Topower have remained hidden away as an OEM for many years but are finally branching out into the retail market in a bid to rise to prominence. Being the bread and butter behind a long list of reputable brands, how does their Black-X kit fare with stiff competition on every side?

Low-profile memory kits are always a top pick for enthusiasts who demand no restrains and the Black-X kit meets this requirement. The heatspreaders found on the kit don’t actually extend any higher than the PCB underneath – much to the delight of many.



Stock performance though good, did lack behind the other kits we have tested on our new Intel Z77 based test system. Overclocking did boost performance but the other 1600MHz kits tested delivered similar and in some cases better performance due to having better latency.

The highlight with Black-X is the price. At just £24.99 this 4GB 1600MHz CL9 kit is very affordable, the difficulty comes with trying to source them – there are only a small assortment of retailers that stock these kits.

It’s good to see Topower branching out into the retail market. The Black-X kit is very affordable and does tick some boxes but sadly the performance and design needs to be worked on if they want to get noticed. Competition is tough in this segment, it will be interesting what they bring to the table in the near-future.