AMD’s EXPO Ultra Low Latency (ULL) DDR5 memory kits have finally reached retail, debuting with G.Skill’s Trident Z5 NeoX series. Unfortunately, while AMD has previously suggested that these new kits would be priced similarly to conventional EXPO memory, this first batch shows significantly higher prices than anticipated. In fact, a CL26 kit will set you back a whopping $1,099.
EXPO ULL is an extension of AMD’s memory profile standard, which is designed to automatically configure DDR5 memory timings with a single click. EXPO ULL targets tighter timings, including some secondary and tertiary settings, which AMD says results in about a 4% average improvement to gaming frame rates compared to regular EXPO profiles.
While the underlying module design doesn’t change compared to existing DDR5 kits, it seems that validating these tighter timings requires a lot of testing. Add that to the now-exorbitant cost of DRAM, and there’s a severe impact on the retail price. For example, G.Skill’s Trident Z5 NeoX series on Newegg demands a 9-79% premium over equivalent non-ULL kits, which comes on top of already-inflated prices.
To be more specific, the fastest Trident Z5 NeoX RGB DDR5-6000 CL26-36-36-32 kit demands a jaw-dropping $1,099.99 for just a 32GB capacity. That’s a 57% premium over the standard G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 CL26 memory kit. The situation gets more absurd with the DDR5-6000 CL28 variant, which commands a 79% premium. In other words, you pay nearly double the price just to have a couple of pre-tuned sub-timings that may or may not improve your game/app performance.
To be fair, not every kit has such an enormous premium. For example, an EXPO ULL 32GB 6,000MT/s kit with CL36 timings goes for $549.99, compared to $509.99 for the non-ULL EXPO equivalent. But then a CL36 kit is hardly low latency.
This cost is clearly too high for a memory tuning that only boosts performance by a small percentage. That said, there is an aspect of these modules that’s still likely to interest many enthusiasts and overclockers, which is operating voltage. Even the CL26 kits run at just 1.35V, which is lower than the 1.4V to 1.45V we often see on regular kits. This will reduce operating temperatures, providing more headroom for overclocking.
Unless you have a massive amount of money to spend, though, regular users will be far better served by existing EXPO non-ULL kits. Memory is already prohibitively expensive, and you get seriously diminishing returns for paying such a huge premium.
