GeIL Orion AMD Edition DDR4-3600 C18 2x8GB Review: Unbalanced Compromise

AMD's Ryzen processors put the chipmaker back on the map. Naturally, other hardware vendors, such as motherboard, memory, or cooling manufacturers, are keen to jump on the bandwagon for the ride. For one, GeIL has introduced a special AMD Edition of the brand's Orion memory for Ryzen owners. In fact, the Orion series has a pretty extensive lineup. GeIL offers the memory in both single and dual-channel packages from 8GB up to 64GB and with frequencies ranging from DDR4-2666 up to DDR4-4000.

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The Orion AMD Edition memory features an RGB-less design, which will appease some consumers, but anger others. The aluminum heat spreaders either come in a red or titanium-grey theme. The only gripe we have with GeIL's design is that the Ryzen sticker makes the memory modules look cheap. Understandably, GeIL wanted to separate the AMD Edition from its normal Orion variants. Still, the brand surely could have found a more subtle way of promoting the Ryzen branding.

The memory modules check in with a height of 37.34mm (1.47 inches), so they are just slightly taller than a module that lacks a heat spreader. This low-profile design allows the Orion AMD Edition to fit under CPU air coolers without problems.

GeIL's Orion AMD Edition memory kit ships with two 8GB DDR4 memory modules with eight-layer PCBs with a single-rank design. The sticks feature Samsung K4A8G085WB-BCPB integrated circuits (ICs).

When you first install the Orion AMD Edition memory modules, they'll default to DDR4-2133 with 15-15-15-36 timings. GeIL has only programmed one DDR4-3600 XMP profile into the memory modules, which sets the timings to 18-22-22-42 and the DRAM voltage to 1.35V. For more on timings and frequency considerations, see our PC Memory 101 feature, as well as our How to Shop for RAM story.

Comparison Hardware

Our Intel test system consists of an Intel Core i7-10700K and Asus ROG Maximus XII Apex on the 0707 firmware. On the opposite end, the AMD testbed for RAM benchmarks leverages an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and ASRock B550 Taichi with the 1.30 firmware. The MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Trio handles the graphical duties on both platforms.

Intel Performance

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The Orion AMD Edition had the slowest showing of the DDR4-3600 memory kits on the Intel test bed. It didn't really stand out in any of the benchmarks.

AMD Performance

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However, on the AMD platform, the Orion AMD Edition jumped up one position, just barely outperforming the HP V8 DDR4-3600 C18 in the performance chart. Nevertheless, GeIL's memory kit is still slower than its competitors, which flaunt tighter timings.

Overclocking and Latency Tuning

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GeIL's Orion AMD Edition memory modules employ Samsung B-die ICs. However, it's important to highlight that not every IC is made equal, and the Orion AMD Edition probably uses the lowest-binned ICs. As a result, the Orion AMD Edition has the worst overclock in our list of DDR4-3600 memory kits. We only managed to hit DDR4-3733 with 19-22-22-42 timings and a DRAM voltage of 1.45V.

Lowest Stable Timings

The kit didn't provide much headroom for tightening the primary timings, either. A 1.45V DRAM voltage allowed us to reduce the timings from the XMP values of 18-22-22-42 down to 16-20-20-40 at DDR4-3600.

Bottom Line

The GeIL Orion AMD Edition DDR4-3600 C18 doesn't pose to be something that it's not. Just by looking at the specifications and price tag, you can already guess that the memory kit targets budget-conscious consumers, particularly ones with an AMD Ryzen processor. However, there should be a balance between value and performance. Unfortunately, GeIL might have focused too much on the former and forgot about the latter. 

Logically, the memory kit lags behind competitors with better timings. It's certainly not the worst DDR4-3600 memory kit on the market, though. There are plenty of slower offerings with CAS Latency values up to 20. Bear in mind that while the Orion AMD Edition DDR4-3600 C18 retails for $64.99, it isn't the fastest or the shiniest gun in town.