Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra DDR5-8000 UDIMM 48GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review

TweakTown Rating: 99%

Our Verdict

The Viper Elite 5 Ultra RAM from Patriot has blown our minds. Affordable, packed with performance, and an overlocker's dream, all wrapped up in a new murdered-out aesthetic, perfect for anyone who can push them.

Pros

• No RGB to detract from OC
• Overclockability
• New aesthetic
• Pricing
• Performance

Cons

• Intel Ultra CPU preferred

Should you buy it?

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Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

For those who missed our previous review, the TL;DR version is that Patriot dropped a 96GB, two-stick set of Elite 5 Ultra RGB RAM that blew our minds. Not only with the performance afforded by so many chips at play, but even with that in mind, latency was much less of an issue than we assumed. Even while on the expensive side of things, they are one of the more affordable options in that category.

We're revisiting our previous review because we have another set of Elite 5 Ultra for you to consider. This time, we've chosen a higher-speed, non-RGB option to showcase what Patriot offers in its latest DDR5 series. Noise and signaling, along with increased power requirements for DDR5 RGB DIMMs, can limit their capabilities. Considering the speed we get out of the box, these new sticks may take us places we have yet to explore with memory overclocking. That's the hope, at least.

Digging right in, let us introduce you to the faster end of the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra RAM we have in hand for review. Not only do we already have a solid idea of what performance levels should be, with other Patriot solutions on this list, and many reviews of their faster RAM in the past, we honestly expect a little bit more than we saw with previous submissions. If the new Intel architecture performs significantly better with DDR5 than its predecessors, we may be in for one hell of a ride.

Our set of Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra sports the VEU548G80C36K part number, which is easy to sort out. These Patriot sticks have eight ICs each, totaling 24GB per DIMM. The black PCB is covered with a matte black aluminum heat spreader, but the tops are shiny and black this time around.

These VEU kits come with their JEDEC profile delivering 5600 MT/s with 46-46-46-90 2T timings, sipping on 1.10 VDIMM. On the flip side, XMP provides three options. The first option is a profile that delivers 8000 MT/s with 36-52-52-126 2T timings, utilizing 1.40 VDIMM, as do the following options. The second profile slows down to 7800 MT/s but lowers the timings to 38-48-48-84 2T. The third option is slightly slower at 7600 Mt/s, maintaining the timings of the second option.

Grabbing our scale and calipers, we slid one of the sticks onto the scale and found each weighing 42.9 grams. Using the caliper to get the length, we saw 133.7mm there, 41.2mm for the height, and 6.9mm of thickness. These are slightly lighter and skinnier than the Ultra RGB, but we have many fewer ICs, no RGB controller, and no LEDs in the mix.

As with all Patriot RAM products, this kit comes with a limited lifetime warranty, which gives us peace of mind as we shop for the Viper Elite 5 Ultra, which we have in hand. We instantly located it at Amazon for $159.99, which is cheaper than the Xtreme 5 M Power that uses CAS38. Newegg is currently out of stock, but using them as the price scale tool, once again, Patriot is the most affordable solution. Oh, those other solutions, yeah, they all use CAS38, not CAS36. All we have to say at this point is, let's get these into the rig and give 'em the beans to see what shakes, as we have some great things to report.

Packaging and Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra UDIMM

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The Elite 5 Ultra non-RGB uses the same silver box, but this time we get nineteen parallel lines that swoop behind the image of the kit in the center. Density, arrangement, and speed are at the top, while the bottom gives us prismatic lettering and the Ultra-compatible icon.

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As you view the RAM through the windows, please note that it includes a description, part number, social media tags, XMP and EXPO readiness, and is manufactured in Taiwan.

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Plastic below and above, form-fitted to the kits, with tabs to lock the halves together, is how your purchase is protected. It eliminates the risk of scratches, maintains the packaging's rigidity, and, most importantly, prevents static from reaching the DIMMs.

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Black on black may not be your favorite aesthetic choice, but for us, we like the play of shiny against matte, making for a sleeper kit of DDR5. The branding is done with white paint and is found with the Patriot name on the side of the plastic cover, and the Viper logos are found on the heat spreaders.

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Spinning the DIMM around, we did find another Viper logo on the left end of the spreader, but the right end holds the product sticker. This sticker provides all the details, from part number to voltage, and everything in between. Most important to most will be the serial number under the bar code, should issues arise.

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The more angles we see the Elite 5 Ultra from, the more we like it. Reflections and shine are a significant aspect of the blacked-out cover, but those spreaders will eliminate most reflections while still capturing the hues of any RGB in the build. Most users will get a view like this in your builds, and without any extra lighting, those pops of white help the Viper Elite 5 Ultra stand out.

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Like many other Patriot diffusers and covers, we start at the left, lower than the top portion, starting from a point and angling out to the central portion. On the long, flat, shiny top, the Viper name stands out with brilliance.

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Peeling the heat spreader while still warm allowed the heat transfer tape to release the ICs, revealing all of the SK Hynix H5CGD8MGBD ICs. There is also a PMIC thermal pad, and from what we did to this kit, we are glad Patriot does not skimp in this regard.

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The chip marked 5101A04C7 is the SPD chip, but we have no clue about the maker. The UEFI indicates that the PMIC is an unlocked Richtek chip, which is unusual since we have never seen one marked this way.

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Against the whites, grays, and other blacks of our build, the Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra stands out against it all. We can see reflections of the motherboard as well as the post code LEDs, while the matte sides hide everything but that brilliant white VIPER and Viper head logo.

Primary timings seem a bit loose for the speed, but Patriot knows what they are doing, so we just need to hold tight. The tRFC and tREFi are opened to allow such speed, and hopefully give us a bit of flexibility as well. As you scan the other tabs, there is nothing there out of the ordinary.

Test System Details

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To obtain the Intel CPU-Z screenshots, you will see directly following this image; this is the system we used to do it, as well as to get the results seen in the following pages. Thanks to ASRock, our wallet, HYTE, Patriot, GIGABYTE, and be quiet! for supporting us with this venture. Detailed specifications of the system can be found below.

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After installing this set of DDR5, we returned to the UEFI to enable the first XMP profile, which gave us what you see in the CPU-Z tabs. 8000 MT/s using 36-52-52-126 2T using 1.40 VDD/q, 1.25 VCCIO, and 1.40 VCCSA, just like the specifications told us.

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We knew we were throwing things at the wall trying to reduce the CAS timing, which did not work at all, but we did get a little bit of flexibility in the tRCD and tRP, which may not mean much in the grand scheme, but for those with better talents, you may find more room than we did. Voltages were set to 1.40 VDD/q, 1,280 VCCIO, and 1.4 VCCSA.

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Increasing speed at CAS36 didn't yield any results, so we raised it to CAS38, peaking at 8866 MT/s, and then went a bit further. Using CAS40, 1.55VDD/q, 1.376 VCCIO, and 1.344 VCCSA to allow for complete stability, we took our Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra to 8933 MT/s, which is the fastest we have been able to test any DDR5.

Chad's Intel DDR5 Dual-Channel Test System Specifications

Intel Performance

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Starting at 122,417 MB/s is a touch slower than the XPG results, and while tightening the timings does gain us 713 MB/s, XPG edges out that result as well. Increasing speed brings us very close to the top of the read performance chart, with 4579 MB/s over XMP to show for our efforts.

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Roughly 800 MB/s separates XPG from the 100,792 MB/s result these Elite 5 Ultra deliver. Timing reduction helped, but only 200 MB/s was gained. On the flip side, you will find these Elite 5 Ultras at the top of the chart with the extra speed allotted, netting another 1886 MB/s worth of write performance.

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Copy performance is where the Elite 5 Ultra shines its brightest thus far. Surpassing their own 8200 MT/s Extreme 5, the Ultra starts at 109,510 MB/s. We gained essentially squat messing with the timings, but taking the kit to 8933 MT/s gets us very near the 120K mark and is a 10,148 MB/s improvement on the XMP results.

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Latency is not that bad at all. With XMP enabled, the Elite 6 Ultra comes in at 81.3ns. Reducing tRCD and tRP brought us down to 80.3ns, but increasing the speed increased the latency to 89.3ns.

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We couldn't ask for a closer battle of the 8000 MT/s kits, with XPG ahead by just 0.4 seconds, and the Elite 5 Ultra hot on their tails. Sadly, we were unable to improve upon that time with our overclocks, but it is a nice, tight grouping of scores.

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9940 is a good place to start when looking at PCMark scores. In the middle of the pack is nothing to be ashamed of. While speed was of little significance, a little timing love takes the Elite 5 ultra hot on the heels of the Viper Extreme 8200s.

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As we compressed the files, the XMP results landed under the six-minute mark with 9.7 seconds to spare. We did gain a bit more than a second back with timings adjusted, but we slowed things down with the added speed. Pushing well beyond what it was intended to do.

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If you're between overclocking and gaming and want to transcode some video, going out of the box is the best way to go. Considering the XPG Lancer, the Vengeance RGB CUDIMM, and the Elite 5 Ultra are all so close, we have no complaints about what Patriot delivered.

Final Thoughts

To say we are excited to share this set of RAM with the world is an understatement. The only other time we can recall being this excited about DDR5 was back at CES with that special set of RAM we toted back. At first glance, some will see the timings and assume they might be turds. Looking at fifty-twos as secondaries followed with a 126, it's almost like a poke in the eye, but wait, there is that CAS36 to consider still. While you may be inclined to think Patriot was trying to include lower-quality ICs in their Elite 5 Ultra kits, we assure you that is in no way what is going on. With the new Intel Core Ultra, things are more forgiving, and CAS timings can make or break a kit, at least with what we have seen. This isn't just a hastily assembled kit with a high speed rating; it is specifically designed to work alongside the Intel Ultra line, while also being kind to AMD EXPO users. However, the required gear is particular.

As we took the kit through its paces, we found the results to be on the heels of some impressive kits we have reviewed previously. Competing with the Corsair CUDIMM, riding the tails of the Extreme 5 8200, and always keeping a tight grip on the XPG Lancer at the same speed is what the Elite 5 Ultra needed to accomplish. Typically, with 48GB kits, you either get movement in the timings or you don't. We got a bit, but we never even tightened down the tREFI or the tRFC to see if gains can be had there. What shocked us the most was the amount of speed left, just waiting to be unleashed. We achieved 8866 MT/s at CAS38 and 8933 MT/s at CAS40. We even pushed this kit to 9000 MT/s into Windows, where some tests passed, but the kit was far from stable. Check out the screenshot below.

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Of course, not everyone has the latest Intel CPUs, or they might have an older chipset, Gene motherboard, and a specific set of CPUs that run this speed most efficiently, which is a downer for some. On the flip side, those who migrated, or those who have a spare rig to tinker with, you may want to seriously consider what Patriot is putting down with the Elite 5 Ultra series of DDR5. For those looking to push them like we did, we will advise a strong fan over the kit, as we were doing silly things with the voltages to attempt to stabilize 9000 MT/s.

When it all comes down to the final checkbox, passing aesthetics, performance, and all the essential bits to hook your interest, we still need to consider cost. In that box, we can put a big check for you. The Patriot Viper Elite 5 Ultra 8000 MT/s kit, priced at $159.99, is a steal. It's the most affordable 48GB kit of 8000 MT/s RAM on the market. Sadly, the RAM we were checking is all CAS38, leaving the Viper Elite 5 Ultra in a league of its own, and we will just leave it at that.