Corsair Comparison

WayOut · 04-04-10, 04:48 PM

I'm looking at a couple RAM kits for my new build:

8GB Corsair Dominator kit - $290

vs.

2x 4GB Corsair XMS kits - $120 each ($240 total)

I am in the interest of saving money, but I also am big on performance; and that Dominator looks and performs sweet. However, the XMS kits seem to have better timings, and are about $50 cheaper - is there something I'm missing about the Dominators that puts them above the XMS kits? Bottom line: which kit is better, and does the performance increase of the Dominators (if there is one) justify the $50 price difference? Thanks.

doz · 04-04-10, 05:23 PM

You get a RAM cooler with the Dominators, and usually they are better binned chips (will overclock a little better USUALLY).

To justify the price? Not for me I cant justify it. If you are the normal day to day users who games/photoshop/internet things like that, its not worth it. If you plan on benching or want to overclock your RAM, you may want to think about the Dominators.

WayOut · 04-04-10, 05:46 PM

Ah. Well that first guy (internet, photoshop, games) is me. So I guess I'll buy those then. Thanks!

edit: In fact, I'm getting pretty much the same rig as your current one, if your sig is up to date (minus the SSD, and with an 800D and Corsair 750W PSU in place of the Antec case/psu).

Richie13 · 04-04-10, 07:22 PM

Hi Wayout,

Looks like you picked the same ram I'll be getting this week for my new i7 build except I'm getting the 6 Gb set linked below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145286

I intend to OC to 4.0-4.2 GHz using an Intel Core i7-930.

I was originally going to go with this ram below, but I really don't see a difference except the price is much more and why I decided on the less expensive ram.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-242-_-Product

WayOut · 04-04-10, 08:38 PM

Ah, yeah. I noticed the more expensive set you chose has different timings compared to the cheaper one (7-7-7-20 as opposed to 7-8-7-20 on the cheaper set). I'm really no expert on RAM (in fact, I don't know anything besides that lower timings are better) but I'd assume you made the right choice. Anyway, I have a 1156 socket in my build which is meant for dual-channel RAM (increments of 2), whereas your 930 has a 1366 socket, meant for tri-channel (increments of 3).

Anyway, funny all these Corsair RAMs are priced so differently for having such similar characteristics.

04-04-10, 04:48 PM	Thread Starter #1
WayOut Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle, WA	Corsair Comparison I'm looking at a couple RAM kits for my new build: 8GB Corsair Dominator kit - $290 vs. 2x 4GB Corsair XMS kits - $120 each ($240 total) I am in the interest of saving money, but I also am big on performance; and that Dominator looks and performs sweet. However, the XMS kits seem to have better timings, and are about $50 cheaper - is there something I'm missing about the Dominators that puts them above the XMS kits? Bottom line: which kit is better, and does the performance increase of the Dominators (if there is one) justify the $50 price difference? Thanks. __________________ AMD Phenom II 550 BE @4ghz with Corsair H60 Gigabyte GTX 470 Steam ID: Way0utImports Got Starcraft? Join the Official OCF SC2 Group! Ian // 279
	QUOTE Thanks

04-04-10, 05:23 PM	#2
doz Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV	You get a RAM cooler with the Dominators, and usually they are better binned chips (will overclock a little better USUALLY). To justify the price? Not for me I cant justify it. If you are the normal day to day users who games/photoshop/internet things like that, its not worth it. If you plan on benching or want to overclock your RAM, you may want to think about the Dominators. __________________ Asus P8P67 Intel i7-2600k @ 4.9ghz GSkill Ripjaws 8gb 1600mhz c8 EVGA GTX 680 OCZ Agility 2 240gb, Corsair Force 3 180gb, (2)WD 1tb Black HAF 932w/ Corsair HX750 Heat
	QUOTE Thanks

04-04-10, 05:46 PM	Thread Starter #3
WayOut Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle, WA	Ah. Well that first guy (internet, photoshop, games) is me. So I guess I'll buy those then. Thanks! edit: In fact, I'm getting pretty much the same rig as your current one, if your sig is up to date (minus the SSD, and with an 800D and Corsair 750W PSU in place of the Antec case/psu). __________________ AMD Phenom II 550 BE @4ghz with Corsair H60 Gigabyte GTX 470 Steam ID: Way0utImports Got Starcraft? Join the Official OCF SC2 Group! Ian // 279
	QUOTE Thanks

04-04-10, 07:22 PM	#4
Richie13 Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Long Island, NY	Hi Wayout, Looks like you picked the same ram I'll be getting this week for my new i7 build except I'm getting the 6 Gb set linked below. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145286 I intend to OC to 4.0-4.2 GHz using an Intel Core i7-930. I was originally going to go with this ram below, but I really don't see a difference except the price is much more and why I decided on the less expensive ram. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-242-_-Product
	QUOTE Thanks

04-04-10, 08:38 PM	Thread Starter #5
WayOut Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle, WA	Ah, yeah. I noticed the more expensive set you chose has different timings compared to the cheaper one (7-7-7-20 as opposed to 7-8-7-20 on the cheaper set). I'm really no expert on RAM (in fact, I don't know anything besides that lower timings are better) but I'd assume you made the right choice. Anyway, I have a 1156 socket in my build which is meant for dual-channel RAM (increments of 2), whereas your 930 has a 1366 socket, meant for tri-channel (increments of 3). Anyway, funny all these Corsair RAMs are priced so differently for having such similar characteristics. __________________ AMD Phenom II 550 BE @4ghz with Corsair H60 Gigabyte GTX 470 Steam ID: Way0utImports Got Starcraft? Join the Official OCF SC2 Group! Ian // 279
	QUOTE Thanks

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