Introduction
- Manufacturer: Geil
- Product Page: DDR4 EVO X ROG-CERTIFIED Dual Channel Kit
- Purchase: AMD Version £199.99 At the time of review on Overclockers UK
Today we are going to take a look at our first product from the folks at GeIL by way of their Evo X Rog-Certified DDR4 Gaming RAM. Not only does this RAM carry toe Rog certification, it features a blistering 3000MHz speed which is truly amazing. GeIL isn’t the most well-known manufacturer but they do have a very impressive catalogue of memory products. Focusing on memory-based products alone lets them fine-tune their modules to offer better performance and compatibility. For instance, not only do the have Rog-Certified RAM, they also have AMD-Certified RAM and a couple of SSDs under their belts. All this aside, there is one main thing about GeIL I have noticed and that is their design. Like it or hate it, there is no denying that GeIL products easily stick out from the rest and don’t follow your standard design trends.
Today’s kit comes in both dual and quad channel configurations. What’s really great about this kit, aside from that fact it’s 3000MHz is that you can utilise some of the RGB features, even without an ASUS RGB motherboard. While have an ASUS AURA compatible motherboard is definitely the way to go, those without can use the included connector that will allow you to power the LEDs of a normal 3-pin fan header. Once this is done you can slide the cover over the LEDs to different positions to change your effect. However, I highly recommend using them on an ASUS AURA motherboard as they work a real treat and fit in perfectly!
Specifications
| DDR4 EVO X ROG-certified Dual Channel Kit – Specifications & Model Numbers | |||||||
| Model Number | Frequency | CAS Latency | Capacity | Voltage | XMP Support | Intel | |
| X299 | Z270 | ||||||
| Gray heat spreader | |||||||
| GREXR416GB3000C15ADC | 3000 | 15-17-17-35 | 16GB, 8GBx2 | 1.35V | O | O | O |
Closer Look
Starting off with the packaging and it definitely has a gamer feel to it. On the front, we can see a small image of a RAM module and where it will light up with LEDs, we can also see the AURA Sync and Rog Certified images.
Around to the back and we can see the timings and speed of this RAM, as well as a small image of it, installed onto a motherboard. Enough of the packaging though, let’s take a look at the modules!
The modules come individually packed and as you can see, they both include different cables with them. These cables are how you will power the LEDs. You can either do so by using an AURA Sync compatible motherboard, or you can do it the manual way which includes plugging them into a fan header to power the LEDs.
RGB aside, these modules look pretty tasty if you’re into bigger heatsinks on your memory. On the front, they are a nice sort of gunmetal grey and the overall design with the ROG Certified logo is quite nice. On the back, they feature a sticker that lets us know the speed and timings again.
Along with the Evo X logo, these clear bars on top are going to be what light up from the LEDs. In the below image we can see on the right side of this a black slider that says GeIL. This slider is what is going to allow you to control the colour of your LEDs should you not have an AURA Sync compatible motherboard. However, doing it this way will not yield you as much customization and you will not be able to make use of the full range of colours they have available.
While I am not personally a fan of big RAM due to restrictions caused by other components, these are beautiful. GeIL has done an excellent job with the design and looks of their Evo X kit. The black PCB compliments the heat sinks nicely and the fact that the LEDs are powered separately from the RAM as to not hinder performance is amazing. This is one of those products you almost don’t want to hide in a case and could do with leaving on the desk and looking at them from time to time.
For those looking to make use of the AURA Sync compatibility, please notice the small stickers on each module. These stickers with 12v, G, R, B let you know which way to plug your cable in, simply match the cables up with the labels on the sticker and you will be good to go. Failure to do so will result in the LEDs not working properly or even not working at all!
Control the RAM with the ASUS AURA software is as easy as can be. As you can see in the images below, I synced the RAM with the GPUs colour and they match up fairly nicely. There are loads of customization options via the AURA software and you can literally spend loads of time playing with everything and enjoying the light show.
Test System
- Motherboard: ASUS Strix X99
- CPU: Intel i7 5820K @Stock speeds
- Memory: XPG Dazzle DDR4 2400Mhz
- Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB
Benchmark and Overclocking Results
Overclocking
I managed to get the GeIL Evo X ROG-Certified memory to overclock to 3333MHz from the standard clock of 3000MHz. It took me a couple of attempts to achieve this but as you will see below, the results speak for themselves. There may only be a marginal difference in performance, one which won’t be noticed in real-world usage but getting the most from your memory or any components is surely worth it. It’s also worth noting that I didn’t have to change the voltages to achieve this overclock so is something most any should be able to do with peace of mind.
Aida 64
SiSoftware Sandra
Final Thoughts
Performance
The GeIL Evo X ROG-Certified memory falls right where it should when looking at our benchmark results, only really being beaten out by a quad channel set with faster speeds. This is exactly what you would expect from such a kit especially seeing as to how it has the official ROG certification. This Evo X ROG kit offers some pretty impressive speeds for a 3000MHz kit and what’s even better is the overclock ability of the kit. Being able to seamlessly go from 3000MHz to 3333MHz is a nice little jump when you consider you don’t have to mess with the voltages or timings. GeIL is definitely showing their hand as memory specialist with this kit and if this doesn’t do it for you. It’s also worth noting this kit comes in a standard non-RGB version and a version catered to AMD based Ryzen systems. This tells me GeIL has taken the time to ensure optimization for each platform which is a plus for consumers.
Design
This is probably one of the better RGB kits of RAM I have seen personally. The Grey heatsink and the design on it are very nice and the RGB is done nicely as well. Not only can you control the RGB either by using ASUS AURA or by plugging them in a fan header and controlling them manually but they also look OK even when they are off. While I know the big heatsinks aren’t for everyone if you don’t mind them and you have no RAM height restrictions, this kit has a highly pleasing aesthetic. It’s also worth noting that the ROG-Certification doesn’t just have to do with the aesthetic of the Evo X, it also likely has to do with the components that make up the modules and the quality they represent.
Value
I am not even going to waste to much time on this. The Evo X ROG edition is not readily available in all parts of the world and between this and the current inflation on memory and storage based products, things are a bit crazy. While I can’t find this exact kit on sale currently in The UK, I have seen previous prices from £160-£250 so I can’t really speak on value as that is quite the big gap. All I can say is expect to pay some sort of premium for RGB and ROG certification but in this case, they are likely to be worth it depending on how high that premium is.
