I hadn’t heard of Goodram before being approached for this review, but they have been manufacturing RAM since 2003 and are hoping to break out into the UK market.
Who are Goodram
Goodram brand is owned by Wilk Elektronik, a memory manufacturer with its headquarter and production line in Poland. The products are sold across the world, with a growing market in UK.
They produce a wide range of memory and storage solutions. This includes both desktop and laptop DDR4, SSD and NVMe drives as well as flash storage in the from of cards and USB sticks.
Wilk Elektronik was established back in 1992 then in 2003 they started manufacturing their own RAM under the Goodram name and they are one of the largest IT companies in Poland. So they know a thing or two about RAM.
Specification
The IRDM by GOODRAM SO-DIMMs designed for gamers are available in capacities: 8 & 16 GB, 3200 MHz frequency and CL16-18-18 latency at 1.35V.
The IRDM modules with OC potential are equipped with custom heatsink which will give PC a comfort of working in optimal temperatures.
Install & Compatibility
Installing the RAM physically into the laptop is an easy process, not much harder than doing it into a desktop PC.
With my DELL XPS 15, you need a special screwdriver head for the tiny star screws, but most of the cheap screwdriver sets on Amazon include these.
The main issue you will face with this RAM is trying to achieve the 3200Mhz, most laptops do not have the option to set XMP profiles within the BIOS. In my case, I was unable to get it to go past the stock 2400Mhz, but other laptops may auto recognise and set the XMP profile.
This is supposed to run at 1.35V to achieve the best speeds, again, most laptops prefer not to do this, you can however run it at 1.2v which will then reduce the timings to CL22.
Performance
With me moving from the Kingston HyperX Impact RAM which was 64GB Kit (32GB x2) at 2400MHz down to just 8GB of ram at 2400MHz the results didn’t look particularly impressive but will be the same as any other similarly specced RAM. With this running in single channel vs dual channel of the HyperX RAM it has a slight disadvantage there, too.
CPU-Z indicated the RAM was running at 2400MHz with the timings at CL17-17-17
Price and Alternative Options
The biggest problem with this review is that I don’t have the official price yet, Goodram are still trying to establish distribution channels. If it is £20 then this will be an amazing buy, if it is £80 then it is awful.
Looking at competing options we can at least get an idea of what you want to be spending. With this being a relatively unknown brand I would hope they undercut many of the big names.
Most of these require 1.2 volts whereas the Goodram is 1.35 volts. You can use the Goodram at 1.2 volts but the CL will drop to 22.
- HyperX Impact DDR4 HX432S20IB2/8 – 8GB 3200 MHz CL20 for £48.36 (the Goodram has better timings with CL16)
- OLOy DDR4 RAM 16GB (1x16GB) 3200 MHz CL18 for £72 – Double the RAM but slightly looser timings.
- Viper Steel Series DDR4 8GB (1 x 8GB) 3000MHz for £35 – slowing and worse timings but great price
- Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4 3000MHz Laptop/SFF 2x 8GB for £67.5 – CL18
- Kingston KVR32S22S8/8 8GB DDR4 3200Mhz for £35 – CL22 and no heatspreader
Overall
Without pricing and availability, it is a little hard to give a definitive opinion about the Goodram IRDM RAM. I was also limited by the speeds of my laptop, so not like I can show off the benefits of 3200Mhz vs 2400MhzMhz.
There are a few companies that offer RAM at these speeds, this includes HyperX Impact, Corsair Vengeance, Kingston and Crucial. Out of those, the HyperX Impact DDR4 HX432S20IB2/8 is the closest option I can find for £48 so I would want this to come in well under that for me to justify opting for a relatively unknown brand the excellent HyperX.
Overall, this is some well specced laptop RAM that should work well in modern gaming laptops, if the pricing is right, it will be a good buy, and Goodram are definitely a company worth keeping an eye on.
Posted by Mighty Gadget Blog: UK Technology News and Reviews
