Test Rig
For our tests, we used our Test Rig which consists of a Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Ultra motherboard, along with an Intel Core i9-12900KF and a ASRock Radeon RX 6500 XT (4GB GDDR6) graphics card.
* ALL tests are conducted at specified default speeds and settings.
| CPU | Intel Core i9-12900KF |
| Cooling | Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux AIO |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Ultra |
| Ram | GEIL POLARIS RGB DDR5-5200 32GB Memory Kit |
| XMP 2.0 profiles | Memory timings : 16-40-40-40 @1.1v (2x16GB) |
| SSD | Adata Legend 840 PCIE Gen4 NVMe |
| PSU | Thermaltake ToughPower PF1 ARGB 1050W |
| VGA card | ASRock Radeon RX 6500 XT (4GB GDDR6) |
| OS |
Windows 10 |
Installation
Remember, as I’ve said before DDR5 ram is not compatible with DDR4, the notch on the memory module is positioned slightly different. Just make sure you align the notch to the DIMM slots on the motherboard and insert firmly. There’s a 2-3 second delay before the RGB illumination kicks in.
The RGB illunimation is controlled by the motherboard. In our case, it’s Gigabyte RGB Fusion. You can check with your motherboard manufacturer for the latest RGB software such as Asus AuraSync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock’s Polychrome Sync.
BIOS Setup
It was super easy to set up the memory modules to run at the full default speed of DDR5-5200 using XMP 3.0 Profiles. Just select the XMP Profile and the BIOS and “Save” and that’s it! All other settings were left untouched on AUTO.
CPU-Z and SPD Information
CPU-Z reports the DRAM frequency at 26000MHz which is correct for the default speed of DDR5-5200. The other thing you’ll notice is that the ram is now running in Quad channel mode. For those who don’t know, here’s the explanation why? … DDR5 gives you two 32-bit wide (40-bit wide, with ECC) channels per stick, which means that you get a quad-channel configuration when running two DIMMs.
AIDA64 Memory Information
A high CAS latenct is expected when running DDR5 ram. The SPD information on AIDA64 shows that the GEIL Polaris RGB DDR5-5200 uses memory chips produced by Micron. Oddly, CAS lastency is reported at 34-39-39-79 …
