Geil is showing off its what it calls the the world's first RGB-LED-lit DDR4 modules, in the form of the Evo X DIMMs. We previously reported on Corsair's Vengeance LED memory, but those DIMMs limited purchasers to white or blue illumination that's configurable only at the time of purchase. The Evo Xs are shipping now in speeds up to 3200 MT/s, as 8GB and 16GB kits. Geil expects to deliver higher-spec variants in the future, and says it's readying up kits of two 16GB modules.
The DIMMs' main attraction is the RGB LED array grafted onto each DIMM. The LED module is housed on its own PCB, which Geil dubs a "Hybrid-Independent-Light-Module." The HILM is completely separate from the memory circuit board and requires its own power connection. Users that have an RGB LED lighting controller can use a four-pin power connector, while controler-less owners have to make do with a two-pin power plug.
Geil says the Evo X LEDs are compatible with lighting control software from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. Users supplying plain-old DC current to the HILMs can use a seven-position sliding switch on each DIMM to select between three "breathing" colors or four solid hues. Unfortunately, the DIMMs don't include a taste-management circuit to prevent users from lighting each DIMM in a different color in order to re-create their favorite scenes from a late-1990s FPS game.
Some users might consider the self-contained nature of the HILM a plus, given that the LED module doesn't take power away from the main PCB, nor does it add heat and electrical noise. Aesthetic-obsessed users may balk at the design, noting it's effectively a LED strip stapled onto a DIMM and requires them to route even more wiring in the computer.
The Evo X two-DIMM 8GB kit clocked at 3000 MT/s and clad in black is available at Newegg for $70. Meanwhile, the white version with 16GB total capacity and speed of 3200 MT/s is going for $115.