Overclocking and Conclusion

Memory Overclock Speed Testing

Getting the Corsair Dominator Platinum modules to run at their stated memory speeds was not as straight forward as we would have liked, but is possible with the correctly dialed-in settings. Its not as simple as cranking up the memory multiplier to 34x and adjusting the memory voltage and timing with the board at stock settings. The board was not stable with a memory multiplier above 32x, requiring tweaking to get to the modules to their rated 3400MHz speed. System stability was tested over a multi-hour period running the AIDA64 stability test in conjunction with EVGA's OC Scanner X graphical benchmark running at 1280×1024 resolution and 8x MSAA in stress test mode.

The following settings were found to be necessary to achieve the 3400MHz speed using the Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-3400 kit:

  • Base Clock Frequency – 102.05MHz
  • Base Clock Gear Ratio – 1.25x
  • Memory Multiplier – 26.66
  • CPU Clock Ratio – 24
  • Uncore Ratio (Ring bus) – 24
  • System Agent Voltage – +0.400V
  • DRAM Voltage – 1.35V
  • CAS Latency – 16
  • tRCD – 18
  • tRP – 18
  • tRAS – 36
  • All other voltage/bus frequency settings – Auto

To run the memory modules at 3400MHz, the Base Clock Gear Ratio and Base Clock Frequency had to be adjusted, resulting in a system base clock frequency of approximately 127.5MHz. With the memory multiplier set to 26.66, this resulted in a 3400MHz memory speed. The CPU and Ring Bus ratios were set to 24 to keep their frequencies as close to stock settings as possible (3.0GHz). To stabilize the overclock, the System Agent Voltage had to be set to +0.400V over stock settings. Corsair engineers recommend that the System Agent Voltage settings be set to +0.300V to +0.450V to stabilize the memory at the 3400MHz speeds with exact voltage settings dependant on the system processor in use.

As you can see from the AIDA64 memory results, bumping up the system bus speed and memory speed resulted in a small performance increase over the results record with the memory running at 3200MHz and 2133MHz with a 100MHz base clock value.

Performance

Their is no doubt that speed-wise, the Corsair Dominator Platinum DD4-3400 memory kit is among the fastest DDR4 memory kits on the planet. However, when you start to look at the benchmark test results in conjunction with the memory speeds, a very different performance picture emerges. The effects on system performance relative to the memory speed increases seems to begin to flatten out as you increase past the default 2133MHz DDR4 speeds. This is most likely attributable to the LGA-2011-v3 processor and Intel X99 chipset design and internal memory handling, rather than results specific to the Corsair modules.

Pricing

As of March 28, the Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-3400 16GB memory kit was available at Corsair.com for $999.99.

Conclusion

Corsair is well known for the quality and performance of their Dominator memory line. The Dominator Platinum DDR4-3400 16GB memory kit is no exception, customized for uncompromising performance with a price tag to prove it. The modules and kit are well designed, sporting aesthetics closing matching that of the GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion motherboard with which this kit was designed to be paired. The memory modules feature the latest Corsair heat spreader innovations integrated into the DHX series spreaders, ensuring optimal memory operation no matter the heat load. Corsair also integrated LED light bars into the tops of the modules, giving them a customizable under-lit effect when used in conjunction with the Corsair Link control module. While dialing in the modules for full 3400MHz speed presented a challenge, I have no doubt that the kinks with this will be worked out through future BIOS releases.

Strengths

  • Stock performance
  • Module and fan unit aesthetics
  • Construction and design quality
  • Customizable LED lighting capabilities with Corsair Link integration
  • Cooling potential of integrated DHX heat spreaders

Weaknesses

  • Price
  • Challenging to dial-in at 3400MHz
  • Real-world performance gains with modules running at 3400MHz
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