Final thoughts, HEXUS.awards, HEXUS.where2buy, HEXUS.right2reply, related reading
The race to unleash the fastest DDR3 continues unabated, and it won't be long until we see DDR3-2000 hit the shelves. Right now, your options for running DDR3 RAM is limited to Intel's P35 chipset that ships with a not-quite-so-adjustable-as-nForce680i BIOS, so users even contemplating DDR3, especially high-end modules, need to ensure that their setup can hit the rated speeds. We've mentioned this fact several times during this review for good reason; it may well be the limiting factor when indulging in some overclocking.
DDR3's enthusiast-oriented usefulness will begin to increase when Intel and its partners launch the range-topping X38 Bearlake chipset and boards later on this month. Further demand will be stimulated when NVIDIA and AMD decide the time is right to jump on the ultra-high bandwidth wagon, some time in 2008.
The inherent problem in recommending DDR3 right now, then, is one of limited useability and price. A 2GiB pack of moderate-latency DDR3-1066 costs around £250. Compare this with an outlay of around £100 for a quality DDR2-1066 pack that ships with performance-enhancing lower latencies. Why choose the former over the latter? We certainly wouldn't.
The Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN3X2048-1800C7, priced at around £430 at the time of writing, isn't designed to compete with DDR2; no DDR2 modules can operate at such stratospheric frequencies. Rather, it's aimed at the potential buyer that wants the absolute fastest of everything, the kind of person who's willing to lay down £5000 on a system. In that sense, and coupled with appropriately overclocked hardware - QX6850 to the hilt and an X38 board's FSB raised to within an inch of failure, for example - the '1800C7 may give you an imperceptible 1-to-2 per cent extra in memory/latency-sensitive applications.
The conclusion becomes pretty straightforward, then. The Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN3X2048-1800C7 isn't marketed towards 95 per cent of the people reading these words. Rather, it's for the money-no-object crowd and, as such, can be recommended for pushing the boundaries of what's currently possible with system RAM.
HEXUS Awards
If money was no object and you were building a PC from scratch, this would be on our shortlist.
Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN3X2048-1800C7 G
HEXUS Where2Buy
A 2GiB pack of Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN3X2048-1800C7 G is currently available for around £432 here.Related reading
HEXUS.net - reviews :: High-speed DDR2 round-upHEXUS.net - reviews :: Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN2X2048 - 8888C4DF RAM
HEXUS.net - reviews :: Patriot PDC22G9200ELK high-speed DDR2 RAM
