Team Group Night Hawk 16GB DDR4-3000 Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review

The Night Hawk line brings LED lighting to Team Group’s T-Force DDR4 series. Is its 16GB, DDR4-3000, CAS 16 kit a good value for both performance and lighting enthusiasts?

By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Early Verdict

With its moderate price and good XMP performance, Team Group’s T-Force series Night Hawk DDR4-3000 offers better value to users of compatible (Z170 and Z270) platforms.

Pros

  • +

    Better-value pricing among LED-lit DRAM

  • +

    Excellent XMP Performance

Cons

  • -

    Poor overclocking capability

  • -

    LED-lit RAM still cost more than unlit RAM

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Introducing T-Force Night Hawk

Available at 2666, 2800, 3000, and 3200 MHz data rates, Team Group’s T-Force Nighthawk series brings LED lighting at moderate cost to buyers who want both performance and bling. The part numbers are easily deciphered once you’re told that the third letter represents lighting color. We received the red version, THRD416G3000HC16CDC01, and the same modules are available with blue LEDs as part number THBD416G3000HC16CDC01, or white LEDs as part number THWD416G3000HC16CDC01. Following the order within those part numbers, all three kits are DDR4, 16GB, with a 3000 MHz data rate, CAS 16 rating, designed for Dual-Channel operation. (Editor: There will be a test on this later.)

The lighting isn’t particularly bright, but it does show up better when viewed straight-on. The light diffusers on top for example appear more brightly-lit when viewed from that angle. The lighting cycles on and off in a breathing pattern that further dims its appearance in photographs.

As with all DDR4-3000, getting to the rated data rate requires the installer to enable their motherboard’s XMP capability. Prior to doing that, motherboards detect these as JEDEC-standard DDR4-2133 CAS 15.

Like the two other 16GB dual-channel kits used for performance comparison, T-Force Nighthawk DDR4-3000 carries a manufacturer lifetime warranty.

Comparison Products
Adata XPG Dazzle 16GB (2x 8GB)
Patriot Viper 4 16GB (2x 8GB)

Gigabyte’s Z170X-Gaming G1 set the high mark for DDR4 overclocking in our Z170 review series, and remains the motherboard of choice as we search for its successor. The eventual successor will bring with it a new set of support hardware and software.

Test System Configuration

Benchmark Configuration

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Autodesk 3ds Max 2013Version 15.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080
WinRARVersion 5.0: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3"
Grid 2Steam Version, In-Game Test, High Quality, No AA
Battlefield 4DirectX 11, 100-sec. Fraps "Tashgar", High Quality
SiSoftware SandraVersion 2014.02.20.10, Memory Bandwidth, Cache & Memory Latency Benchmarks

MORE: Best Memory

MORE: DDR DRAM FAQs And Troubleshooting Guide

MORE: All Memory Content

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • _TheD0ct0r_
    Can you guys start adding Canadian links to the product as well? It would be appreciated by Canadian users
    Reply
  • Nei1
    Well, Canadian links. But it would be most helpful if we'd all simply up and go to Canada. That's taking into consideration that "up" is North, and would also help reduce latency.
    Reply
  • mikeangs2004
    feel free to message the editors directly and don't get too far off topic or irrelevant to the original review
    Reply
  • reghir
    Thomas there seems to be an issue reported earlier this month, see below:
    3 out of 5 eggs
    If only it met it's own specs

    This review is from: Team T-Force / Night Hawk 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Memory (Desktop Memory) Model THBD416G3000HC16CDC01
    Pros: - It booted up!
    - Working at 2800 Mhz

    Cons: - LED's on them are dull
    - Won't actually work at 3000Mhz as advertised. Even when using XMP.

    Other Thoughts: Setup:
    Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
    i7 6700K 4Ghz
    16GB Team T-Force/Night Hawk DDR4 3000
    Gigabyte Windforce NVidia GTX970

    Manufacturer Response:
    Hello,

    We are so sorry to hear the problem you encountered with. Right now, we are using the same platform as yours to test on our RAM to find out the possible causes of this issue. We will let you know our test result and guide you to the next step.

    Thank you for your patience.

    Team Group
    Reply
  • Crashman
    19213793 said:
    Thomas there seems to be an issue reported earlier this month, see below:
    3 out of 5 eggs
    If only it met it's own specs

    This review is from: Team T-Force / Night Hawk 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Memory (Desktop Memory) Model THBD416G3000HC16CDC01
    Pros: - It booted up!
    - Working at 2800 Mhz

    Cons: - LED's on them are dull
    - Won't actually work at 3000Mhz as advertised. Even when using XMP.

    Other Thoughts: Setup:
    Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
    i7 6700K 4Ghz
    16GB Team T-Force/Night Hawk DDR4 3000
    Gigabyte Windforce NVidia GTX970

    Manufacturer Response:
    Hello,

    We are so sorry to hear the problem you encountered with. Right now, we are using the same platform as yours to test on our RAM to find out the possible causes of this issue. We will let you know our test result and guide you to the next step.

    Thank you for your patience.

    Team Group
    I could only guess. Maybe he's having trouble running the 15x multiplier. I'd personally rather use DDR4-3200, but only because it uses 12x 4/3 x 100 and the lower multipliers work with more CPU samples. But then again, maybe the 4/3 memory controller ratio isn't ideal, performance wise...
    Reply
  • WINTERLORD
    very nice review and well laid out way to go toms
    Reply
  • razor512
    I don't get why RAM with LEDs cost so much more. It probably costs them less than 10 cents to add lighting to them, as if you are going with a fixed color, you can literally just tap off one of the power rails on the RAM, and solder in an LED or 2, and then if needed, attach some plastic to them to diffuse the light a bit.
    Reply
  • Dark Lord of Tech
    Very nice look to these modules.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    19222893 said:
    I don't get why RAM with LEDs cost so much more. It probably costs them less than 10 cents to add lighting to them, as if you are going with a fixed color, you can literally just tap off one of the power rails on the RAM, and solder in an LED or 2, and then if needed, attach some plastic to them to diffuse the light a bit.
    It's probably closer to $1, because they also need to have the new heatsinks and light covers manufactured, including the injection molds for the covers. But then there's the failure rate to consider, that adds cost as well.

    Reply
  • WINTERLORD
    19224175 said:
    19222893 said:
    I don't get why RAM with LEDs cost so much more. It probably costs them less than 10 cents to add lighting to them, as if you are going with a fixed color, you can literally just tap off one of the power rails on the RAM, and solder in an LED or 2, and then if needed, attach some plastic to them to diffuse the light a bit.
    It's probably closer to $1, because they also need to have the new heatsinks and light covers manufactured, including the injection molds for the covers. But then there's the failure rate to consider, that adds cost as well.

    by doing this does it take away from possable performance
    Reply