert it to provide the necessary voltage to your kit. For example, if your kit needs 1.1 volts, each chip will receive 1.1 volts. 
Previously, it was the motherboard that was in charge of doing this. In reality, this has an advantage but also a disadvantage. The advantage is that manufacturers no longer have to provide this control on the motherboard PCB. So, a financial gain. But unfortunately, there are two types of PMIC. One is locked and will only accept the default values of your kit, this is called secure mode. The other type of PMIC is modifiable and will therefore allow you to increase the voltage beyond 2 volts. Fortunately, Asus on its Z690 APEX, has already begun to circumvent the restriction of the secure mode to reach 1.435 volts. We talked about this in detail in the article dedicated to the APEX.
The other question is about the heat release of this chip as well as the additional cost for a DDR5 kit. Personally, we didn’t notice any extra heat release during our testing. As far as pricing is concerned, it will be higher and it will also depend on availability.
Higher frequencies and lower voltage:
So what’s changing? First of all, manufacturers seem to favor 16 GB strips and therefore dual channel kits in 2 x 16 or 2 x 32 GB whereas we are used to 2 x 8 GB for DDR4. The frequencies are also on the rise with kits that start at 4800 MT/s while the standard seems to be at 3200 MHz in DDR4 and which can currently reach 6600 MT/s. Finally, who says high frequencies says (much) more relaxed timings.
The voltage is also improved since it will be able to decrease to 1.1 volt for DDR5 against 1.2 volt for DDR4. We are talking about a voltage of 1.1 volt for DDR5 kits at 4800 MT/s. The voltage will be higher if the frequency increases as you will see below.
ECC (Error Correcting Code) compatible with DDR5
The DDR5 boards will be able to integrate the ECC (Error Correcting Code). Uh, yes? The idea of this module is to detect possible errors and analyze them before sending them to the CPU. Now, this module won’t be available on all boards since it will increase the price of the kit. As long as we are talking about the price, it should be unfortunately (much) higher.
XMP 2.0 (DDR4) and XMP 3.0 (DDR5), the changes:
We go from XMP 2.0 for DDR4 to XMP 3.0 for DDR5. What changes at first is the possibility for a manufacturer to offer three different XMP for its memory kit. These must be enabled in the BIOS.
The other big evolution is the possibility to register your own XMP. To put it simply, you can optimize timings and tensions and then write your own XMP. Once “burned” on your memory stick, you will have the possibility to choose this XMP within the BIOS. This is of course a function that we will come back to in detail in a dedicated article since it is something that is possible with iCUE. [nextpage title=”How to identify your memory kit: “]
The basic features:
You will tell me that it is quite easy since you just have to look at the references announced by the manufacturer. Yes, but this is not enough, especially if you plan to overclock it! Some information is given by the manufacturer, but you’ll have to dig or even remove the heat sinks to find out the others. On one side of the heatsink you will find the inscription “T-Force Delta RGB” and on the other, a label with the technical specifications of our example. This is what we will look at in detail. For example, in the case of our example of the day, here is the information we know.
- The brand: Teamgroup
- Model: T-Force Delta RGB
- Capacity: 2 x 16 GB
- Frequency: 7200 MT/s
- Timings: 34-42-42-84
- Voltage: 1 .40 volts
- Review: –
In order to get an idea of the overclocking potential of your kit, this information is insufficient and we will have to go further. Indeed, it is also very important to know the revision of the PCB as well as the model of the chips that equip your memory kit. Depending on this information, the overclocking performance of the kit will be very different.
To find this information, there is currently only one solution, disassemble the heat sinks. Indeed, currently, the Taiphoon Burner software does not support DDR5 kits. Moreover, there is no indication that this will be the case in the coming weeks.
CPU-Z still present:
Fortunately, our trusty CPU-Z software is still at work and allows us to verify this information, especially on the type of chips that equip our kit. Currently, there are three types of chips: Samsung, Hynix and Micron. Be careful, since from now on on the DDR5 kits, we can have either Hynix M-die or Hynix A-die.
Our kit is perfectly recognized under Windows 10 and the different timings perfectly read. The memory chips that equip our kit are indeed Hynix. They are the chips with the best potential in overclocking.
The PCB of our memory kit:
We will dismantle the heatsinks in order to observe the PCB and identify the chips. Be careful not to accidentally detach the chips from the PCB! The best technique is to heat the heatsink with a hair dryer before gently prying it off and being patient.
As a reminder, the design of DDR5 modules will also be different from DDR4 with the presence of a PMIC (power management integrated circuit) chip on board. The idea is to allow a better management of the power supply and therefore the stability of the system. Our kit therefore benefits from the Hynix A-die chips, of which there are 8. We are on a kit known as “SR” for single rank, meaning that all the chips are on a single side. On the other hand, we can find “DR” kits for dual rank with chips on both sides of the PCB. The Hynix chips have the reference “H5CG48AEBD” and are 2 GB versions. [nextpage title=”The importance of the XMP profile: “]
Setup within the BIOS:
We can’t say it enough, but the settings of your memory kit are not automatically set after you install it. If it is the case for your processor, it is not the case for your memory kit and a passage through the BIOS will be mandatory! You will be able to configure it manually, by choosing the right frequency, timings and voltage for your kit. For more convenience, we advise you to activate the XMP (Intel) or DOCP (AMD) mode in “AI Overclock Tuner” in order to set it up automatically. Without this, your performance will be impacted in all areas and you will end up with a kit that does not exceed 4800 MHz in CL40. We will therefore activate our XMP profile directly in the BIOS.
The Asus BIOS, both on the APEX and on the Crosshair models, benefit from memory profiles. They are good bases to overclock your memory kit. We will first use them in our overclocking tests. Our kit is now set up in the BIOS and will work with the manufacturer’s specifications.
As you have seen in the above captures, once the XMP profile is activated, the settings are automatically detected. The frequency goes up to 7200 MT/s, the timings are activated and the voltage goes up to 1.40 volt. [nextpage title=”Intel configuration test: “] Of course, this kit will only be tested on an Intel platform since AMD does not yet have motherboards supporting DDR5.
- Motherboard: ROG Maximus Z690 APEX edition 2022
- Processor: Intel i9-12900K Alder Lake and i9-13900K Rocket Lake for the OC
- Memory : 32 GB Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34
- Graphics Card: MSI GT 710
- Cooling system : Optimus Foundation + 480 mm EK radiator
- SSD : Western Digital SN850 NVMe SSD M.2
- Power supply : be quiet! Dark Power PRO 12 1500w
- Operating system : Windows 10 64 bits
Aida 64 :
It is a software able to provide you with a lot of information about your configuration but it has the particularity to have a memory benchmark. It will calculate the speed of reading, writing, copying and the latency of your memory kit. It is very often used to compare memory kits between them. It is an excellent tool if you want to compare the performance of your memory kit with those we have already had the opportunity to test. The version used for the tests is 6.50.2812 beta and we have taken the performance of the previously tested kits.
The performance of this first test seems perfectly logical to us, with an easy first place obtained. The throughput is unquestionable with an average of 109940 MB/s. This is quite logical since this Teamgroup kit combines high frequency and tight timings. As a reminder, our best score in DDR4 was 61325 MB/s with the Corsair Dominator Platinum at 4800 MT/s CL19. So, as usual on an Intel platform, you will have to focus on frequency and tight timings.
In writing, the same observation with speeds that explode to reach 95609 MB / s. The Corsair Dominator Platinum 4800 MT/s CL19 in DDR4 obtained 67251 MB/s. Once again, we note a logical progression between the different frequencies. The frequency of 7200 MT/s in front of the Corsair kit at 6600 MT/s allows this performance gain.
The findings are identical in copy with again a large gap between our kit and the second of our ranking. The Corsair Dominator Platinum 4800 MT/s CL19 in DDR4 had a copy speed of 57330 MB/s. As you can see, it is in reading and copying that DDR5 takes a very large lead over DDR4.
Finally, latency. This is where all eyes are on it, as DDR5 lags a bit behind. Our best DDR4 kit at this little game was the G.SKill Trident Z Royal Elite 4000 MT/S CL14 which obtained 41.4 ns. You’ll notice that the higher the DDR5 frequency, the narrower this gap becomes. Note that a DDR4 kit in 3200 MT/S CL16 has a latency of 50.3 ns. Here, this will be the best score for a DDR5 kit with 56.9 ns for our Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34.
Geekbench 3.4.4 :
It is a benchmark available in several revisions, version 5 having just been released a few weeks ago. It allows you to obtain two scores: one in single and the other in multi. Using this benchmark, we will focus on the performance obtained on the ” Memory Multi-Core ” score which allows to differentiate the memory performance. The version used for the tests is 3.4.4.
For the Geekbench 3 benchmark, despite the fact that in single core the frequency of our i9-12900K is 5.2 GHz, we note a difference in score between the different memory kits. Once again, it is a first place for our Delta RGB at 7200 MT/s CL34. For information, in DDR4, our best kit was the G.SKill Trident Z Royal 4400 MT/S CL16 with 5617 points.
In multi core, the gap between our kits is less important. For your information, in DDR4, our best score was 48800. Of course, we have to take into account the DDR5 but also the performance brought by the Alder Lake CPU.
As soon as we isolate the memory score, real differences are visible between the kits. Our kit of the day gets a score of 11791 points! In DDR4, our best kit obtained only a score of 7748 points. Once again, the huge advantage of DDR5 in combination with the Alder Lake processor can be seen.
Geekbench 5.2.5 :
We decided to add this extra benchmark but why? The CPU benchmark uses new tests that more closely simulate the tasks that processors face in recent applications. Geekbench 5 also increases the memory used in the benchmark to better reflect the impact of this parameter in the CPU results. For now, we will keep both since version 3 is still widely used.
While in Geekbench 3 we had a difference in single core, here in version 5 the performance is pretty much the same and it’s our kit of the day that takes the top spot with a total of 2036 points.
Finally, the last score of our benchmark series with a total of 19824 points for our Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/S CL34 kit. Still to give you a benchmark score in DDR4, our best score was 11179 points. In short, you will have understood in this series of tests, our sample of the day crushes everything on its way and offers the first place in all our benchmarks! [nextpage title=”Overclocking on our Z690 APEX: “]
Choosing your DDR5 kit based on memory chips :
As it was already the case for DDR4, if you want to clock your memory, some brands will have a better potential. Currently, the kits announced by the various brands have either Micron, Hynix or Samsung chips. The latter two brands will be the most interesting. Our Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/S kit is equipped with Hynix chips as you can see. But be careful, there are Hynix M-die chips, the first ones that came out, but especially today Hynix A-die chips that allow to go up in frequency more easily. A small but important note: our ROG Z690 APEX is a “new version” of 2022 which eliminates the problems encountered with memory overclocking above 6600/6800 MHz.
DDR5 “key” voltages:
For memory overclocking, there are 5 key voltages. These are the voltages that will have an impact on the overclocking and therefore on the frequency rise or the tightening of the timings. These are the CPU System Agent Voltage (SA), the DRAM VVD Voltage, the DRAM VVDQ Voltage, the Memory Controller Voltage and the IVR Transmitter VVDQ Voltage. Here is where these voltages are located in the BIOS of our ROG Maximus Z690 APEX.
Beware, depending on the type of memory chips (Micron, Hynix and Samsung), the balance between these different voltages is different. Don’t panic, we will come back to this in our guide on overclocking Alder Lake and DDR5. If your PMIC module is not locked, by activating ” High DRAM Voltage Mode “, you will have access to voltages up to 2 volts. Let’s go for the overclocking of this DDR5 from Corsair.
Step 1: Change your processor
Why? Simply because the IMC(Integrated Memory Controller) on my 13900K is much better than the one on my 12900K. Now integrated into the processor, the IMC allows for more direct and faster RAM management than when the memory controllers were on the motherboard. As with overclocking, there is a “lottery” and some processors benefit from a better IMC that allows them to handle higher memory frequencies. Since in overclocking we are going to increase the frequency, especially with A-die chips, we might as well take the best CPU at this little game. We will also do a performance test with the XMP profile and our i9-13900K in order to have a basis for comparison for our overclocking results. You will also see that we will disable the E-core at some point in order to be stable in higher frequencies.
Step 2: 7800, 8000, 8160 and even 8200 MT/s
We’ve been testing DDR5 kits for several months now and are starting to get a better handle on overclocking. Important point, we received a new ROG Z690 APEX dating from 2022. The 2022 versions have the advantage of not having to worry about overclocking the memory. The 2021 versions can be very limited in terms of frequency on slot A. We were able to validate four profiles ranging from 7800 to 8200 MT/s. Regarding the voltages, they were 1.60 volt (VDD), 1.60 volt (VDDQ), 1.35 volt (IVR) and 1.30 volt (Memory Controller). The SA voltage is 1.40 volts. Here is a table that shows the different scores we obtained at these different frequencies under AIDA64 and Geekbench 3.4.4.
And to finish, the screenshots of our different results.
Please note that we have just received a copy of the ROG Maximus Z790 APEX and we will retest this kit on this new motherboard. We will keep you informed of our results by publishing a brief very soon. [nextpage title=”The last word: “] Wow, how lucky we are to have been able to test this first A-die kit from Teamgroup which was able to reveal its potential on our ROG Maximus Z690 APEX. We are only waiting for one thing, it is to be able to test it now on the Z790 APEX version. This kit left a very strong impression on us and the overclocking potential of these A-die chips is very much in evidence. We also expected a lot from this kit and to say the least, we were not disappointed. The performance is the best we’ve seen so far and it’s a first place finish in all our benchmarks for this Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34. Teamgroup continues to do a great job with their memory kits combining high frequency and tight timings. The great thing about this kit is that once you own it, you only need to enable the XMP profile to take advantage of its performance. There is no need to make any changes in the BIOS. Despite its characteristics, the XMP profile was perfectly recognized on the ROG Z690 APEX. We could only post once again the data rates obtained at 8200 MT/s in CL34.
As we said above, we are not done yet with this Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34 kit which will soon be offered a new round of overclocking tests on the ROG Maximus Z790 APEX! Finally, you should know that this kit is not yet referenced here but in pre-order in England for a price of £499.99
Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34
We liked:
- The look of the heatsinks with an aesthetically pleasing RGB
- The quality of finish of the memory modules
- The most powerful DDR5 kit we have ever had in our hands!
- The excellent overclocking potential of the Hynix A-die chips and the BIOS of our APEX
- A voltage of 1,40 volt which is still very correct
- The lifetime warranty
We would have liked :
- To see it already available in our country and hopefully at a reasonable price
Another favorite is this Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34 kit which will give us many more hours of research to optimize our overclocking profiles. The performance with the XMP profile is just incredible and the best we have achieved so far. If you want to enjoy the best DDR5 performance at the click of a button, you can buy this kit with your eyes closed. Special thanks to the ROG team for the Z690 APEX BIOS updates and the advice of Kevin Wu at Teamgroup!