Review: Mushkin Redline 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM (994192F)
Today we will look at the Mushkin Redline (994192F) DDR4 2666MHz CL 15 16GB (4x4GB) RAM kit. Benchmarks with be done both at stock settings as well as while overclocked. The stock timings are capable of operating at 2666MHz at 1.2v, and we expect to have plenty of headroom for overclocking with this kit. We will see just how far we can push the RAM at 1.35v, and then we’ll try to increase the performance even further by providing some extra voltage.
Specifications
- Brand – Mushkin Enhanced
- Series – Redline
- Model – 994192F
- Capacity – 16GB (4 x 4GB)
- Type – 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM
- Speed – DDR4 2666 (PC4-21300)
- Cas Latency – 15
- Timing – 15-15-15-35
- Voltage – 1.2V
- Quad Channel Kit
- Color – Red
- Heat Spreader – Frostbyte-G3 Red
- Recommend Use – High Performance or Gaming Memory
Test Setup
- Motherboard – Asus Rampage V Extreme
- Processor – Intel i7 5960X ES
- Power Supply – Cooler Master V1200 PSU
- CPU Cooler – Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme
- Graphics Card – MSI GTX 970 G4 Gaming
- SSD – Mushkin Chronos 480GB
- Operating System – Windows 7
XMP settings – 2666MHz CL 15-15-15-35 2T @ 1.2v
The results above were produced using the stock settings. These settings are available when using a simple XMP profile that can be enabled with one click. The AIDA64 results are already quite good but the kit can easily improve performance further by switching to a 1T command rate.
DDR 3000 15-15-15-35 2T @ 1.35v
Despite increasing the clock speed to 3000MHz, we don’t get as significant of a performance gain as we were hoping for. The biggest improvement seen was in the copy speed.
DDR 3200 16-16-16-36 2T @ 1.35v
We were able to push the speed even higher, to 3200 MHz. However, as can be seen, just because the clock speed has increased, it does not mean that the overall performance improves. This is due to the more relaxed timings, as well as the current divider setting that has to be run at the current speed, as some ratios are more efficient than others. This does demonstrate that the memory kit can hit high clock speeds and will likely pay off in performance gains after the user takes some time to tweak the settings and increase the voltage.
Maximum Settings – DDR 3000 12-14-16-15 1T @ 1.5v
Adding a bit more voltage allows plenty of performance to be squeezed out of this kit of RAM. The read performance is incredible at over 82GB/s. The memory bandwidth at these maximum settings is truly impressive, and latency is vastly improved as well.
Conclusion
The Mushkin Redline (994192F) DDR4 2666MHz CL 15 16GB (4x4GB) RAM kit currently retails at approximately $190. In our opinion, it is definitely worth the money. The stock settings were quite good, but the kit has a lot of headroom and performance potential that can be realized through careful tuning. Despite the kit’s admirable performance at 1.5v, users may want to consider something more like 1.35v for daily usage, as the increased voltage increases wear on the memory and the extra heat output requires dedicated cooling. In any case, the Mushkin Redline DDR4 kit works great as a daily use kit at stock or overclocked settings, and also makes for a great benchmarking kit when pushed to its limits.
