Over the last couple of months, we published a number of articles where we saw Crucial, G.Skill and Kingston take their tries at the new DDR4 technology with various degrees of success. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before we could get our hands on products from the other big names.
Happily, we did not have to wait for long for Corsair to lend us a sample so tonight we can start building an impression of what their DDR4 kits are like.
Manufacturer |
Corsair |
Series |
Dominator Platinum |
Part Number |
CMD16GX4M4B3200C16 |
Type |
DDR4 |
Capacity |
16 GB (4 x 4 GB) |
Frequency |
1600 MHz (DDR4-3200) |
Timings |
16-18-18-36 |
Voltage |
1.35 V |
Warranty |
Lifetime warranty
(10 years in Germany and Austria) |
The model we are about to test is a 16GB quad channel kit that belongs to Corsair's flagship Dominator Platinum lineup. Its rated frequency is 1600MHz (a DDR4-3200 rating equivalent), which is achieved at 1.35 volts of input voltage and timings of 16-18-18-36.
Even though this is one of the highest clocked memory kits that are out there, its stock timings are high even by DDR4 standards. Such a choice of specs might be explained by Corsair willing to leave themselves with more options if DDR4 component availability and/or overclockability was ever to get worse. If so, we find such a decision to be unreasonably safe as things usually only get better at the start of any technology's lifetime.
When we first got the package from Corsair, we thought that it contained multiple items judging by its dimensions and weight. But as it turned out moments later, this version of Dominator Platinum comes in a box that is big enough for a cat to have a nap in.
The packaging contains two plastic trays, each of which carries two modules and a fan assembly. It appears that Corsair were not too concerned about practicality when designing the latter as most, if not all, CPU aircoolers and even some all-in-one CPU watercooling solutions will render the additional memory coolers unusable due to clearance issues.
Following with "Platinum" name tag, the memory and its cooler are finished in a colour scheme that is a combination of platinum-like silver and Corsair's trademark matte black.
In contrast to many other memory kits that we get to test, the Dominator Platinum feature a number of unique constructive solutions.
Firstly, the PCB of these modules is taller than usual thanks to exposed extensions above the chips that are designed to transfer the heat from the PCB directly to the heatsinks.
Secondly, each of the modules is fitted with a pair of white LEDs that generate a subtle illumination in the memory area. If you want the light to be more than subtle, you can go on Corsair's website and buy additional parts that will make the modules shine brighter, literally.
What comes down to the actual heatsinks, on the Platinum series they consist of four parts. Attached to each side of the module by the means of thermal glue, there is a pair of aluminium sheets that collect the heat from the chips and the PCB. The heat is then transferred via some metal-to-metal contact onto a finned heatsink that stretches across the top. Above it, there is a so-called light bar that is held with four screws on either side. The light bar does not take an active role in the job of cooling, its main purpose is just making the modules look cool.
After fiddling with the screws and applying some heat to weaken the adhesive, we were able to take the modules apart to show off all the details of their construction. The centerpiece of the modules are, of course, the memory chips which in our kit turned out to be Hynix H5AN4G8NMFR which are usually referred to simply as Hynix MFR. As these chips have so-called 4Gbit density, each of the black memory chips has a 512MB capacity thus it only takes one rank (or one side) of either chips to build a 4GB module.
The chips on our kit are different to Samsung K4A4G085WD that we have seen on 3200C16 press samples elsewhere, so it is likely that retail kits can be based on both Hynix and Samsung, especially taking into account the spec that is relatively easy for both types of chips to achieve. As of today, Hynix is generally a preferable option, which can be distinguished from Samsung by using Corsair's version number system: ver5.xx stands for Hynix, ver4.xx for Samsung.
Each of the modules is flashed with an SPD, which provides some basic information on its manufacturer and model. The SPD also contains six JEDEC setting presets that are intended for backwards compatibility with DDR4-2133 supporting platforms. On top of those, there is an XMP profile designed to boil down the process of setting the memory to its specs to only changing one option in motherboard's BIOS.
The memory settings obtained after loading the XMP profile on an ASUS Rampage V Extreme motherboard can be observed on a screenshot below:
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