TeamGroup T-Force Vulcanα DDR5-6000 C38 2x16GB Review: Companion For Ryzen 7000

T-Force Vulcanα DDR5-6000 C38 is an AMD EXPO-certified memory kit that rivals other AMD memory kits and the best RAM around. DDR5 memory kits have gotten excessively faster since the standard debuted, and data rates and timings will continue to improve over time. However, the fastest memory kit doesn't typically give you the best bang for your buck. For instance, DDR5-6000 is the sweet spot for AMD's latest Zen 4 platform. You don't have to take our word for it — this information comes straight from the horse's mouth. TeamGroup, like many other memory brands, has designed a unique series of DDR5 memory for Zen 4 with full support for AMD EXPO. The Vulcanα is one of those lineups.

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TeamGroup classifies the Vulcan series into two groups. The vanilla Vulcan memory kits cater to Intel processors, whereas the Vulcanα is built explicitly for AMD processors. Both series are identical in aesthetics because it doesn't make sense to develop a new design since the specifications are the most significant difference between the Vulcan and Vulcanα. That also means you wouldn't be able to tell them apart without the 'α' suffix on the aluminum heat spreader. 

TeamGroup uses a winged-inspired theme for the heat spreader design. The memory kit is only available in two colors: red or black. The Vulcanα memory modules feature a low-profile design measuring 32.7mm (1.29 inches). They're only marginally taller than run-of-the-mill memory modules. You can throw the most oversized CPU air coolers at Vulcanα, and the memory will fit without hiccups.

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Being a 32GB memory kit, you'll receive two 16GB DDR5 memory modules with a single-rank design. The ingredients include SK hynix H5CG48MEBDX014 (M-die) integrated circuits (ICs). Since each IC has 2GB of capacity, the memory module has eight modules to hit 16GB. The markings on the power management IC (PMIC) were a bit faint, but we managed to make them out to 0D=9B J1U, a PMIC from Richtek, one of the leading IC manufacturers in the industry.

Unlike other memory kits that natively run at DDR5-4800, the Vulcanα memory kit sticks to DDR5-5200. It's not an issue since the Ryzen 7000 processors support DDR5-5200 right out of the gate. At DDR5-5200, the default timings are 42-42-42-83. There's only one AMD EXPO profile onboard, but it'll get the memory kit running at DDR5-6000 in no time. It automatically sets the timings and DRAM voltage to 38-38-38-78 and 1.25V, respectively. See our PC Memory 101 feature and How to Shop for RAM story for more timings and frequency considerations.

Comparison Hardware

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Our Intel test system runs the Core i9-13900K on the MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X with the 7D28vAA firmware. In contrast, the AMD system pairs the Ryzen 7 7700X with the MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi changed to the 7D70v176 firmware. The Corsair CUE H100i Elite LCD liquid cooler keeps our Raptor Lake and Zen 4 processor operating temperatures under check.

The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio tackles the more graphics-intensive workloads, ensuring that there isn't a graphics bottleneck in our gaming RAM benchmarks. The Windows 11 installation, benchmarking software, and games reside on Crucial's MX500 SSDs. Meanwhile, the Corsair RM1000x Shift ATX 3.0 power supply provides our systems with clean and abundant power, directly feeding the GeForce RTX 4080 with a native 16-pin (12VHPWR) power cable. Lastly, the Streacom BC1 open-air test bench is vital to organizing our hardware.

Intel Performance

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The results showed that the Intel performance isn't the Vulcanα memory kit's strong point. Cumulatively, the memory kit was at the bottom half of the competition in our application testing. We didn't record any outstanding performances from the Vulcanα.

AMD Performance

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Things took a turn for the Vulcanα memory kit on the AMD platform it was created for. The memory came in second place regarding application performance, right behind Corsair's Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 C30 memory kit. The Vulcanα memory kit outperformed its rivals in the Cinebench R23, 7-Zip decompression, and LuxMark benchmarks.

Overclocking and Latency Tuning

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The memory kit was an average overclocker compared to some of its competitors. DDR4-6400 was doable on the Vulcanα. We had to increase the DRAM voltage from 1.25V to 1.4V, but we retained the exact 38-38-38-78 timings when the memory kit was operating at DDR4-6000.

Lowest Stable Timings

While the memory kit showed satisfactory overclocking margins, getting the memory kit to run at tight timings was another story. At DDR5-6000, we could only lower the timings by two clock cycles. It was only possible with a 1.4V DRAM voltage. You're better off overclocking the Vulcanα memory kit rather than trying to optimize its DDR5-6000 timings.

Bottom Line

We already knew that the T-Force Vulcanα DDR5-6000 C38 caters to AMD's Ryzen 7000 processors beforehand, so we didn't have high hopes for the memory kit on Intel. Some AMD EXPO memory kits, such as the Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 C30, can hold their own on both platforms. However, the T-Force Vulcanα DDR5-6000 C38 isn't among them. It's not a bad memory kit, but just be mindful that it's aimed at Ryzen 7000, so using it outside its intended use won't offer you the same level of performance.

The T-Force Vulcanα DDR5-6000 C38 has an appealing price tag of $84.99 and is widely available in the U.S. market. The fact that it doesn't have a striking design with flashy RGB lighting helps TeamGroup keep the cost down. Given its performance on the AMD platform, it's a great pickup for Ryzen 7000 processor owners.

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