Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB 3000MHz DDR4 Kit Review

Introduction

With every type of product there’s always a particular brand or SKU that rules the roost, that pushes the boundaries in terms of quality and performance. In the world of desktop computer memory there are a few of these: Corsair’s Dominator Platinum and G.Skill’s RipJaws are a couple of examples but today we have one of the most established and prestigious: Kingston’s HyperX Predator series.

The Predator name doesn’t just get put onto any old memory module: Kingston reserve it for the craziest frequencies, the highest quality cherry picked and speed binned SKUs and to top it all off there’s a whopping great big heatsink to keep things running cool. The specific kit we have today operates at a crazy 3000MHz, or 3GHz, and remember this is just the memory. That means the memory operates at the same frequency as the Core i7 5960X’s base frequency – crazy! Due to the super high frequency this kit also comes with a large heat spreader to tame the high 1.5 volts needed and it also comes with a high price tag which we’ll get onto later.  First let’s go over the specifications of this product:

Specifications

Edit: Kingston have informed us that due to feedback that are lowering the voltage of their HyperX Predator DDR4 2400-3000MHz range from 1.5 to 1.35 volts.

A Closer Look

Kingston’s HyperX Predator didn’t arrive with us in any retail packaging, just inside a brown card box with some plastic cases for the modules. The modules are something special though – look how big they are! There’s an extra inch  of heatsink over the top of the PCB for a total height of about 55mm – you’re going to need closed loop liquid cooling or a slim heatsink to use this RAM.