[Update sept 16] Patriot confirmed it was a mistake on their end and corrected the specifications of the kit. It has always been the same and never changed in any way since its release. [Update] : after searching throught Patriot’s website, it appears the PVS416G360C8K Viper kit has the same timings, which could lead to a mismatch in datasheets. A Web Archive page shows the kit had the original specs on January 26 2021. It is possible the company made a mistake when updating the product specifications. We have contacted Patriot about it to learn more and will update the article Accordingly.
After SSD manufacturers were caught silent swapping components one after the other, Patriot is bringing the practice to Memory. Youtuber and overclocker Actually Hardcore Overclocking, also known as Buildzoid, made a video about it. In the video he shows the PVS416G440C9K Viper kit which is advertised at 4400Mhz with primary timings of 18-22-22-42 (or CL18). Except the kit Buildzoid originally bought has a latency of CL19 as he shows in his video. This is also reported by a review of Tom’s Hardware in 2019, where the kit has primary timings of 19-19-19-39.
Patriot has done some changes on the kit. While it should not affect which IC is used under the heat spreaders, it is disappointing to see such practice used yet again. Patriot should make a different sku to reflect the changes made. We can only hope this trend of silent surgery stops soon to prevent misleading buyers.
