Corsair Dominator DDR2-1111: Dual-Path Cooling Pushes Performance

Stock Memory Performance

Most of today's motherboards that support DDR2 provide a wide range of memory ratios that match available DDR2 memory. End-users can select the memory ratio that matches their DDR2 memory speed. Our memory testing uses the same approach. We first test all of the stock ratios at the fastest stable timings we can achieve at the given ratio. With ratios, CPU speed remains the same at 2.93GHz in our memory test bed, and memory speed is varied by selecting different ratios.

The memory controller for Intel Socket T (Socket 775) motherboards is in the chipset, instead of part of the processor as in AM2 systems. Therefore, there is the potential for some ratio variations in memory performance. There is theoretically a small performance penalty for speeds other than a 1:1 ratio (DDR2-533 in this case) on boards designed for Intel processors. However, the actual performance penalty has been found to be very small with minimal impact on test results. As a result memory scales well through the various speed options.

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DDR2 memory is then pushed from the highest stock ratio that could be achieved in testing - normally 1067 - to the highest FSB speed at the stock multiplier. Unfortunately, the Corsair Dominator did not like the memory strap imposed by the ASUS P5W-DH board at DDR2-1067. The highest result we can reach at the 1067 strap was DDR2-1090. However, by lowering the base strap to DDR2-889 and increasing the clock speed we were able to reach specified timings on the ASUS 975X board at DDR2-1113 at 4-4-4-12 timings. Relaxing timings to 5-5-5 allowed a top speed of DDR2-1130 to be reached, but the bandwidth and performance was a bit lower than the more aggressive 4-4-4- timings so we did not complete testing at that speed.

It was time to see where this memory could go on the new NVIDIA nForce 680i chipset - a chipset that had exhibited some stellar overclocks in our initial chipset launch review and with a recent review of OCZ Flex XLC. Overclocking on the NVIDIA 680i was even more satisfying, as the Corsair Dominator set new speed records in several areas

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On the nForce 680i the OCZ Flex XLC took DDR2 memory performance to a new gold standard. On air cooling, Corsair Dominator reached DDR2-1315 which is the highest speed we have ever reached with any DDR2 memory. This was only slightly higher than the DDR2-1300 reached by OCZ Flex XLC, but anything faster than the best tested to now is an impressive achievement. Even more important was the fact that the Corsair Dominator reached DDR2-1233 using a linked memory speed configuration at the rated 4-4-4-12 timings. Performance of other DDR2 at DDR2-1100 4-4-4 has been impressive, but the Dominator reached 133MHz more to DDR2-1233. For overclockers looking for the highest speed at the fastest timings, the Corsair Dominator is a superb choice.