Viper DDR4 Desktop RAM
Patriot UDIMM RAM Running at 4400 MHz (PC4-35200) at 1.45V
Priced at the Time of Review on Amazon: $130.00 for 2x 8 GB
When people talk about premium RAM they generally think Corsair Vengeance or Kingston HyperX. And on a second level would come GSkill's Ripjaws and Patriot Viper.
But the Corsair sticks that can run at 4400 MHz cost over $500! At that price, you really have to ask, how much more can you get and how can they justify that price.
The answer we've found is; they can't. With Patriot's Viper Steel series you get 99.9% of the vengeance series at literally a small fraction of the price. UDIMM Viper DDR4 RAM is really solid. When you pick it up it has the same, and even slightly more heft than it's Corsair competitors.
The units are beautiful and will make a great addition to anyone with a glass view computer case.
The speed is amazing. Our #2 pick for DDR4 Desktop RAM is Corsair's Vengeance, but the unit that runs at only 3600 MHz. That's still great timing though.
For many that buy these Patriot memory modules, 4133 MHz will be the maximum they can achieve. You'll need to switch to XMP 2 to really get the 4400 and then you'll also have to dial down the timing and up the voltage.
If your motherboard isn't top of the line, don't expect to get the full experience this RAM offers. If that's the case, you might just want to save the $50 price difference between these units and the Vengeance that we list as our #2 option.
Ryzen owners should be warned that the Corsairs are better options for them, since most Ryzen computers don't handle anything over 3800 MHz very well. If you already own these on a Ryzen, we recommend you set your FCLK to 1900 MHz and your memory to 3800 MHz and your voltage to 1.5 V and your timing to CL14. This should run much faster than setting this unit at 4400 MHz with horrible timing settings that are needed to get there.
What we love about buying Patriot Steel DDR4 UDIMM RAM:
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Best Value for Ultra Premium RAM
For us premium RAM will have heat dissipation elements, a frequency on the higher end of things, the ability to achieve great timing and a lifetime guarantee. Our #2 and #3 options for buying DDR4 Desktop RAM will cover this and are slightly cheaper.
Normally ultra premium RAM, the kind that runs at the highest rate of that generation, generally cost several hundred dollars per unit. So when we found Ultra Premium RAM only 60-70% more than Premium RAM, we couldn't resist listing it as our #1 pick. -
Solid Construction and Lifetime Warranty
When you have these units in your hand you can really tell how well made they are. The heft is impressive. The solid feel of how all the components, including the heat shield, are kept together make it easy to see why Patriot doesn't blink twice when offering a lifetime warranty.
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Proven Overclocking
Very few people who buy this product will be stranger's to their computer's XMP settings. Forums are filled with advice, there's never a lack of knowledge with these memory units. Sure with Corsair you will find more information, but ultra premium corsair costs $500.
What we don't like about this RAM:
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XMP Editing Needed to Get Value
Yes, these units are far superior than some really slow DDR4 RAM, some of which go as slow as 2133 MHz! But these units are a far cry from our #2 option at 3600 MHz or our #1 option at 4400 MHz. But still, for the price difference, these are really excellent units. And many older laptops won't even be able to use the extra speed offered by our #1 and #2 options.
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Limited Use on Older Mother Boards
If you have an older motherboard your XMP might not be upgradable to version 2.0. Some cheap computers don't even give you XMP access. So for some users these units are overkill.
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Finicky Set Up
Getting RAM to run at 4400 MHz is not easy. There plenty that needs to come together for the performance at that rate to be better than lower rates that 'mesh' better together.
Overall
We believe buying viper steel DDR4 desktop RAM is the #1 option for serious computer enthusiasts who want to edit XMP settings and experiment. If you don't, we'd recommend you save $50 and buy Corsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM.