Colorful vengeance to the power of five – Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 CL36 2x 16 GB kit Review with Teardown and Overclocking

1 - Unboxing and Design 2 - Dimensions and RGB lighting 3 - Heatsink test and SPD information 4 - Teardown and PCB analysis 5 - Overclocking and test systems 6 - Synthetics (1/2) – Linpack Xtreme, AIDA64, Geekbench 3 7 - Synthetics (2/2) – SuperPI 32M, Pyprime 2.0 2B, Timespy CPU 8 - Gaming QHD and FHD – ACC, SoTR, CS:GO 9 - Zusammenfassung und Fazit

Vengeance RGB RAM modules were already available with DDR4 and now the colorful eye-catchers from Corsair have finally been relaunched with DDR5. Besides a sophisticated design with impressive RGB lighting, you of course get the latest in DDR5 technology and performance here. The SKUs range from 5200 to 6600 Mbps in clock speed, 2x 16 to 2x 32 GB in capacity, and the kits are also available in black and white. In today’s review we will take a closer look at the black DDR5-6000 CL36 2x 16 GB variant.

Unboxing and design

Typical for Corsair, the outer box catches the eye with its neon-yellow color. On the back, we find the usual notes about the innovations of DDR5 and the compatibility with Corsair’s iCUE software. On a sticker we find the product number CMH32GX5M2D6000C36 and through a viewing window already the specifications of the modules with 6000 “MHz” at timings 36-36-36-76 and 1.35 V VDD and VDDQ. Inside, there are the two modules in a plastic carrier frame and a short manual with safety instructions.

The heatsinks are made of black anodized aluminum and bear a triangular pattern in keeping with Corsair’s design language. Gray “DDR5” and “RGB” lettering is printed in the center under the specs sticker and on the right edge respectively. On the other side, an element made of gray brushed aluminum with a white and yellow “Vengeance” inscription is inserted into the cooler in place of the specifications. At the top, the cooler is finished with a lighting element made of white acrylic.

On its upper side, there is again only a gray Corsair logo printed in the center, which later acts as a contrast when the illumination is turned on. A look from below reveals the single-sided assembly of the modules, so we can conclude an IC density of 16 Gbit with a capacity of 16 GB and 8 memory components per stick, as it is currently common for DDR5. Also common is the spacer made of foam on the other side of the board.

From the side, the cooler’s construction can be seen well with the two glued-on aluminum halves that hold the RGB lighting element in their center so that the foam spacer can also dissipate heat in addition to the memory ICs. On the other hand, the cooling of the PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) is somewhat unfortunate. Although a thermal pad is provided for it, its height is simply not sufficient to make contact. Other manufacturers do not cool the PMIC of their DDR5 modules at all – in this respect, this is not a disaster, but it looks a bit clumsy.

Visually, the Vengeance RGB DDR5 modules are already a real eye-catcher even without lighting. The design looks modern and fresh, but at the same time stylish and not overloaded. The logo and triangle pattern typical for Corsair are successfully integrated and the blob of yellow in the lettering also visually matches the gold DIMM contacts quite well. Design-wise, Corsair has really hit the mark with the Vengeance RGB DDR5 modules, at least as far as my taste is concerned.