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A couple of weeks ago we reviewed the Kingston HyperX Predator 2,666mhz memory which ships with 11-14-14-30 timings, and there was no doubt that it impressed us. The Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB 2,666mhz memory kit ships with the same 2,666mhz clock speed, but Corsair have tightened the timings to 10-12-12-31. At these speeds, there is no better kit available today.
The tight timings translate to noticeable improvements across the board, and we achieved some of the highest benchmark results to date with the Dominator Platinum, made even more impressive by the fact that it is a 16GB kit with four sticks, not an 8GB kit with two sticks.
Before we used the Asus Maximus V Formula Z77 motherboard for this review today, we tried the Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4x4GB) 2666mhz with the Asus Rampage IV Extreme X79 motherboard. We couldn't get the system to post at the 2,666mhz XMP setting, however 2,400mhz was possible. We know however there are certain limitations with the X79 platform and memory beyond 2,400mhz.
That said, we experienced the same issues with the ASRock Z77 Extreme6 and Biostar TZ77E4 using the XMP profile. 2,400mhz was possible, but nothing higher. As we mentioned earlier in the review, by this stage we were beginning to wonder if the problems were something to do with the memory itself.
When paired with the Asus Maximus V Formula Z77 and the latest 0804 Bios, we had no problems, although we did notice that the AUTO memory timings defaulted to 11-13-13-35, as listed at the bottom of this official Corsair page. Manually overriding them to 10-12-12-31 as listed on the memory labels worked fine. We aren't sure if this an isolated glitch with the Asus Maximus V Formula, but its worth mentioning to check the timings if you do invest in a kit.
This is extremely high performance memory, and it comes with a hefty premium of £259.99 inc vat. That said, if you want the best performing kit for an ultra high end system build, then this is the finest you can buy today. Even the Kingston HyperX Predator 2,666mhz is outperformed.
Pros:
- Class leading timings.
- beautiful heatspreader design.
- overclocks to 2,800mhz & beyond with the right motherboard.
- Corsair link interface.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- we ran into some compatbility issues at 2,666mhz.
Kitguru says: If the price isn't important and you want the best memory on the market, then look no further.
wow that is expensive memory, cost more than my video card !
Good results, 2850mhz is a heck of a result.
whether you like corsair or not, they make beautiful products. a lot of attention to detail
The only thing I will say is that memory has very little impact on gaming. id much rather pump the money into a new CPU or GPU.
Ive 1866mhz memory in my system, i never even think about changing it to be honest. dont see the need. 8GB is more than enough also.
went straight to the Overclocking page. i find overclocking is very much in the hands of the board manufacturer. ASUS have great bioses.
my G,Skill 2,133mhz never went any higher on my MSI board, but on my new ASUS board I can get 2,450mhz with a couple of timings looser.
These are fantastic results, but @ Darth Digglers – remember this memory isn’t for the mainstream audience, the price reflects that. this is meant to be for the hard core guys who want to push all components in their system to the limit.