Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine RGB DDR4-3200 16GB Kit Review

TweakTown's Rating: 98%

The Bottom Line

Silicon Power is not likely your first choice, but you should move them into the top three or four! The Xpower Turbine RGB is plug and play without hassle, keeps up with the pack, has RGB LEDs, it is cost efficient, and looks good doing it!

Buy at Amazon

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Not that long ago, we were introduced to Silicon Power DDR4, and to be honest, we knew of them from years gone by, but as a company, they sort of fell into obscurity for most users out there looking to buy new RAM. However, with what we saw with their Xpower Turbine sticks, we have to admit they are relevant in the memory game, delivering fair performance for the money, as well as leaving a bit in the tank for the people who like to push boundaries by overclocking. With that said, we are back at it again, with another set of Silicon Power DDR4, but this time with RGB LEDs.

Since our memory was sent as soon as it made it into production, but before it had been packaged in anything other than single stick packages, we were sent a pair of boxes, each containing a single stick of SP008GLXZU320BSB. The name hasn't changed much at all, as this new kit is called the Xpower Turbine RGB, which is essentially what we saw from them last, but with new heat spreaders and RGB LED lighting across the top of the sticks. We also see that the speed and timings are the same as the last set, with 3200MHz of speed, and with 16-18-18-38 2T timings, needing 1.35V to power them. Also, should something go wrong, like most other DDR4 on the market, the Xpower Turbine RGB is backed by a lifetime warranty.

We also know that the same ICs are used under the hood, and with what we saw in the past from Silicon Power, we do have an expectation of what we should see from this kit. However, we do realize that not every IC on the planet with the same model number is identical, and there will be variance in the results. At the same time, Silicon Power made such an impression on us with the first kit we tested, one can only hope the performance and overclocking is on par with what we saw then. Also keep in mind, with what you are about to see in the rest of this review, pricing is on par with most other comparable kits on the market, and is done from a company with less market share than many of the big-name companies that can sell volume over profits and still make money.

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We have a pair of boxes, each with plastic inner packaging containing a single 8GB stick of DDR4. Outer packaging for the Xpower Turbine RGB Gaming Memory is black, with a third of it using a brushed-look backdrop to show the speed, features, density, and a close-up look of the heat spreader, well, part of it at least. The rest of the front panel shows the Xpower Turbine RGB in full form, with the entire heat spreader design shown, as well as artificially illuminating them. Across the bottom, we see notations, which point out what motherboard RGB software is capable of addressing the way the RGB LEDs are illuminated.

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Out of the box, we can get an unfiltered look at what the Xpower Turbine RGB is all about. Dark grey is used for the heat spreaders over the brushed metal texture, with a few grooves at the bottom, and five tabs at the top which wrap around the light bar. There is an SP found pressed into the heat spreaders, just above the sticker. On the sticker we see the Xpower name, there is the full spectrum of colors on the honeycomb pattern behind it, and to the left, we see it is marked as DDR4 RGB Gaming Memory.

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Both of the kits displayed have the same SP008GXLZY320BSB part number, but we would expect the kits that hit the retail market to possibly have a slightly different number. The rest of the information found here covers the type, speed, CAS timing, and the density. The last number is the serial number.

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We mentioned earlier that the tabs on the sides wrap around the light bar, and come together with the smallest of gaps at the top. The light bar is shaped to extend in the gaps at either end, as well as the raised center section with the XPOWER name painted on it to extend the reach of the RGB LED light as well as a smoother look.

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Under the heat spreaders, we were pleased to see Samsung ICs used, but sadly, these are not the coveted B-die chips. The K4A8G085WB BCRC chips are the same ones we saw in the Xpower Turbine kit, and have shown to be good at delivering a stable XMP 2.0 profile while still having a bit left in the tank. If you look closely, near the right edge of the black PCB, you can see the half-moon shaped LEDs rather than SMD LEDs we typically run into.

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After clearing the CMOS from our last round of RAM tests, we then went into the BIOS and enabled the XMP 2.0 profile, and booted right into Windows. Clock modulation shows the memory just below the 3200MHz speed at the moment of the screenshot, but the timings are on point with the specifications, using 1.35 VDIMM, 1.20 VCCIO, and 1.35 VCCSA.

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The next attempt was to lower the timings, and while not as low as the Xpower Turbine, we are pleased to get any movement at all. To apply the 15-17-17-38 2T timings in a stable fashion, we did set the voltages to 1.45 VDIMM, 1.30 for the VCCIO, and threw 1.40 to the VCCSA.

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The Xpower Turbine were able to get us into the realm of 3600MHz, but the Xpower Turbine RGB we have were not able to go as far. Where we ended up was at 3466MHz with stability. The voltages used are the same as in the low-timing run, and while not as fast as their compatriot, free is free, and we will gladly take the near 300MHz increase in speed.

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Testing with AIDA 64, specifically with the Xpower Turbine RGB, we see jumps in performance for lowering the timings, and even better results by increasing overall speed. Compare to our other 3200MHz kit results, the Patriot Viper Extreme did better, but the TridenZ got beat, it is slightly better than the previous Silicon Power sample, and lastly, the GeIL does a bit better. Not the best, not the worst, but still competitive in the market.

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Super Pi runs leaves us with a mixed bag of comparable results too. XMP profile versus XMP profile, Patriot has two kits faster, G.Skill is slower, as is the Xpower Turbine. The seven-minute and twenty-second group is pretty average for what we see in this chart, and the Xpower Turbine RGB plays into the averages again. However, if you tinker with the timings, or increase the speed, you can see there are defined gains to be found.

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Again, Patriot is faster with both kits in the chart at 3200MHz, and G.Skill and the vanilla Turbine memory lose. Fair results for the Xpower Turbine RGB, and is shown to be good enough to beat out some of the faster RAM as well. When it comes to overclocking this memory with file compression in mind, we see that lowering the timings on the kit can crush a 4000MHz kit as it handles itself quite well. Oddly, increasing speed has the reverse effect with this test, and with many attempts to rule out any issues, the time increased over the XMP 2.0 profile.

What we know, is that the Silicon Power Xpower Turbine is hands down the better kit to have over the Xpower Turbine with blue heat spreaders that we tested last month. In every test, with virtually the same main timings, same voltage applied, but now with heat spreaders that fit many more themes in computers, and it has RGB lighting too. When comparing apples to apples with Silicon Powers other choice right now, it just makes sense to go with what we have in hand now. Comparing the Xpower Turbine RGB to other kits with similar specifications, Silicon power won some and lost some. Patriot and G.Skill seemed to be a tad better, but you will pay for that advantage. As for the others, they are similarly priced to the kit we have now, so again, it makes sense to opt for these.

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Only in one area can we say anything bad about the Xpower Turbine RGB memory, which is in the overclocking arena. Yes, we know, not all ICs are the same, but getting all of that love from the first Xpower Turbine kit to hit the bench, we were hoping for more. All the same, this is not really a complaint, as anything extra is just that, and with gaming memory, all that is guaranteed is the XMP 2.0 profile stability, and we found no issues where that is concerned. We also loved the way the gray heat spreaders blended into the theme of our test system, and the stock RGB effect with the rainbow of colors making their way from top to bottom on each stick is appealing to most. Considering you can also use the motherboard to control lighting effects or leave them as a solid color, or whatever it is your motherboard is doing, the RAM can match.

With performance falling right in the middle of all of the other 3200MHz kits we have tested, it would make sense if the cost was also right in the middle of what money can buy in CAS 16 3200MHz memory, so we went and had a look. Most affordable in this range is a kit at $104 but from what we see, costs can skyrocket over $300. While Silicon Power is still working on getting their gear on Amazon, we were given the MSRP.

We are told that for what we have on hand, the cost is only $119.99, and if you want the 32GB version of what we just showed you, those will cost $229.99. Solid performance, stability out of the box without having to mess about with it in any way, RGB illumination, a sleek design made to go with almost any build imagined, limited cost to obtain them, from every angle we try to attack the Silicon Power Xpower Turbine RGB, we find ourselves with nothing to complain about. This is a strong entry into an already well-populated market, being in the sweet spot of DDR4, and while you may not have ever thought to give Silicon Power a shot at your hard earned dollar, you might just want to reconsider, as they have proven to deliver a great deal of bang for the buck.

Chad's DDR4 Dual-Channel Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASRock X299 OCF
• CPU: Intel Core i7 7740X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: LEPA NEOllusion - Buy from Amazon
• Video Card: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP. Extreme Core
• Storage: Samsung XP941 256GB
• Case: Thermaltake Core P3 - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: Corsair RM750 - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit - Buy from Amazon
• Software: CPU-Z 1.78.3 x64, Super Pi Mod 1.5XS, 7-Zip 16.04, AIDA64 Engineer 5.92.4300