TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 Review: Specially Tuned For Performance

The TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 memory kit comes to market at a time when Intel’s latest 12th Generation Alder Lake processors have prompted a shift to DDR5 memory. However, TeamGroup, like other manufacturers, continues to push the performance limits for DDR4. So even though the company is certainly no stranger to our list of best RAM, it didn’t bring us speeding-fast data rates, like DDR4-5000 or anything, this time. Instead, TeamGroup offers an optimized memory kit in the DDR4-4000 category with very attractive memory timings.

The new memory kit belongs to the Xtreem ARGB lineup; it retains the same aesthetics as the vanilla Xtreem ARGB memory modules. However, as the model name denotes, the Xtreem ARGB White features a white aluminum alloy heat spreader instead of the typical dark blue and purple theme from the standard Xtreem ARGB memory modules.

The Xtreem ARGB White measures 49mm (1.92 inches) tall. The memory module’s translucent body allows the interior addressable RGB LEDs to shine. There are two ways to control the lighting — you can opt for TeamGroup’s T-Force Blitz software or your motherboard’s software. You won’t have to worry about compatibility issues since the Xtreem ARGB White supports Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0, MSI Mystic Light Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync, and Biostar Vivi LED DJ.

TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The T-Force Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 memory kit consists of two 16GB memory modules with a dual-rank design. TeamGroup produced them on a 10-layer, black PCB with Samsung K4A8G085WB-BCPB (B-die) integrated circuits (ICs).

The memory modules will operate at DDR4-2400 with 16-16-16-39 timings out of the box. Once you enable XMP or set them up manually, they will hit DDR4-4000 with 15-15-15-35 timings. The required voltage for the configuration, as mentioned earlier, is 1.5V. See our PC Memory 101 feature and our How to Shop for RAM story for more on timings and frequency considerations.

Comparison Hardware

Memory Kit Part Number Capacity Data Rate Primary Timings Voltage Warranty
GeIL Orion AMD Edition GAOR432GB4266C18ADC 2 x 16GB DDR4-4266 (XMP) 18-24-24-44 (2T) 1.45 Volts Lifetime
TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB White TF13D432G4000HC15ADC01 2 x 16GB DDR4-4000 (XMP) 15-15-15-35 (2T) 1.50 Volts Lifetime
G.Skill Trident Z Royal F4-4000C17D-32GTRGB 2 x 16GB DDR4-4000 (XMP) 17-18-18-38 (2T) 1.40 Volts Lifetime
Crucial Ballistix Max RGB BLM2K16G40C18U4BL 2 x 16GB DDR4-4000 (XMP) 18-19-19-39 (2T) 1.35 Volts Lifetime
Mushkin Redline Lumina MLA4C400JNNM16GX2 2 x 16GB DDR4-4000 (XMP) 18-22-22-42 (2T) 1.35 Volts Lifetime
Patriot Viper Elite II PVE2432G400C0K 2 x 16GB DDR4-4000 (XMP) 20-26-26-46 (2T) 1.40 Volts Lifetime

The Intel system employs the Intel Core i9-10900K and Asus ROG Maximus XII Apex, which operates on the 0901 firmware. On the opposite side, the AMD system consists of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. The latter is on the 3501 firmware. Meanwhile, the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Trio is in charge of the gaming RAM benchmarks,

Intel System AMD System
Processor Intel Core i9-10900K AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus XII Apex Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Graphics Card MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
Storage Crucial MX500 500GB, 2TB Crucial MX500 500GB, 2TB
Cooling Corsair Hydro H115i Pro Corsair Hydro H115i Pro
Power Supply Corsair RM650x 650W Corsair RM650x 650W
Case Streacom BC1 Streacom BC1

Intel Performance

Overall, TeamGroup’s memory kit was the fastest in our application tests. In gaming, it was marginally slower than the G.Skill Trident Z Royal DDR4-4000 C17. However, the Xtreem ARGB White performed exceptionally well in Microsoft Office workloads, where it was over 10% faster than the slowest memory kit. It also had strong outings in the compression and decompression benchmarks, beating the single-rank memory kits.

AMD Performance

The Xtreem ARGB White dropped to the second position in the cumulative application chart on our AMD platform. However, there wasn’t a huge difference between it and the G.Skill memory kit. The memory kit was very impressive in the y-cruncher test, where it finished the benchmark over 20% faster than the slowest memory kit.

Overclocking and Latency Tuning

To run at its XMP settings, the Xtreem ARGB White already pulls 1.5V, so there wasn’t a lot of headroom for overclocking without pushing over 1.6V. We opted for a more moderate 1.55V DRAM voltage to hit DDR4-4133 and only had to slightly relax the tRCD, tRP, and tRAS timings.

Lowest Stable Timings

Memory Kit DDR4-4000 (1.45V) DDR4-4133 (1.50V) DDR4-4133 (1.55V) DDR4-4200 (1.45V) DDR4-4266 (1.50V) DDR4-4400 (1.50V)
GeIL Orion AMD Edition DDR4-4266 C18 N/A N/A N/A N/A 17-22-22-44 (2T) 19-25-25-45 (2T)
Crucial Ballistix Max RGB DDR4-4000 C18 16-19-19-39 (2T) N/A N/A 20-20-20-40 (2T) N/A N/A
Mushkin Redline Lumina DDR4-4000 C18 16-20-20-40 (2T) N/A N/A 18-21-21-41 (2T) N/A N/A
G.Skill Trident Z Royal DDR4-4000 C17 15-16-16-36 (2T) 18-19-19-39 (2T) N/A N/A N/A N/A
Patriot Viper Elite II DDR4-4000 C20 18-25-25-45 (2T) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 N/A N/A 15-16-16-36 N/A N/A N/A

TeamGroup optimized the memory for 15-15-15-35 at 1.5V. Increasing the DRAM voltage to 1.55V didn’t produce any favorable results. We suspect that it would take 1.6V+ to get the memory timings further.

Bottom Line

You get a pretty good idea of the type of performance you can expect by only looking at a memory kit’s data rate and timings. We knew the Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 would be one of the fastest memory kits right out the gate, and it fulfilled our expectations. But, of course, this caliber of performance doesn’t come cheap, so it may not be an enticing product for average users.

As you would expect, the Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 is a highly-binned memory kit. So it doesn’t surprise us that it carries a premium price tag. Unfortunately, the memory kit isn’t currently in stock, but you can find it for $335 at TeamGroup’s Amazon store (opens in new tab) when it debuts. It’s the kind of purchase that requires extra contemplation, but if it’s high-speed performance you’re after, the Xtreem ARGB White DDR4-4000 C15 is one of the better alternatives.