Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C18 2x8GB Review: Sluggish Heavyweight

Clean design without the flashy lights

Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C18
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

Tom's Hardware Verdict

The Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C18 is an average memory kit that could appease AMD owners, but the Intel crowd might want to give this one a pass.

Pros

  • +

    + Tolerable AMD performance

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    + Reasonable price

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    + Robust and RGB-less design

Cons

  • -

    Poor performance on Intel

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    Slim overclocking headroom

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Predator Storage, an Acer sub-brand, is the newest player to join the storage and memory game. Being the new kid on the block, Predator Storage's memory portfolio is currently comprised of the Apollo and Talos lineups. While the Apollo series has proven to be a worthy competitor in the memory market, the Talos' potential remains to be seen. 

Predator Storage sells the Talos memory in both single module and dual-channel presentations. The latter is available up to 64GB (2x32GB), while the frequency ranges start at DDR4-2666 and top out at DDR4-4800.

The Talos kit is the polar opposite of the Apollo. Predator Storage opted for a more simple design that's not adorned with gaudy RGB lighting, so the heat spreader carries a black-and-white theme with only the Predator logo in the middle.

The first thing you notice when holding the Talos in your hand is its weight. The memory module is noticeably heavier than other memory that we've tested. The heat spreader is made from a zinc alloy material. The Talos weighs in at 97.91 grams (0.22 pounds). The memory is tall but not excessively so at 45.6mm (1.16 inches).

Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C18 (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Talos is equipped with a black PCB with eight layers, and Predator Storage claims the heavy heat spreader helps keep the operating temperature in check. The 16GB memory kit consists of two 8GB memory modules with a single-rank design. The integrated circuits (ICs) hail from Micron. However, Thaiphoon Burner wasn't able to detect the exact model. If we fill in the blanks, the ICs could be Micron E-die (MT40A1G8SA-075:E).

The Talos memory modules check-in at DDR4-2666 with 19-19-19-43 timings. Only one XMP profile is present, which sets the data rate to DDR4-3600, timings to 18-20-20-42, 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

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Memory KitPart NumberCapacityData RatePrimary TimingsVoltageWarranty
G.Skill Trident Z NeoF4-3600C14D-16GTZNB2 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)14-15-15-35 (2T)1.45 VoltsLifetime
Adata XPG Spectrix D60GAX4U360038G14C-DT602 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)14-15-15-35 (2T)1.45 VoltsLifetime
TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGBTF10D416G3600HC14CDC012 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)14-15-15-35 (2T)1.45 VoltsLifetime
Gigabyte Aorus RGB MemoryGP-AR36C18S8K2HU416R2 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)18-19-19-39 (2T)1.35 VoltsLifetime
HP V87EH92AA#ABM x 22 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)18-20-20-40 (2T)1.35 Volts5 Years
Adata XPG Spectrix D50AX4U360038G18A-DT502 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)18-20-20-42 (2T)1.35 VoltsLifetime
Predator TalosBL.9BWWR.2152 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)18-20-20-42 (2T)1.35 VoltsLifetime
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SLCMH16GX4M2Z3600C182 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)18-22-22-42 (2T)1.35 VoltsLifetime
GeIL Orion AMD EditionGAOR416GB3600C18BDC2 x 8GBDDR4-3600 (XMP)18-22-22-42 (2T)1.35 VoltsLifetime

Our Intel-based system uses an Intel Core i9-10900K processor and Asus ROG Maximus XII Apex. The motherboard runs on the 0901 firmware. On the opposite side, our AMD testbed is based on the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. The latter is on the 3501 firmware. For graphics, we turned to the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Trio to take care of the gaming RAM benchmarks.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 Intel SystemAMD System
ProcessorIntel Core i9-10900KAMD Ryzen 9 5900X
MotherboardAsus ROG Maximus XII ApexAsus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Graphics CardMSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X TrioMSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
StorageCrucial MX500 500GB, 2TBCrucial MX500 500GB, 2TB
CoolingCorsair Hydro H115i ProCorsair Hydro H115i Pro
Power SupplyCorsair RM650x 650WCorsair RM650x 650W
CaseStreacom BC1Streacom BC1

Intel Performance

Predator Storage's Talos memory didn't have a good showing on the Intel platform. The memory kit came in last in both application and gaming performance and didn't shine in any particular workload.

AMD Performance

The Talos performed better on the AMD platform. The memory kit found itself in the middle of the pack in both application and gaming performance. Once again, the Talos didn't put in any outstanding performance in a specific benchmark.

Overclocking and Latency Tuning

Bumping the DRAM voltage from 1.35V to 1.45V allowed us to push the Talos from DDR4-3600 to DDR4-3900. We had to increase the CAS Latency by one cycle, but managed to drop the tRAS by two cycles.

Lowest Stable Timings

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Memory KitDDR4-3600 (1.45V)DDR4-3733 (1.45V)DDR4-3866 (1.45V)DDR4-3900 (1.45V)DDR4-4000 (1.45V)DDR4-4133 (1.45V)DDR4-4200 (1.45V)
G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 C1413-16-16-36 (2T)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A19-19-19-39 (2T)
Adata XPG Spectrix D60G DDR4-3600 C1413-15-15-35 (2T)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A20-19-19-39 (2T)
TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB DDR4-3600 C1413-14-14-35 (2T)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A19-19-19-39 (2T)
HP V8 DDR4-3600 C1814-19-19-39 (2T)N/AN/AN/AN/A18-22-22-42 (2T)N/A
Adata XPG Spectrix D50 DDR4-3600 C1814-19-19-39 (2T)N/AN/AN/A18-22-22-42 (2T)N/AN/A
Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C1815-18-18-38 (2T)N/AN/A19-20-20-40 (2T)N/AN/AN/A
Gigabyte Aorus RGB Memory DDR4-3600 C1816-19-19-39 (2T)N/AN/A20-20-20-40 (2T)N/AN/AN/A
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL DDR4-3600 C1816-20-20-40 (2t)N/A19-22-22-40N/AN/AN/AN/A
GeIL Orion AMD Edition DDR4-3600 C1816-20-20-40 (2T)19-22-22-42 (2T)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

With the same increase in voltage, we tightened the Talos' memory timings from 18-20-20-42 down to 15-18-18-38. It's an acceptable margin considering that the memory uses Micron ICs.

Bottom Line

The Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C18 won't attract everyone's attention. The aesthetics are fine, but the memory kit's uneven performance is one of its weakest points. The Talos performed better on our AMD system than the Intel testbench. This will inevitably reduce the number of potential buyers for this particular Talos memory kit.

The MSRP for the Predator Talos DDR4-3600 C18  is $119.99, but you can find the memory kit for just $92.99 on Newegg. It's a fair asking price, however, if you're looking for something that's faster or with more flair, Adata's XPG Spectrix D50 DDR4-3600 C18 retails for only $109.99.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.