Chinese CXMT DDR5 memory offers performance comparable to well-known brands, yet it's not significantly more affordable. As the memory shortage persists, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and regular consumers are exploring Chinese-made DRAM alternatives. One prominent option is CXMT, capable of producing high-speed DDR5 chips. To assess the quality of these memory solutions, Hardware Unboxed acquired a DDR5 kit for testing. The review focused on a 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 kit from KingBank, an Australia-exclusive variant featuring CXMT DRAM chips. The tests were conducted on an AMD AM5 platform with Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 7 9700X CPUs, along with an RTX 5090, ensuring no system bottlenecks. Hardware Unboxed compared this KingBank kit to similar DDR5-6000 CL26 solutions from G.Skill and a slower DDR5-5200 CL40 from Kingston, all using SK Hynix, Micron, or Samsung memory chips. In gaming tests, the KingBank DDR5-6000 kit performed similarly to G.Skill's DDR5-6000 kit in popular games like Rainbow Six Siege, Marvel Rivals, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Cyberpunk 2077, using both Ryzen 9700X and 9800X3D CPUs. Interestingly, when paired with the Ryzen 9800X3D, the CXMT-based kit's performance gap with Kingston's DDR5-5200 was negligible due to the 3D V-Cache technology, making all contenders nearly identical in performance. This test primarily validates CXMT's chip compatibility with consumer hardware, ensuring seamless integration with various setups. The modules themselves appear well-crafted, maintaining a temperature of 60°C under load. The question arises: what about the cost? The KingBank 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 kit costs around 599 AUD, compared to 649 AUD for similar options with SK Hynix, Micron, or Samsung chips. While a 50 AUD savings is beneficial, it may not be enough to entice customers to try CXMT. The company must strategically price its products to build customer confidence in its quality. CXMT's production capacity is estimated at only 5% of global production, and it aims to maximize revenue to expand its capabilities. However, if CXMT fails to establish a strong brand image now, it may struggle to do so once the memory shortage subsides.
