G.Skill Trident 6GB PC3-16000 CL9
DDR3 Memory Kit Review

Price: $160+ CDN Price Comparison
Manufacturer Product Page: G.Skill
Manufacturer's Part Number: F3-16000CL9T-6GBTD
Warranty: Lifetime warranty



G.Skill International Enterprise was founded in 1989 in Taipei, Taiwan by a group of devoted computer enthusiasts, origins which would eventually shine through. While the company originally manufactured mainstream PC memory, flash cards and USB flash drives, in 2003 they sowed the seeds to their own success by debuting a line of high-quality, high-end overclocking-friendly memory kits. Since then, in a short 5-6 year span G.Skill has leapt to the forefront of the memory industry by catering to the needs and wants of the enthusiasts community while bolstering consumer confidence with their popular lifetime warranty. Building upon the success of their memory kits and wisely seeking to diversify, the company announced its first SATA II 2.5" solid state drives (SSDs) in May 2008, which we had the exclusive pleasure of reviewing. This was then followed up by a bigger, bolder and better model that won us over with its excellent performance and value.

When the Core i7 processors were launched in November, DDR3 memory prices were still very much out of the price range of your average consumer. This is one of the reasons that we were so taken aback when we received the G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ memory kit in January. Here we had a triple-channel 6GB DDR3-1600 product for $200CDN flat. This was not only the cheapest 6GB DDR3-1600 kit on the market, but it was cheaper then most 4GB DDR3-1066/1333 memory kits at the time. Heck, it was half the price and three times the size of most DDR3 kits available a mere one year prior. All this to say that the increasing standardization of DDR3 was slowly beginning to benefit consumers. With the better than expected adoption of the Core i7 platform, the surprising popularity of AMD's AM3 processors and the imminent arrival of Lynnfield / P55, DDR3 choices have expanded while priced have dropped and continue to do so.

With this in mind, we have seen some new products hit the market that would not have been feasible a mere 3-4 months ago. Case in point: the G.Skill Trident F3-16000CL9T-6GBTD model that we will be reviewing today. This is a triple-channel 6GB DDR3-2000 9-9-9-24 memory kit, featuring a low 1.65V default voltage and a price that will make you do a double-take: $160CDN. Want to know more? Keep reading.