Corsair Dominator 1600MHz 6GB Triple-Channel Memory Kit

A Closer Look At The Kit

As previously mentioned, the Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D memory kit comes with XMP memory profiles which is great for those using a Core i7 motherboard that supports these profiles. You just need to enable Intel XMP memory profiles and the BIOS will be properly configured and you’ll be on your way. The ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard does have XMP settings in the BIOS, but if you don’t enable them before firing up the system for the first time, the system will boot up with pre-programmed JEDEC default values. That means this kit will boot up at JEDEC standard 9-9-9-24 values at 1333MHz if the bios has just the default settings loaded. If XMP is enabled it will then automatically change to 8-8-8-24 values at 1600MHz. If you still like to set things manually, you can just read the label on the memory modules and everything you need to know is printed right there on it, which is nice and something very few memory companies do these days.

It should be noted that a six module configuration is not part of the Intel XMP memory standard. So, you’ll need to set your BIOS manually if you buy two of these kits and try to enable Intel XMP memory profiles. Running 12GB on the ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard with BIOS version 1102 worked fine with all six memory slots in use, so for those wanting that much memory a pair of these kits will do the job just fine.

Taking a closer look at the newly re-designed Corsair DHX heat spreaders we can see that they differ greatly from the original Dual-path Heat Xchange (DHX) design that we covered here in 2006. The heat spreaders made full contact with all the memory ICs, so no flimsy heat spreaders here.

The new DHX design has a top heat sink that is held down by three Allen head screws, which seems odd unless you’d be able to change out the top plate as the old design worked just fine. Notice the fins to help dissipate the heat from the memory modules.

Intrigued by these mysterious Allen head screws I grabbed a 3/32 Allen head wrench and removed them. Under them I found some double sided thermal tape and a solid flat surface. I guess we’ll have to figure out the reasoning behind this design down the road.

In case you missed something, here are the key features of the memory kit:

Key Features:

• Memory amount: 3 x 2048MB
• 240-pin Unbuffered DDR3 SDRAM
• IC Brand: Elpida (128Mx8 Configuration)
• 1600MHz (PC-12800) Unbuffered non-ECC DDR3 Modules
• CAS latency: 8 clock cycles
• RAS precharge: 8 cycles
• RAS active to precharge: 24 cycles
• Black DHX heat sinks for thermal diffusion
• Latency: 8-8-8-24
• Power Supply�1.65V +/- 0.1V
• Lifetime Warranty