A peek
The magic, if you will, is with the latencies - or lack thereof - for the triple-channel pack. Guaranteed to run at 2,000MHz with 7-8-7-20-2T timings and 1.65V on select Core i7 motherboards. The underlying Elpida Hyper ICs appear to confound the usual belief that latencies rise along with memory speeds. Work it out for a second and actual clock/cycle latency is wonderfully low for DDR3.Taking the cream of the crop is the 2GHz kit, but we expect the same ICs to be used on DOMINATOR GT DDR3-1,866 kits, along with the same latencies and voltage. These, presumably, will be the modules that don't test perfectly at 2GHz.
Cooled in a multitude of ways, the red fins can be removed so that you can, if it's your wont, fashion cooling appendages of your very own. An over-the-top AIRFLOW fan, as found on the DDR3-1866 DOMINATOR pack, will also be bundled, too. Thinking farther along the line, you might have seen news of a TEC-cooled waterblock option, and it will be available later, most likely from the Performance Store, as well.
Taking a look
The red 'go-faster' line indicates that this is Corsair's flagship DOMINATOR GT. However, the heatspreaders haven't changed to accommodate the higher frequency. Rather, they're the same as found on the DOMINATOR DDR3-1,600 and DDR3-1,866 modules that we have taken a look at previously.
Note the speed, timings, and voltages.
The chunky heatspreaders' fins can be removed via the three bolts.
And the back. Nothing new here.
Packaged together, as a trio, they'd look good on a Foxconn Blood Rage motherboard, we reckon.
Lined up against some regular DOMINATOR DDR3-1,600 and 1,866 modules, which are identical in appearance, we're currently investigating just how much of a performance boost extra clock-speed and lower latencies provide. Right now, looking around the web, we see nothing faster.
Pricing will be a thorn in most consumer's minds, of course, but that, literally, is what you pay for the privilege of owning some super-fast RAM that'll be the basis of a few world-record attempts, no doubt.
Priced at $249.99 for a 3GB pack and $579.99 for a 6GB set, it ain't cheap, but bleeding-edge performance rarely is.
Check back as we run the 2GHz modules through the HEXUS gauntlet and lay down some buying advice.
