Corsair Dominator TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF

In PC enthusiast circles, Corsair is a name that needs no introduction. For years, the company has consistently produced some of the most sought after, high speed memory modules available at the time. Their XMS line of DDR memory was incredibly popular when it was initially released, as were the company's Pro and Xpert modules. Today it's Corsair Dominator memory kits that are enticing PC enthusiasts, thanks to their innovative cooling solution and high-performance. 

In this article, we'll be focusing on Corsair's latest Dominator memory kit, the TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF (2GB, 2 x 1GB DIMMs). The PC2-10000 DIMMs used in this kit are high-capacity and are capable of running with a CAS Latency of 5, a RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD) of 5, a Row Precharge (tRP) of 5, and an Active to Precharge Delay (tRAS) of 18 (5-5-5-18-2T) at an impressive 625MHz (DDR2-1250MHz).

Corsair TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF Specifications and Features

"The Dominator Series Twin2X2048-10000C5DF is a 2048 MByte matched pair of DDR2 SDRAM DIMMs built using Corsair's latest high performance heat sink with Dual-Path Heat Xchange (DHX) technology coupled with a Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan. This part is designed to unleash performance of the new NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI-based platform. This memory has been verified to operate at 1250MHz at latencies of 5-5-5-18. The Twin2X2048-10000C5DF comes with Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP), the open standard for performance module SPD's jointly developed by Corsair and NVIDIA. EPP SPD's on Corsair modules allow users to automatically configure EPP enabled motherboards with aggressive memory performance settings, for maximum memory and system performance."

     
Corsair's Dominator Fan

The "DF" designation in the TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF kit's name mean that this kit includes one of Corsair's active memory coolers, also known as the Dominator fan. As we've mentioned in the past, the Dominator fan assembly is constructed of aluminum, with three 4cm fans.  It mounts to the clips that typically hold system RAM in place and connects to a single 3-pin fan plug.  We should note that the fans can be throttled if your motherboard has the capability to control fans based on temperature.

In practice, we found the Dominator fan to be easy to install and relatively quiet, but in our open-air test bench its effect on temperature was difficult to quantify. Corsair claims the Dominator fan will reduce operating temperatures by a few degrees (from 15.4^oC to 11.3^oC above ambient in Corsair's testing), which will increase stability, overclockability, and longevity. The only issue we had with the Dominator fan is that it cannot be installed properly on motherboards where the DIMM slots are in-line with the PEG slot and an extra long graphics card is installed. This is a mistake fewer and fewer motherboard manufacturers are making lately, however, so it shouldn't be an issue for many of you.