OC Report :: Corsair Dominator 2x1GB PC3-14400 CL7

[3oh6]

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I am not sure if the retail kits of these modules come in the same kit but Corsair certainly takes care of their press kits. The modules come encased in styrofoam with the Dominator fan in a separate box to the right. Even the Dominator fan is heavily protected inside its smaller box with an air pocket making sure the fan doesn't move an inch during transport.


Moving on to the modules themselves, we can see no changes to the DDR3 dominator heatsink from the DDR2 counterparts aside from the addition of the Intel Extreme Memory logo and DDR3 on the tip. There isn't really much to discuss because we should all be familiar with these heatsinks having seen them on Corsair modules for over a year and a half now. The PCBs used are obviously unique to any other manufacturer’s memory due to the DHX features. The gold colored strip along the top of the PCB is where the inner silver heatsink interfaces with the PCB which we will see close up in the next couple of photos.


As just mentioned, the part number on these PCBs is going to be unique to Corsair memory. Looking through a macro lens we have the ability to see the ICs underneath the heatsink without the need for removal. The backside of the module contains standard thermal material between the heatsink and the PCB since there are no ICs on that side. On the other side, however, the ICs are contacted by the heatsink with a very thin thermal material. We can barely see the material which looks like almost a clear glue. This material is baked onto the ICs and removing the heatsinks will generally result in the IC coming off with it. One thing of note is that at the bottom of the IC we don't see any thermal material and the IC isn't even touching the heatsink. This obviously isn't helping with heat removal and I would like to see complete contact on the IC from top to bottom. The last photo is a nice close-up of the interior heatsinks providing cooling for the specially designed PCB. With the steps Corsair has taken in module cooling technology, it is no surprise to see them amongst the top memory manufacturers, especially for enthusiasts.