Today I’ll be reviewing a 16GB kit 2400 MHz set. I will be using the kit with a Ryzen 7 and GTX 1070 PC build.  Design and BuildStyling wise the XPG is nice, its angular and looks like performance RAM should. At the front there is some XPG branding surrounded by a metal accent piece, this not only looks great but it helps dissipate heat. I’ll talk more about that in the performance section. The Red and Black colour scheme is a little old and over done, companies know this as they are switching to more colour neutral finishes and adding RGB instead. So this theme maybe alright in a Red and Black PC, but for anyone who wants that colour neutral style is out of luck. I don’t mind the colour scheme but it does limit its appeal to a wider audience. Above the logo and accent feature is one of the LED zones, this follows the outline of the accent piece and looks nicely integrated. This section is also finished in a Black metal and it does make the LED lighting pop a little more. The top section is transparent and features some more XPG branding, this section acts as your second LED zone and illuminates when its installed. Speaking of illumination is bright, vibrant and does look great. I still do wish they’d have made it RGB or have least brought out a Dazzle RGB variant. They do an RGB model called SPECTRIX but that does cost more than this. Back to the Dazzle now and yes the LED is only a singular colour but it does look good. Especially if you have RED or RGB fans in your system. The lighting is also consistent and doesn’t have any hot spots or areas that aren’t properly illuminated. It also has built in lighting effects too, these are just as they are and as far as I can see there is no software to control the effects. So you are a little bit stuck if you want them just static. I have uploaded a video to my channel if you want to see these effects in a PC build. TechnologyIn terms of its technological prowess the Dazzle is up there with the best currently out there. It utilizes a 10 layer PCB and also uses unique designed thermal conductive technology to help cooling and increase stability and longevity. The Dazzle can also be overclocked and that is in part thanks to DDR4 and is low power draw. In fact its power draw is actually 20% less than DDR3 which allows for more stable OCing and better stability. PerformanceSpecifications
Performance wise though its no better than the Corsair LPX I was using before it. System performance and OS navigation remained exactly the same and overall speed remained unchanged. It was the same story for gaming too. I think its the fact its only 2400 MHz and we know that Ryzen works better with RAM at 2666 MHZ or higher. This is probably why I saw no performance gains over the LPX RAM. It is still mighty smooth with Ryzen and it does perform very well, but if you want to squeeze more from your Ryzen system I’d opt for the 3000 MHz kit. For intel it shouldn’t matter as much as their CPUs aren’t as fussy as Ryzen when it comes to RAM. Gaming is very fluid with my Ryzen 7 1700 and GTX 1070, honestly its smooth and performs very nicely. Yes the 3000 MHz would have been better for higher frame rates, but as I game a 60fps 1440p it works perfectly and as a whole provides and enjoyable experience. Like mentioned, get the 3000 if you want that bit more, but I’m completely happy with how the RAM performs with my system. Cooling wise I did notice that it ran a little cooler than the LPX, mind it was only a 1 or 2 degree change, so its barely anything in reality. It could possibly allow you to push it a little more in terms of overclocking but I’m not sure on that. Onto overclocking and I just couldn’t get one to stick, I’m putting down to my lack of experience overclocking RAM as I’m more familiar with GPUs and CPUs. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to achieve an impressive one. SummaryTo wrap this review up, is the Dazzle worth it? Well its kind of a tough sell. I mean in some cases it is a little easier to recommend than others. For example if you have a all Red/Black or a system that utilizes Red, then the LED effects and lighting do make it look great, plus its cheaper than most RGB variants. Well depending on if you can get some and how much it costs. I found two places in the UK that had it in stock and that was Amazon for £150 (not a well reviewed seller) and £194 on eBay (better seller). But if you just want RED RAM then you could get the Adata XPG Z1 16GB kit for £89 and you’d save yourself a pretty penny. If you do want more customisable lighting on your RAM then opt for their SPECTRIX, it offers the same performance (which is great) and you also get added RGB. Plus its more readily available and not that much more money. Keep in mind though that the SPECTRIX isn’t Ryzen certified. If you do want Adata RAM for your Ryzen build then check their website for compatible options. I’ve got a little side tracked here, so back to the Dazzle, yes it is good RAM and it has a bonus of working great with Ryzen, downsides are lack of software control, only colour option and availability. If it was easier to get a hold of for a reasonable price, then I could suggest you take the kit into serious consideration, but as its not more widely available it makes it harder to recommend. If its does become easier to get a hold of I’ll edit the review accordingly. However as it stands, there is too many other options all of which are easier to purchase and cost around the same. Score 7/10 P.S. The score reflects the RAM as a whole and it would be a bit higher if it was easier to buy at a better price. But also RAM prices overall are very inflated at the minute and that could be one of the causes for its high price. |
