Desktop Computer Review: Corsair DOMINATOR 2 GB (2 X 1 GB) 240-pin DDR2 1066 MHz Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review

Corsair DOMINATOR 2 GB 240-pin DDR2 1066 MHz Dual-Channel Memory Kit

When I initially built my computer I used Corairs 2GB PC6400 800MHz RAM. While it worked well it wouldn't overclock good at all on my EVGA 680i board and even with loosening the timings and overvolting I couldnt get the 800mhz up to 1066 with the XMS2. Being that my Q6600 processor is rated with a 1066mhz FSB and the XMS2 memory is only 800mhz I decided to upgrade to the Dominator memory. By doing this you are getting factory overclocked ram which now matches my processor which has a 1066mhz FSB. If you use RAM with a FSB rating of 800mhz and your processor has a FSB rating of 1066Mhz you are creating a bottleneck. It's good to try and keep your CPU FSB and memory FSB as close to a 1:1 ratio as possible.

While the XMS2 PC6400 is good, the Dominator PC8500 is much better. Not only are they cherry picked for best performance, their built much better and also include a nice heat spreader. Being that RAM is one of the most important components in your system to keep your programs running fast you don't want to skimp here. Once you go past PC8500 ram it starts getting VERY expensive. This speed is a great balance between price, performance, and value for a higher end computer.

As I said this ram comes factory overclocked to 1066mhz with decent timings at 5-5-5-15. At these settings they should run at 2.1 volts. You can of course try and overclock these even higher or at the least run them with tighter timings. The sticks are very flexible and overclocker friendly. Even at stock settings they are very good as well.

I have to say I love the release of DDR3 ram only because it's driving down the price of this fine quality DDR2 ram! Do yourself a favor and stay away from the way overpriced DDR3 and get this. The performance increase is nil and the price is beyond reasonable. Why even bother when you can get just as good performance in DDR2 for half the price? These sticks are a steal and for the price you would be hard pressed to find a better performer. Get em while their cheap folks! :)

Edit-I just want to add that there are two versions of this same model memory. Version 1.x is Micron memory which is said to overclock better and needs to be set a 2.2 volts. The other version is 2.x and is made by Qimonda. I happen to have the Micron chips. You can tell this by looking at the sticker on your sticks. This is important to know. I made the mistake of initially volting my RAM at 2.1 and got random reboots. I didn't bother looking at the sticker to see what I had. Turns out I lucked out and got the rare Micron chip. Once I set the voltage to 2.2V I had no problems whatsoever. Just wanted to add this information and maybe save you the frustration I went through. :)

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Product Description:
The Dominator Series Twin2X2048-8500C5D is a 2048 MByte matched pair of DDR2 SDRAM DIMMs built using Corsair's latest high performance heat sink with Dual-Path Heat Xchange (DHX) technology. This part delivers outstanding performance in the latest generation of dual-channel DDR2-based motherboards. It has been tested extensively in multiple DDR2 motherboards to ensure compatibility and performance at its rated speed. This memory has been verified to operate at 1066MHz at latencies of 5-5-5-15. The Twin2X2048-8500C5D comes with Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP), the open standard for performance module SPD's jointly developed by Corsair and NVIDIA. EPP SPD's on Corsair modules allow users to automatically configure EPP enabled motherboards with aggressive memory performance settings, for maximum memory and system performance. Performance of these modules incorporating DHX can be further enhanced by using the optional Dominator Airflow Fan, for even more cooling and protection.

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