Corsair Dominator GTX2 PC3-18000 CL8 Memory Review

X58 Overclocking

We have already seen our first set of numbers on the P55 platform and we expect to see very similar results on X58. The advantage we have over here is the lack of a limit on 8-8-8 clocks...well, until the IMC on this poor abused W3540 gives out anyway.

As it turns out, we are still being limited by the system...this memory loves 8-8-8 timings. At one point in the life of this processor, it was capable of running DDR3-2400 but time and benching abuse has clearly taken its toll. The Dominator GTX2 modules had no problem out-running the uncore capabilities of the IMC while still being stuck at 1.65v. When we tried to lower volts at these clocks we got instability so it looks like we would have had to bump vDIMM very shortly anyway. As it stands, we don't have a processor/setup-P55 or X58-that can keep up with this memory at 8-8-8 timings.

Looking at 7-7-6 and 7-8-7, we can see an almost identical pattern as the P55 setup. The two timing sets clock about the same with a slight advantage for the 7-8-7 setup at 1.75v. It is a clear cut case of these particular modules not liking tRCD 7. As mentioned in the P55 overclocking section, our first set of modules from Corsair loved 7-7-6 so the variation is quite apparent.

On the whole though, the X58 clocks appear to be slightly lower than P55 which is expected given the fact that we have three modules cooking opposed to just two, but the clocks are equally impressive. Just to provide an example of what we were discussing in the P55 section about our first set of modules being stronger, here is a screen shot of what the first kit could do: DDR3-2184 // 7-7-6-20 @ 1.75v. As you can see, the difference between the sets is pretty substantial with this timing set. Keep in mind the context though; we are looking at this memory from a benchmarking perspective so 30MHz at an important timing set like 7-7-6 can play a crucial role. For daily use, the numbers above are ridiculous. Granted, 24/7 stable overclocks are going to be lower by anywhere from 20-30MHz...possibly even a bit more depending on the setup.

Here are the screens from the results above at 1.75v vDIMM...

6-7-6 Overclock @ 1.75v click for full size... CMGTX2 @ 942MHz 6-7-6-18 1T @ 1.751v under load

7-7-6 Overclock @ 1.75v click for full size... CMGTX2 @ 1062MHz 7-7-6-20 1T @ 1.751v under load

7-8-7 Overclock @ 1.75v click for full size... CMGTX2 @ 1072MHz 7-8-7-20 1T @ 1.751v under load

8-8-8 Overclock @ 1.65v click for full size... CMGTX2 @ 1173MHz 8-8-8-20 1T @ 1.652v under load

We will now turn these modules loose on some real benchmarking...after all, this is what they are meant for. As mentioned earlier in the test setups section, we have a pair of MSI GTS 250's that we will do some Gold Cup hunting for on HWBot.org as well as a Clarkdale processor that is going to knock your socks off, let's take a look.