Corsair Dominator PC2-10000: Fastest DDR2
by Wesley Fink on January 31, 2007 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
Overclocking Performance (Highest Speed)
The Corsair Dominator PC2-10000 is rated at DDR2-1250 5-5-5-18 at 2.4V. Unfortunately we could not even come close to this memory speed on the ASUS P5W-DH 975X motherboard. The memory topped out at DDR2-1067 at 4-4-4-12 timings on the ASUS. This was certainly not a surprise since Corsair made it very clear the Dominator 10000 should be paired with an NVIDIA 680i motherboard for best performance. We were also told the Dominator 10000 had been reported to perform very well on recent P965 boards designed for overclocking, such as the ASUS Commando.
On the EVGA nForce 680i SLI motherboard the Dominator 10000 performed well beyond specifications and expectations. The rated speed of DDR2-1250 was completely stable at 5-4-4-12 timings at 2.4V - considerably better than the rated 5-5-5-18 timings at that speed. It is important to keep in mind that Dominator 10000 is designed for speed and not low latency. This memory is not happy at CAS 4 at very high speeds - it requires CAS 5 at top speeds. If you are looking for lower latency at top speeds Corsair PC2-8888 or OCZ Flex XLC-9200 are better choices.
Corsair Dominator PC2-10000 also matched the highest overclock ever reached on the 680i at DDR2-1315. With a rated speed of DDR2-1250, there was hope a new speed record could be reached. Dominator 10000 did not set a new record, but it did match the highest speed in past testing. Two other memories we have tested are in the same performance ball park with Dominator 10000 - the sister Dominator PC2-8888 and OCZ Flex XLC 9200. Both the 8888 and the Flex XLC are a better match to the 975X motherboard, but all three memories are similar speed demons on the NVIDIA 680i.
The Corsair Dominator PC2-10000 is rated at DDR2-1250 5-5-5-18 at 2.4V. Unfortunately we could not even come close to this memory speed on the ASUS P5W-DH 975X motherboard. The memory topped out at DDR2-1067 at 4-4-4-12 timings on the ASUS. This was certainly not a surprise since Corsair made it very clear the Dominator 10000 should be paired with an NVIDIA 680i motherboard for best performance. We were also told the Dominator 10000 had been reported to perform very well on recent P965 boards designed for overclocking, such as the ASUS Commando.
On the EVGA nForce 680i SLI motherboard the Dominator 10000 performed well beyond specifications and expectations. The rated speed of DDR2-1250 was completely stable at 5-4-4-12 timings at 2.4V - considerably better than the rated 5-5-5-18 timings at that speed. It is important to keep in mind that Dominator 10000 is designed for speed and not low latency. This memory is not happy at CAS 4 at very high speeds - it requires CAS 5 at top speeds. If you are looking for lower latency at top speeds Corsair PC2-8888 or OCZ Flex XLC-9200 are better choices.
Corsair Dominator PC2-10000 also matched the highest overclock ever reached on the 680i at DDR2-1315. With a rated speed of DDR2-1250, there was hope a new speed record could be reached. Dominator 10000 did not set a new record, but it did match the highest speed in past testing. Two other memories we have tested are in the same performance ball park with Dominator 10000 - the sister Dominator PC2-8888 and OCZ Flex XLC 9200. Both the 8888 and the Flex XLC are a better match to the 975X motherboard, but all three memories are similar speed demons on the NVIDIA 680i.
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pnyffeler - Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - link
That's crazy! I completely understand that everybody wants the best and the fastest, but this is getting absurd. With that kind of money, you could buy a new graphics card or even a faster processor, which would have so much more of an impact on gaming speed or whatever you might be running. Any doubts people might have about this can be solved by looking at the spread of those speed charts. The difference in performance in games is probably about as much as leaving Outlook open while you play Far Cry.RobFDB - Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - link
$915 give or take here in the UK. Lovely...