The DDR5 memory segment has been seeing a lot of action as it gets standardized across all PC platforms. With memory prices dropping and the latest platforms becoming affordable, memory makers are offering new solutions all the time with some focusing on high-end specifications. In contrast, others focus on strengthening their gaming product portfolios.

Last year, Crucial (Micron) introduced its first desktop-ready DDR5 UDIMMs & more recently, we got to see the PRO overclocking series, offering up to 6000 MT/s speeds. While the former are designed following JEDEC specs to make sure that they are compatible with all PC platforms, the latter are designed for more performant platforms. Now, Crucial is releasing its first-generation CUDIMM memory kits which come with a clock driver to further enhance the speeds for the latest platforms such as Intel's Core Ultra 200S series.

So for today's review, we will again test out the Crucial CUDIMM DDR5-6400 memory kit which comes in 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) modules.

We received a single kit with two DIMMs. Each module offers 16 GB capacity which makes up a total of 32 GB in capacity. Crucial has stated that higher capacity variants including 64 GB RAM modules will be available next year.

The memory kit has a tested latency spec of CL52 and the timings are 52-52-52-103. The voltage set at reference is 1.1V and the memory kit comes in an unbuffered package with an on-die ECC (Error Correction) design. The memory kits are fully compliant with Intel's XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO mode and can be easily set to their rated clock speeds through the BIOS shipped on the latest motherboards.

None of the modules come with any heatsink which means they are purely designed for stock operation. Once again, these CUDIMMs are made with stability in mind.

The Crucial CUDIMM DDR5 memory kit comes in a plastic shell case. The front of the package has the name and specifications sticker and you can see the entire module out of the case.

The back has nothing of use to talk about except that you can see the various DDR5 DRAM features on each module.

You'll know beforehand that the modules you are getting come with no heatsink solution.

Each module does come with a black coat on the PCB which makes for a very neutral color for any PC build.

The front side of the modules can be seen with the DRAM module & the PMIC (Power Management In-Circuit) chip. The major component that stands out from previous UDIMM solutions is the clock driver which helps boost the clock rate beyond what's possible on standard DIMMs. Hence the new CUDIMM standard.

For testing, I used the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU on the MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard to evaluate the CUDIMM kits. For the remaining memory kits, we used the Intel Core i9 14900K CPU along with the MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX motherboard which can also support higher frequencies memory but even high-end motherboards like these require a bit of tuning to get the modules to work at their rated XMP speeds. The good thing about the Z890 motherboards is that they are rock solid when it comes to fast and CUDIMM memory support.

I have separated the performance tests into two sections. The first section consists of synthetic and general workload tests while the second section focuses on gaming performance and how different games are affected by higher-clocked memory sticks.

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Gaming applications generally don't see huge gains with different memory kits but DDR5 has enabled a huge gain in memory frequency which can impact gaming performance. Moving from the stock 2133 Mbps (DDR4) to 6000+ Mbps can have a huge effect on performance and the improved CAS timings on some of the high-end SKUs can result in better overall FPS and system responsiveness.

Crucial's goal with DDR5 memory has been to provide the utmost stability regardless of what the other manufacturers are doing. The company sticks close to the JEDEC specifications, leaving it to users to fine-tune the performance that matches their needs. With the CUDIMM kit, Crucial once again delivers solid results with 6400 MT/s speeds which can be natively taken advantage of with the newer Core Ultra 200S CPUs. The DIMMs have been designed in a way to offer reliability and faster speeds than the previous-gen offerings which capped out at 5600 MT/s.

The upgraded specs are great for consumers as they allow them to harness the true potential of their PCs. The pricing of the CUDIMM kits on the other hand is, well, a bit hard to bite. The 32 GB 6400 MT/s kit starts at $169.99 US which is definitely in the more high-end range. You can find a ton of options with similar specs in the $100-$110 US range with fancy designs, RGB, and all that.

The performance advantage of a 6400 MT/s CUDIMM versus a 4800 or 5600 MT/s kit is not that huge either. With the 6400 kit offering a 2-4% advantage in gaming FPS and depending on apps, it can be slightly more than that. Besides that, it's better to wait for CUDIMM prices to come down as this is still the first-generation (or early adopted) product. If you are spending around $200 US for a memory kit, then you might as well get yourself one of those 7000 MT/s+ kits that are available.

But kudos to Crucial for showcasing that CUDIMM has the potential to grow and even with native specs, the memory can go a long way. The company is expected to introduce higher-capacity kits in the future so those are something to look forward to. Besides CUDIMM, Crucial also has CSODIMM ready for the mobile market and once those next-gen platforms come out early next year, we can see an advantage of CUDIMMs on laptops too. But in short words, the Crucial DDR5 CUDIMM kit is the way to go if you want a simple yet effective plug and play solution for your latest PC builds.