The DDR5 memory segment has been seeing a lot of action as it gets standardized across all PC platforms. With memory prices dropping and the latest platforms becoming affordable, memory makers are offering new solutions constantly. Some focus on high-end specifications, while others focus on strengthening their gaming product portfolios.
While higher speeds are the main focus of every manufacturer, there are some that go out of their way to innovate on other fronts. V-Color is one of those manufacturers that has been saying on top of the new DDR5 era with some of the fastest memory modules that we have seen to date. My first review of a V-Color product was the PRISM II RGB DDR4 series back in 2019, offering a unique touch on the then-growing RGB craze. The company continues to update its design, offering the PRISM PRO series, and eventually moving to the MANTA series with DDR5 memory, offering up to 9600 MT/s speeds with its CKD. When RGB landed first on memory modules, everyone thought it was just overkill, and now it has become a staple of gaming PCs and now V-Color is pushing the memory design forward with the first-ever OLED modules.
The V-Color MANTA OLED XFinity+ are the first DDR5 memory modules that feature a built-in OLED display, and they take memory module designs to a whole new level. Today, we will be testing out one of V-Color's top-end MANTA OLED XFinity+ kit.
The V-Color MANTA OLED XFinity+ 64 GB DDR5 memory kit is designed for serious overclockers and enthusiasts. If you don't know about the ABC of overclocking or don't want the hassle that is associated with such high-frequency kits (motherboard/QVL compatibility/IMC quality), then you'd better stay away from this kit. The kit I received is optimized at a clock speed of 8000 MT/s (PC5-64000). The memory kit consists of dual 32 GB DIMMs, which make up a total of 64 GB in capacity.
The memory kit has a tested latency spec of CL40, and the timings are 40-56-56-128 for this specific kit. The voltage is set at 1.35, and the memory kit comes in an unbuffered package with an on-die ECC (Error Correction) design. The memory is currently compliant with both Intel XMP & AMD EXPO profiles.
The Manta Xfinity+ series is a premium memory kit, made with an exquisite design that covers the aluminum heatspreader. The series comes in black and white colors, and with the added OLED tech, it makes for a very unique component inside your PC. Then there's the top-mounted ARGB diffuser, which is very nicely lit and can be customized using RGB sync software from various motherboard manufacturers. The following are some of the visuals that will be displayed on the OLED screen:
The V-Color Manta Xfinity+ OLED memory kit was sent in a black colored box with the Xfinity+ and V-Color logos. There's a nice letter inside the package that thanks the user for purchasing the V-Color memory and also comes with a CUDIMM PCB ruler.
Within this box is the main memory kit which is a meaty package. The reason is that the package houses both the memory modules and filler ARGB modules. These modules are sold separately and offer a coherent look when all four DIMMs are installed on the board.
The first thing you'll notice about the Manta XFinity+ OLED series is the small OLED panel itself. The white angular design, along with the ARGB diffuser, looks great too, but that single OLED DIMM stands out from the rest.
The OLED panel has been integrated on a single memory module, and the reason for that is very simple. When stacked, only the outermost module on the right side will be visible to the user; hence, there's no reason to put an OLED panel on each memory module.
The heatsink on the memory modules is very hefty and adds a lot to their weight. This ensures good cooling to the memory when running at higher OC speeds, plus you also have to keep in mind that the OLED screen should generate some extra heat of its own.
The back of each module lists the specifications, including the memory capacity, memory timings, and memory clocks.
When installed, the V-Color Manta Xfinity+ OLED memory kit looks phenomenal.
For testing, I used the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU on the MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard to evaluate the CUDIMM kits. The good thing about the Z890 motherboards is that they are rock solid when it comes to fast and CUDIMM memory support.
I have separated the performance tests into two sections. The first section consists of synthetic and general workload tests, while the second section focuses on gaming performance and how different games are affected by higher-clocked memory sticks.
Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare "world record" pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.
WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can back up your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file formats.
Gaming applications generally don't see huge gains with different memory kits, but DDR5 has enabled a huge gain in memory frequency, which can impact gaming performance. Moving from the stock 2133 Mbps (DDR4) to 6000+ Mbps can have a huge effect on performance, and the improved CAS timings on some of the high-end SKUs can result in better overall FPS and system responsiveness.
OLED and tiny IPS displays have become common on PC components. We have seen PSUs, coolers, GPUs, motherboards, and even case fans featuring some sort of display, and some even feature touch panels. So that leaves us with one component that is a spotlight of any PC build, the memory. For long, memory has utilized RGB in various shapes and patterns, so the next step seems like the integration of displays. V-Color has taken the first step in this with their Xfinity+ OLED kit, and it looks very cool. The OLED panel is visible, and you can clearly read the text, which mentions the speed, temps, and profile running on the stick. It's not that distracting and provides the memory with a nice visual update outside of RGB. The functionality is a bit limited, but it sets the baseline, and we can expect many other memory vendors to follow V-Color's approach and expand upon it.
As for the Manta Xfinity+ OLED DDR5 memory in terms of performance, it offers 8000 MT/s speeds and comes in 64 GB capacities. The speeds are a 66.6% uplift over the JEDEC 4800 MT/s standard, which kickstarted the DDR5 era. The performance is great, and what's great is that there are many platforms, both Intel and AMD, which can now support these faster speeds for users to fully harness the capabilities of their systems.
The price of the V-Color Manta Xfinity+ OLED is currently $399.99 US, which is $20 US higher than the non-OLED version. That's a decent premium for the OLED goodness. Plus, the filler kit is also a plus, though that will come at an extra cost. Overall, V-Color's Manta Xfinity+ OLED shakes things up with blistering fast speeds, a solid heatspreader, and an OLED panel, which adds to the design and looks besides the fantastic ARGB implementation.