Corsair Dominator 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Review

Does the Memory Overclock?

You bet your extreme back side it does! Do keep in mind that this was all possibly due to the extremely capable ASUS P7P55D Pro Motherboard. The Pro was, well “a Pro”, at overclocking the CPU Bus Clock to the point that proper memory dividers were accessible to push the memory.

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I was able to run benchmarks and Memtest with the memory at 1728MHz using the same default 8-8-8-24 timings. The RAM was also capable of 1800 MHz 9-9-9-27, but the voltage needed was just a bit too high as well as the latencies for my own tastes. Sure, it’s nice to show off 1800MHz, but the timings penalize its performance equally.

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Here, you can see the performance gains in SANDRA running 1728MHz 8-8-8-24. There’s a 3673 MB/s, or roughly 3.7 GB/s performance gain over the CAS 7 timings thanks to the higher CPU and memory frequencies. These new frequencies unlock hidden resource potential that will improve overall system performance, especially where encoding or other resource intensive tasks are concerned.

Final Thoughts

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The message here is pretty simple. The more memory bandwidth available, the faster the processor can accomplish number crunching objectives. Data intensive programs that encode, compile, or convert benefit the most. If you’re a gamer, you’re probably only experiencing half of what the Dominator 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Memory has to offer. It’s not going to improve frame rates very noticeably by default, but you’ll definitely appreciate the professional level of stability free from blue screens or system crashes and you’ll like the system’s level of responsiveness and improved load times.

The other thing to keep in mind is that in order to benefit from this memory properly, you should select a quality motherboard or else you run the risk of disappointment. Without platform stability, all that overclocking will be for naught. Pick something up like the matching black themed ASUS P7P55D Pro or Intel DP55KG Motherboards.

Based on what you’ve seen here, allow us to strongly recommend the Dominator 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory if you want your money’s worth. This is thus far the strongest dual channel 1600MHz DDR3 memory to grace this test bench. It’s a surprising beast of a memory kit capable of exceeding its streamlined Dominator GT sibling without the GT price tag.

Pros