Performance: 35 out of 40
If there has ever been a perfect example of Crucial’s unique blend of extreme aggressiveness and conservatism… it is their DDR5-5600 CL46 kits. On the one hand Crucial has left so much performance for enthusiasts to find that we cannot easily think of another similarly priced kit of RAM with so much potential. On the other… it has so much potential for improvement because Crucial has kept voltages to 1.1v and out and out hobbled the timings. So, for those who like to tweak things the performance is perfection. Sadly, for those looking for low hassle factor RAM it’s a 30 out of 40 at best. We have split the difference. Adjust your personal score accordingly.
Ease of Use:18 out of 20
While it is certainly true that the DDR5-5600 kit offers nearly all the same advantages as its predecessors – “plug and play” reliability, wide compatibility, lifetime warranty, etc. – to get the most from this kit one has to engage in a modicum of overclocking. We say this as it has worse latency than its ‘slower’ siblings at factory settings. This is a bit disappointing… as a one less cycle / ‘CAS’ latency would have nullified this complaint. As such there is a lot to be said for running this kit in “out of the box” configurations but there is room for improvement in the ease-of-use department!
Build Quality & Warranty: 18 out of 20
The DDR5-5200 models are mix of excellence and curious cost cutting measures. To be clear, this is not a kit that needs heat spreaders. No DDR5 1.1v kit need them. The lack of such a feature does however come across as being ‘cheap’ to novice buyers. As such it is misstep and a missed opportunity to further differentiate their ‘value’ option from those ‘other guys’ value options – which are not even in the same league as this series. On the positive side, these kits do come with a lifetime warranty. A warranty backstopped by a company known for both their customer service and the likelihood of them sticking around for… well… as long as RAM is being made. So yes. They are excellent, and expectation exceeding, but there is still room for improvement.
Value: 18: out of 20
Unlike the rest of the Crucial DDR5 nekkid line-up the DDR5-5600 models are not going to be the slam dunk, across the board success for everyone. Based on the low n slow timings a good argument could be made that even if it is the same price… the DDR5-5200 kit is more optimal for those looking for ‘plug and play’ RAM. Counteracting such arguments is if you do push the voltages even just slightly this kit takes off like a bat out of hell. This duality is perfectly fine… as unlike its siblings these ‘5600 models are not meant for everyone. They are meant for enthusiasts looking for a great deal. As such we have split the difference and called it an 18 out of 20. Please understand that most will either find it a decent value or a steal of deal… with few falling in between those extremes.
Final Score: 89% / 89 out of 100
While it is indeed true their DDR5-5600 kit will not be a perfect match for every single build, it still is a decent option. One that you can blindly choose without doing any homework. However, when used properly a veritable ton of performance becomes available. Enough performance that a mid-grade deal becomes one of the best values we have seen in many moons. Just understand what it is, what it offers, and what is needed to get all that value before you buy it over the DDR5-5200 version.
