Review: The world's fastest desktop RAM? Corsair stakes a claim with DOMINATOR GT 2GHz

by Tarinder Sandhu on 16 February 2009, 08:20 4.0

Tags: DOMINATOR DDR3-2,000 CL7 6GB, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Corsair

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaqzf

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Final thoughts and rating

Corsair's DOMINATOR GT is the first Intel Core i7-optimised memory kit that we've seen run with a native frequency of 2GHz, and it does so with strict 7-8-7-20 timings. Put simply, it is the fastest desktop memory we have ever tested, and one look at the bandwidth scores would make many a real enthusiast envious. Pushing our kit harder, we managed to hit a stable 2,100MHz with a 1T command rate, too.

What's more, the Elpida-powered modules ship with an AIRFLOW fan and cooling can be futher augmented by installing a soon-to-be-available TEC or waterblock on top, so the extreme overclocking basis are covered.

Looking back at the results, ultra-high memory frequencies don't appear to benefit the Core i7 architecture as much as one would hope or expect, and the performance increases over considerably cheaper DDR3 are marginal. Add to this the stupefying £475 price for a 6GB kit and the majority of readers will scoff and point out you can buy an entire PC for that amount.

That, though, is missing the point entirely. This kit is designed to appeal to a very, very select band of overclockers and well-heeled purchasers who want the ultimate desktop system with every possible ounce of performance. For those folk, and these are the kind of people that purchase £1,000 CD players and £4,000 watches, price is practically incidental. Yes, there are cheaper 2GHz Core i7 kits available, but most tend to run with far more relaxed latencies.

We like it when companies push the boundaries of what's possible. Desktop DDR3 operating at 2,000MHz CL7 with 1.65V represents just such an approach. Seeing this 6GB kit for what it is, a means to an ultimate PC, we can recommend it to the very people it's aimed at. For everyone else, it becomes a wish-list option when mentally composing your ultimate PC, and the reason we're far more bullish about this than the DDR3-1,866 kit is because there's nothing faster: this is the bleeding edge of what's possible.

We can imagine a Core i7 at 4.6GHz, BCLK at 200MHz+, and DDR3 at 2.1GHz. The guts of the ultimate system, perhaps?

Bottom line: hideously fast and outrageously expensive, Corsair's DOMINATOR GT 2GHz is the world's fastest Core i7-based RAM. Just be sure to equip yourself with a proven motherboard, though!

HEXUS Rating

HEXUS.net scores products out of 100%, taking into account technology, implementation, stability, performance, value, customer care and desirability. A score for an average-rated product is a meaningful ‘50%’, and not ‘90%’, which is common practice for a great many other publications.

We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.

The rating is given in relation to the category the component competes in, therefore the memory is evaluated with respect to our 'extreme components' criteria, where performance and technology are weighted far higher than value.


Corsair DOMINATOR GT DDR3-2,000 CL7 6GB (TR3X6G2000C7GTF)


HEXUS Where2Buy

The 6GB pack is available to buy for $579.99 direct from the Corsair store. State/country-specific taxes and shipping will apply.

HEXUS Awards


Corsair DOMINATOR GT DDR3-2,000 CL7 6GB (TR3X6G2000C7GTF)




HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.


HEXUS Forums :: 12 Comments

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Very nice review Hexus, but why didn't you compare these latest Corsair 2000mhz dimms to Kingston's HyperX (with the newer taller heatsinks) which were the 1st to market with 2000mhz DDR3 RAM at the beginning of the year?

In particular the set you should compare against is the:

Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3ULT1K3/6GX 6GB (3x2048MB) (8-8-8) 2000MHz DDR3 Non-ECC 240pin XMP Tall HS UL DIMM Memory

I have been trying to obtain the Kingston's in the UK for nearly 4-weeks now, without luck.
I used Corsair ram in my last system build and now these DOMINATOR GT's have come out I'd very much like to see these two comparable products tested and reviewed against each other please, rather than comparing 2000mhz RAM with 1600mhz as that's already been done on other sites and we all know there is very little to be gained in terms of actual real-time performance, despite the huge extra cost. The Kingston does have a slightly slower latency than the Corsair's, but some are saying latencies really are unimportant on a Core i7 system. Another thing a future comparison could look at.

Price and availability would be the 2 biggest factors to many people out there (between the Kingston and Corsair and anyone else who brings 2000mhz DDr3 to market) and that is why I am suggesting the above review and comparison should be done as the Kingston 6GB DDR3 2000mhz are around £330-£360 mark (if you can find any) whereas these Corsair's are a whopping £475 (Corsair emailed me this week saying some where going to put for sale on their shop @ 7AM Pacific Standard Time (1500 hours GMT) February 13, but as soon as I checked they were sold out again and are now not expecting anymore until March!). The Corsair Dominator GT do come with the fan, which the Kingston's don't have, however, despite the major availability pain in the arse, there is a whopping £115-£145 price difference between the 2 companies competing premium DDR3 products and any Core i7 system builder out there could seriously up-rate their graphics card with the money they could potentially save there.

So then can we have that future memory test/stand-off by the 2 memory giants flagship DDR3 products please?

Cheers
Loz
Hi Lozza81,

The price tag of the 2000C7GTF kit is due to the huge amount of time and effort that goes into screening, testing and qualifying memory at these extremely high speeds. These modules are built from the very fastest ICs available, and hand-tested and matched. Very few modules make the grade at this level (and we need to find three perfectly matched 2GB DIMMs to make one kit, making it even harder) hence the price. But that's what you're paying for - the fastest and best RAM that can be built right now.

The Kingston kit you mentioned is a C8 kit, I think (although I can't actually see it listed on Kingston's site). The screening, testing, matching process is slightly easier at CAS 8, as opposed to the 7-8-7-20 timings of the kit Hexus has kindly reviewed. Corsair actually has a 2000C8GTF kit as well, which is $100 less than the flagship C7GTF kit, because it's not quite so difficult to build. This puts it in the £330-350 range I think, at current exchange rates.

The Corsair kits come with the new Airflow Fan as standard, as you mentioned, and they all also use the DHX+ heatsink, which is unique in that it cools the face of the memory ICs, and the heat expelled from the rear of the ICs, into the PCB. The DHX+ cooler is also modular as it allows for cooling upgrades in the future.

As the review states, the 2000C7GTF isn't for everyone, but it's not a mass-market product. It's designed for extreme overclockers, and for people who simply want the very best of everything. And with the soon-to-be-released thermo-electric cooler, it's even better :)
Hi Blackbeard,

Thank you for clearing up some of my thoughts and questions.
I haden't seen the CAS 8 Corsair much publicized and must have overlooked it when I browsed Corsair's shop. That raises perhaps a better question then:-

It would be interesting to see how the

DOMINATOR GT, 6GB (3x2GB), 2000MHz, 8-8-8-24, with Airflow fan @ $480 or (£340 approx)

comes out against the

Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3ULT1K3/6GX 6GB (3x2048MB) (8-8-8) 2000MHz DDR3 Non-ECC 240pin XMP Tall HS UL DIMM Memory

both of which are CAS 8 6GB DDR3 2000mhz sets and are around the same price.

Hexus please could you do a comparative test and article for both of these products on your Gigabyte EX58-UD5 board in the future?
Cheers
Loz
I just went through Corsair's shop checkout for that CAS8 RAM to see if there were any hidden costs.
All I can say is ouch!!!!

TR3X6G2000C8GTF (Quantity: 1) @ 479.99 each (edit)
Item Total: 1 Items ($479.99)
VAT/Sales Tax: $72.00
UPS Worldwide Expedited shipping = $39.00
Total = $591 or £415!!! OUCH!

I have bought expensive things from the USA and other countries before and anything likely over £32 entering the UK can also often be subject to customs charges, although it is hit-and-miss.

The Kingston still works out some £75 less (without the worries of custom charges) and it therefore seems like Corsair are just waving away potential sales by having this ‘sell through our own US based online shop’ only policy…..or am I being too harsh?
More importantly than the CAS8 HyperX, where is the OCZ Blade 2000MHz 7-8-7-20 OCZ3B2000LV6GK ? Bit unfair to say it's the worlds fastest when OCZ have an equal spec product, still silly money though:confused: