Features, Memory Design, and Included Accessories
Features
Courtesy of Corsair
- The world’s most advanced DDR4 memory modules
- XMP 2.0 support for trouble-free, automatic overclocking
- Get more performance and Corsair Link control with the included Dominator Airflow Platinum LED fan
- Lifetime limited warranty
Layout and Design
The Corsair Dominator Platinum memory modules come standard with the Dominator DMX-style heat spreader, consisting of a black aluminum plate of both sides of the module, capped with a black passive sink and an orange colored clip. The front of the modules feature the Dominator Platinum series logo and rated speed, while the back shows the memory specifications, including voltage, timing, and speed ratings. The included memory modules are DDR4 modules with 288 gold plated connection pins.
The Corsair Dominator Platinum memory kit under review consists of 4 x 4GB DDR4-3400 modules. These module are rated for 3400MHz speed at 1.35V and 16-18-18-40 memory timings. The module part number is CMD16GX4M4B3400C16.
The top of the orange clip is branded with the module series and type (Dominator DDR4). The clip sits directly over the upper heat sink, forming an air channel and holding it in place. Along the upper right front of the module is a Corsair Link Interface port, which can be used to monitor module temperature and voltage when connected to the optional Corsair Link module.
Module Deconstruction
The module's top clip is held in place by four sets of screws with a threaded shaft on one side and hole on the other. The clip fixes the side plates in place, as well as the light bar and the upper heat sink. With the screws removed, the module separates into four part in total – the module itself, the upper heat sink, the aluminum clip, and the light bar (clear bar shown sitting inside of the clip). The light bar sits on top of LEDs integrated into the upper right and left sides of the module, providing an under-lighting effect to the clip. The heat spreader plates on the sides of the module were fixed in place very well, to the point that I was unable to remove them using my vast array of iFixIt tools.
Included Accessories
Corsair includes a comprehensive manual with the kit, describing how to construct and install the included fan units as well as instructions for installing and using the memory modules.
The Dominator Platinum Memory Fan kits include the body unit, two aluminum clips, and the screws used in the unit's construction. The unit itself is colored silver and black, a neutral color combination sure to blend well with your system's aesthetics.
The body of the fan kit houses two 50mm fans, oriented to pull air in through the top of the unit and blow the air down across the memory modules. The fans are LED type fan, housing orange colored LEDs to match the orange coloration of the module upper clips. Silver fan guards sit over the fans with a Corsair corporate logo sitting int the top center of the grill and along the unit's side. The fan guards arch around the side of the unit to expose the clear sides of the fan, further adding to ambient illumination from the fan LEDs.
The power cables from the fan unit consist of two sets of four pin connectors – a 4-pin PWM style connector to power the fan and a 4-pin connector for the fan LEDs. The PWM power cable has an integrated female 4-pin connector for connecting to the LED power cable, if desired. All cables are sleeved in dense-weave, black colored sleeving for a professional appearance.
The included clips are colored black to match the module heat spreader coloration. The aluminum side clips fit into the sides of the base unit fitting the horizontal tongue in the top of the clip into a lower side groove, the vertical tabs fitting into vertical groves, and held in place with four screws through the base wall and into tabs on the sides of the clip. The inside bottom of the clip is V-shaped and padded to fit over the board's memory slot clips.
The fan kits assemble by fixing the clips in place on the body using the provided screws. The top of the clips fit into grooved built into the sides of the body with the padded V-shaped ends oriented away from the body. The unit stands upright with the unprotected side of the fans facing downward towards the memory modules.
Board Installation
One thing to keep in mind when mounting these modules in the board is that they are very tall because of the integrated upper heat sink and clip. Using the included Dominator Platinum Memory Fan kits to cool the modules adds further to the height of the assembly. However, the fan kit sits almost flush with the top of the module, ensuring minimal wasted vertical space and optimal cooling effects.
As shown in the installation pic, the Corsair Link Interface port sits high enough so that it does not interfere with module insertion into the board slots nor so the slots inhibit the ports use. However, it may be tricky to use the port where the port is sandwiched in between inserted memory sticks.
on the benchmarks you put
on the benchmarks you put ddr-3200 and not 3400
The test setup page explains
The test setup page explains this. Benchmarks were run at 3200MHz, not 3400MHz b/c 3200MHz was achievable with 100MHz base clock while 3400MHz speed required overclocking of the base clock speed to 127.5MHz. This overclocking would have skewed the benchmark results, making them not a good basis of comparison to the non overclocked numbers.
Is overclocking the base
Is overclocking the base clock bad?
No overclocking the base
No overclocking the base clock is not bad, it just affects the running speed of all other components in the system, adding some stress to those components. The gear ratio settngs help with that, but you are still running the components at a higher base speed with a lower ratio setting.
I did try running the memory at 34 x 100, but it was not stable at all with the 34x multiplier on the board. The 32x multiplier was the highest memory multiplier that would remain stable at the stock base clock speed…
Running stable here at 34×100
Running stable here at 34×100 (DDR4-3400) on my Rampage V Extreme with a decent 5960x. Maybe you should switch boards. 😉
so you dont show the actual
so you dont show the actual potential of the product, just undercut its performance so things aren’t “skewed.”
The “potential” of the
The “potential” of the product is indeed shown: it cannot run at full speed without overclocking the CPU.
If Corsair wanted it benchmarked at full speed, they should have made it capable of running at the rated speed without needing overclocking. I’d feel absolutely ripped off if I paid $1000 for memory and it couldn’t even run at it’s rated speed.
There’s nothing Corsair can
There’s nothing Corsair can do about what DRAM ratios work on which BCLK straps, that’s all Intel. 3200 is the highest you can go on 100BCLK, period.
was expecting better timing
was expecting better timing by now
Corsair didnt get the memo.
Corsair didnt get the memo. The 90s light up disco ball PCs are over. That RAM is ugly but hey its got cool lights the per-verbal spinners.
1000 $ for a Kit of RAM. I
1000 $ for a Kit of RAM. I thought those times where long gone and buried forever.
It is an anonymous epidemic.
It is an anonymous epidemic. Save us before it is too late.
This might come off sounding
This might come off sounding bigoted and ignorant, but I find it hard to tell anonymi apart. No doubt they are not an endangered species, at least in these parts.
lol what a waste of copper
lol what a waste of copper and silicon. this ddr4 is too expensive, too bulky, and held back back the current batch of cpus. someone forgot to tell ddr4 makers that we’re still in the ddr3 era.