Products do not always undergo changes due to a defect; sometimes manufacturers innovate successful products because they see an opportunity for improvement. That was probably the idea behind Corsair’s rework of its thriving Vengeance RGB Pro memory, which already has a spot on our best RAM list. For those not a fan of the brand, the Vengeance RGB Pro SL will look like a brand memory, but Corsair aficionados will probably notice the differences right away.
The Vengeance RGB Pro SL retains a similar design to the regular Vengeance RGB Pro. The memory modules have another black circuit board with a matching black, anodized aluminum heat spreader. The minor aesthetic changes include the small triangular cutouts and a different selection of logos.
The main difference between the SL and non-SL versions is the height. The original Vengeance RGB Pro memory modules are 51 mm (2 inches) long, while the SL variant is 44.8 mm (1.76 inches) long. In fact, Corsair has lowered the height by 12.2%, which should be enough for the Vengeance RGB Pro SL to fit under most CPU air coolers and compact cases.
Despite the height reduction, the RGB diffuser remains intact on the Vengeance RGB Pro SL. There are 10 individually addressable RGB LEDs onboard in the diffuser for bright and vibrant lighting. You’ll need to use Corsair’s iCUE software to take full advantage of the Vengeance RGB Pro SL’s lighting, which means installing another piece of software on your system.
The Vengeance RGB Pro SL consists of an eight-layer custom PCB with Samsung K4A8G085WB-BCPB (B-die) integrated circuits (ICs). The memory kit consists of a pair of 8GB memory modules with a single-rank design.
Out of the box, the memory runs on DDR4-2666 with boring primary timings set to 18-18-18-43. The Vengeance RGB Pro SL has one XMP profile for DDR4-3600, so you really can’t go wrong. It configures the timings to 18-22-22-42 and the DRAM voltage to 1.35V. For more information on timing and frequency considerations, see our PC Memory 101 feature and our story on how to buy RAM.
Comparison hardware
| Memory Kit | part number | Capacity | data rate | Primary times | Tension | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G.Skill Trident Z Neo | F4-3600C14D-16GTZNB | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 14-15-15-35 (2T) | 1.45 Volt | Lifetime |
| Adata XPG Spectrix D60G | AX4U360038G14C-DT60 | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 14-15-15-35 (2T) | 1.45 Volt | Lifetime |
| TeamGroup T-Force Xtreme ARGB | TF10D416G3600HC14CDC01 | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 14-15-15-35 (2T) | 1.45 Volt | Lifetime |
| Gigabyte Aorus RGB Memory | GP-AR36C18S8K2HU416R | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 18-19-19-39 (2T) | 1.35 Volt | Lifetime |
| HP V8 | 7EH92AA#ABM x 2 | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 18-20-20-40 (2T) | 1.35 Volt | 5 years |
| Adata XPG Spectrix D50 | AX4U360038G18A-DT50 | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 18-20-20-42 (2T) | 1.35 Volt | Lifetime |
| Predator Talos | BL.9BWWR.215 | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 18-20-20-42 (2T) | 1.35 Volt | Lifetime |
| Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL | CMH16GX4M2Z3600C18 | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 18-22-22-42 (2T) | 1.35 Volt | Lifetime |
| GeIL Orion AMD Edition | GAOR416GB3600C18BDC | 2x 8GB | DDR4-3600 (XMP) | 18-22-22-42 (2T) | 1.35 Volt | Lifetime |
Our Intel test system consists of an Intel Core i9-10900K and Asus ROG Maximus XII Apex on the 0901 firmware. On the other hand, the AMD testbed for RAM benchmarks uses an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master with the F13e firmware. The MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Trio handles the gaming workloads on both platforms.
Intel performance
The Vengeance RGB Pro SL is at the bottom of the charts on our Intel platform. The strongest memory performance was the 7-Zip compression workload, where it came in second, outperforming the slowest memory kit by up to 7.3%. In terms of gaming performance, the status of the Vengeance RGB Pro SL has not changed.
AMD Performance
Competition was fierce on the AMD platform. Nevertheless, the Vengeance RGB Pro SL outperformed some of the faster rivals, finishing in second place in the performance charts. Again, the memory performed best in 7-Zip compression, beating the slowest memory kit by 6.8%.
Tune overclocking and latency
Despite using Samsung B-die ICs, the Vengeance RGB Pro SL has run out of fuel in the tank. Increasing the DRAM voltage to 1.45V only got us to DDR4-3866, and we also had to sacrifice timing to get there. The memory was unstable with a value below 19-22-22-40.
Lowest stable timing
| Memory Kit | DDR4-3600 (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 | 13-16-16-36 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 19-19-19-39 (2T) |
| Adata XPG Spectrix D60G | 13-15-15-35 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 20-19-19-39 (2T) |
| Team Group T-Force Extreme ARGB | 13-14-14-35 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 19-19-19-39 (2T) |
| HP V8 | 14-19-19-39 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 18-22-22-42 (2T) | N/A |
| Adata XPG Spectrix D50 | 14-19-19-39 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A | 18-22-22-42 (2T) | N/A | N/A |
| Gigabyte Aorus RGB Memory | 16-19-19-39 (2T) | N/A | N/A | 20-20-20-40 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL | 16-20-20-40 (2t) | N/A | 19-22-22-40 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| GeIL Orion AMD Edition | 16-20-20-40 (2T) | 19-22-22-42 (2T) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Vengeance RGB Pro SL’s default XMP timings are 18-22-22-42 at 1.35V. A small surge to 1.45V allowed the memory to run at 16-20-20-40, which made it a lot more attractive.
Bottom Line
Corsair markets the RAM with a compact form factor. It’s shorter than the previous revision, but it’s not exactly considered inconspicuous either. Even at 44.8mm, the memory shouldn’t compete with CPU air coolers, but it wouldn’t hurt to measure the clearance before picking up the Vengeance RGB Pro SL if you’ve got a cooler that’s too big.
You don’t have to worry about the design of the Vengeance RGB Pro SL, the memory looks good just like its predecessors. However, performance is another case. Obviously, the Vengeance RGB Pro SL performs better on AMD systems than Intel systems, so that’s something to keep in mind. The Vengeance RGB Pro SL DDR4-3600 C18 retails for $109.99, and it’s not a bad price considering there are equal or slower competitors that cost more than Corsair’s kit.