Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133Mhz Quad Channel Memory Review

There is an old saying, "A chain is as strong as the weakest link" which loosely translated implies that any system, regardless of build quality or component choices, can only be as fast as the slowest component.  For instance you may choose the Core i7 3770K Ivy Bridge processor for your next system build but when you pair that processor with a low-end video card you can really limit overall gaming performance.  That is why when building a high end computer system you need to carefully consider each component and consider raw performance along with potential performance gains from overclocking, longevity and ease of use.

In this review we will be looking at some special memory modules from Corsair called the Dominator Platinum.  These modules are specifically designed for the latest Core i7 Sandy and Ivy Bridge processors and come in a variety of speeds and sizes.  The modules in this review come as a special four channel kit rated at 2133Mhz with XMP timings of CAS 9.  You may be asking yourself, "We have already seen modules with this speed profile so what makes the Dominator Platinum modules so much better?"  

Well, almost everything.

The Sandy and Ivy Bridge architecture puts a huge emphasis on memory performance that favors speed over latency.  This is evident in the memory multiplier that is responsible for the high memory frequency and is also something you need to pay special attention when overclocking.  There are a number of memory multipliers available with Sandy Bridge E that range from the default 16x up to 36x on some systems.  These are multiplied by the Base clock (BCLK) and CPU Strap  (1x 1.25x, 1.66x and 2.5x).  Together these determine the overall memory frequency and how well your memory modules will run..  

By default our 3960X boots at 16 x 1 x 100 giving us a memory frequency of 1600Mhz.  If you are fortunate enough to buy higher speed memory you have two options to increase performance.

• Set the XMP Profile which will auto adjust for timing, frequency and voltage.
• Manually adjust the settings to match or tweak as you would like.  

The second option is often limited by the entire system including processor, motherboard and memory modules so using an XMP profile is generally the better choice.

Our Corsair Dominator Platinum modules are 2133Mhz parts and come with a fully supported XMP profiles that, when set, will adjust the system clock to a 21.33x along with setting the base timings and voltage.   The XMP configuration has the modules running at CL9-11-10-30 with a respectable voltage of 1.5v.