Mushkin Ridgeback 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Mushkin Ridgeback 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 Memory Kit doesn’t appear to be available from many retailers at the moment. However, a quick Google does show it for around £125-150, although not from our preferred retailers. We suggest you have a search around for prices, as we can’t quite find reliable stock or pricing at this time.

Overview

Mushkin has released many fantastic memory kits over the years, and I’m happy to say that the Ridgeback 16GB 3200MHz is another welcome addition to their range. However, it’s not perfect, although few things are. The memory timings are quite high. At 20-20-20-40 they’re not the best we’ve seen. Memory kits at a slower speed with tighter timing perform very closely. Of course, the Mushkin kit makes up for that with higher speeds, but raw speed isn’t always the best way to improvement performance. The results are difficult to explain, as this is one of the fastest kits tested, but we only have a few tested on our new bench. The performance is certainly great, but tighter timings would have made this even better.

Of course, it’s not a bad kit. The loose timing has been reflected in the price too, as this memory kit has been priced competitively; even in a market where the prices are quite high at the moment. We’ve always known Mushkin to be competitively priced, so I’m happy to see that still holds true with the Ridgeback.

Build quality is superb, and the modules feel well made. The large heat spreader design is durable and provides excellent cooling overall. Of course, the design is spot on, and the red and silver finish gives them a sleek look that’s sure to look stunning in your new build. The PCB is green and would have looked even better in black, but at this price, I am clutching at straws here.

There was some overclocking headroom to be found. The Ridgeback managed 3333MHz quickly enough. It didn’t particularly improve the performance though, and for everything that improved, another test got worse. The Ridgeback is already fast out of the box, but overall I don’t think there are many benefits to overclocking it regarding real-world performance.

Pros

• Trusted brand name
• Stylish heat spreader design
• Blazing fast 3200 MHZ XMP profile
• Competitive price
• Excellent performance overall

Cons

• Limited stock availability
• Loose timing

Neutral

• Mixed results from overclocking benchmarks