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

It is really good to see the kind of innovation that is going on in the memory market right now. In recent reviews there were many comments about "cookie-cutter" sameness in DDR2 memory products. Then OCZ introduced their innovative Flex XLC memory with the option of water cooling that we covered in OCZ Flex XLC: PC2-9200 Pushes the Envelope. That memory shook up notions of what represented an enthusiast memory product.

Even before Flex XLC was introduced Corsair was shaking up the high-end memory market with their new Corsair Dominator memory. We had first used Dominator modules in our review of the NVIDIA 680i motherboard. The Dominator memory was a big contributor to the record-setting memory performance we achieved on that board. That experience meant we needed to follow up the Flex XLC review with a review of another memory to break out of the ordinary - Corsair Dominator.

Our samples tested with the 680i were DDR2-1142, which actually topped by a few MHz the incredible DDR2-1300 we achieved with the OCZ. The Corsair Dominator 1142 pioneered a unique taller PCB board with integrated fin cooling and an optional top cooling fan.

The look and functionality of the DDR2-1142 Dominator memory, fully decked out, certainly gets your attention. However, when we approached Corsair about reviewing the 1142 Dominator they suggested we look at their latest super high speed product, which is Corsair Dominator DDR2-1111 (PC2-8888). We were told that while the 1111 is rated a bit slower the performance rating is at CAS 4 instead of CAS 5 like the 1142. That meant the 1111 was actually a faster memory with the promise of lower latency.

Corsair remains one of the most innovative companies in the memory market. If there is a something new in the memory market, you can count on the fact that either Corsair introduced it or they have a very similar product. It is no surprise then to see such an innovative new memory product from Corsair. The dual-path cooling and extremely high speed ratings are pretty exciting. The question, of course, is how the Corsair Dominator DDR2-1111 4-4-4 actually performs in our tests systems. Is it the equal of the other top RAM in the market, or does it set new performance standards for DDR2 memory? We will find answers to those questions in our Memory Test beds.