Test Methodology and Overclocking
We're testing Corsair's 12GB Vengeance kit using the default XMP settings - that's 1,600MHz with latencies at 9-9-9-24 at 1.5V. The standard command rate is set to 2T.
Providing the comparison is a couple of 6GB kits that represent the opposite ends of the memory market; a cheap-and-cheerful 6GB ValueRAM kit from Kingston, and a high-end Dominator kit from Corsair.
The specification of each comparison kit, as well as a summary of our test system, can be found in the tables below.
Comparison Memory |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston ValueRAM 6GB | Corsair Dominator 6GB | Corsair Vengeance 12GB | |
| Model Number | KVR1333D3N9K3/6G | CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9 | TR3X6G1600C8D |
| Capacity | 6GB (3x2GB) | 6GB (3x2GB) | 12GB (3x4GB) |
| Speed | 1,333MHz | 1,600MHz | 1,600MHz |
| Timings | 9-9-9-24 2T | 8-8-8-24 2T | 9-9-9-24 2T |
| Voltage | 1.50V | 1.65V | 1.50V |
| Price* | £60 | £110 | £155 |
| *Approximate, correct at time of writing | |||
Test bench |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition (3.33GHz, 12MB L3 cache, hexa-core, LGA1366) | ||||||||
| Motherboard | ASUS P6X58D Premium | ||||||||
| Disk drive | Corsair Force Series F80 | ||||||||
| Graphics Card | AMD Radeon HD 6950 2GB (Catalyst 10.12) | ||||||||
| Power Supply | Corsair HX1000W | ||||||||
| Operating System | Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit | ||||||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP (2,560x1,600) | ||||||||
Overclocking
If you're eyeing up a Vengeance memory kit, there's a good chance you're toying with the idea of overclocking it.
Sticking to the default 1.5V, we were able to raise the speed of the tri-channel kit to 1,740MHz without having to loosen the timings.
Pushing the memory a little bit further, we then kept latencies at their default 9-9-9-24, but raised voltage to 1.65V. Doing so enabled us to hit 1,870MHz - a boost of 270MHz. There's plenty of overclocking potential available, and users willing to sacrifice latencies will no doubt push the Vengeance modules to the 2,000MHz mark.
