Conclusion and Verdict
I must admit, I’m not an extreme overclocker, but I do want good performance and if there is an easy one-click option to overclock the memory … hell yeah, I’ll all for it. The XMP option in the BIOS of most motherboards should be able do just that. Sadly, not all motherboards can successfully overclock memory beyond DDR4-3200 via the XMP option. So what do you do?
Well, mostly likely you’ll probably need to buy a high-end motherboard that is specifically designed for overclocking, such as the Asus Maximus Extreme/Apex or the ASRock OC series. Memory profiles, CL timings and voltages all play a vital part in getting memory to run beyond the DDR4-3200 spec.
I tried to run the these modules at the specified rate of DDR4-4133 at 1.4v using the XMP options on the Asus Maximus XI Hero motherboard. Unfortunately, it failed to boot at DDR4-4133. It appears that my motherboard is not very compatible with these modules (or should I say the memory wasn’t compatible with the motherboard). I did update the BIOS on the motherboard, but same thing – no post. So I manually set the speed down to DDR4-4000, 3666 and 3466 … all failed to boot. Only at DDR4-3333 did the system come to life.
At DDR4-3333 speeds, the memory timings was automatically set at 15-15-15-36 with voltage at 1.2v. At this speed, we got some pretty good scores during our benchmarks and testing. If only I had a decent overclocking motherboard, then maybe I’ll be able to take these modules to run at the intended speed of DDR4-4133. Incidentally, our Chinese Editor Charlie will be testing these modules again at DDR4-4133 using a different motherboard later this month … let’s see what we’ll get. Benchmarks updated (running at DDR4-4133) … click here.
Update: We ran a second test using the Asus Maximus IX Apex motherboard, and it turns out that this motherboard was fully compatible with the eamGroup T-Force Xtreem DDR4-4133 memory kit. Click here to see the benchmarks at DDR4-4133. At this speed, the performance is one of the best I’ve seen to date. Truly amazing!
As for build quality, these modules are extremely solid. The high quality aluminum CNC crafted heat spreader is a great added bonus, and gives the modules a premium feel and look. With only 50 sets ever made, I’m sure these modules will be hard to get hold of … so expect a premium price for them.
Pros:
- Rated at DDR4-4133 @ 1.4v
- Super low timings for this speed – CL18-18-18-38
- Hand-picked memory chips from Samsung B-die
- High quality aluminum CNC crafted heat spreader
- Uses 10 layer PCB
Cons:
- Not compatible with all motherboards
Final words:
If you want to run these modules at the full speed of DDR4-4133 via XMP, make sure you invest in a motherboard that is compatible with the TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem DDR4-4133 memory kits. The Asus Maximus IX Hero didn’t work … however, the Asus Maximus IX Apex did.
Once you have these modules running at full DDR4-4133 speeds … you’ll never want to go back. The performance is truly phenomenal.
