difference between Corsair Dominator and Dominator GT?

[gsrcrxsi]

so im going to buy a 6GB DDR3-1600 set soon as i am building a new i7 rig for gaming

plans are as follows:
i7-920 @ 4.0+
EVGA E758 MB
2x Intel X-25M 80GB Raid-0
GTX285 (maybe 2 in SLI, not sure just yet)

all watercooled.

now im looking at the corsair dominator ram, but what is the difference between the regular dominator and the domniator GT?
specifically these two:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145269
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145253

they have the same timings, same size, same speed. i mean one has red heatsinks and comes with the fan, but is the ram itself any different?

 

[redduc900]

Even though both sets are rated the same timings and voltage-wise, the GTs probably have the capability of reaching higher frequencies.

 

[Bobnova]

The GTs have a cooler paintjob and come with a fan. That's about it.
They might be slightly better ICs, but not for sure.

 

[baditude_df]

Yup, higher binned/different brand IC's would be the main difference. The other being the fancy red fins.
There are quite a few different sets of GT's and I don't yet know the formula to determine what IC's are in which kits, but it's very likely that the Cas7/8 kits rated over 1866MHz use the latest hyper IC's.
Not sure what's in he Cas7 1600's, but I'm sure they could top 2000 quite easily at Cas9 or even 8.
One thing I do know for sure and that is that the GT kits are on average twice as much money as their regular Domminator counterparts. To me that is a sign of superior IC's, but it could also mean it's a total scam. Someone with more knowledge on the subject is bound to be here soon, then we can have some experienced views as well.

 

[JonSimonzi]

Why not just use 6gb out of the 8gb you already have?

 

[gsrcrxsi]

the 8GB i have is a dual channel kit, is CAS 9, and rated at 1.8V, too high for i7.

 

[baditude_df]

You can run it no problem, alot of us did when i7 first came out. I had 4 2GB sticks of Gskill DDR3-1600 that used to run in my X48 and P45 boards, 3 of which ran in my P6T for at least 6 months before I grabbed some sticks with Hyper IC's. Just bump up your VTT to ~1.3-1.4V which is really not that much higher(if any) than normal. Not ideal, but perfectly acceptable from my experience.

 

[gsrcrxsi]

Well I want better latency and don't want to risk the chip running it higher than 1.65v

 

[Yellowbeard XMS]

The GTs are going to come from a slightly higher bin or screening process. But of course, nothing past 1600C7 is guaranteed on either kit.

And, all things red or with a "GT" badger are faster

 

[baditude_df]

Thx for the input Yellowbeard.

 

[gsrcrxsi]

so if im not planning on OCing the ram, then its safe to say there is no reason for me to get GTs over the regular dominators?

 

[baditude_df]

I would say most definitely no.
But I do love the look of those GT's. They are sexy as hell.

 

[EarthDog]

so if im not planning on OCing the ram, then its safe to say there is no reason for me to get GTs over the regular dominators?

There isnt a reason to even get dominators if you are not overclocking. Just get the cheapest set of DDr3 1600 you can find and call it a day.

 

[gsrcrxsi]

I trust the corsairs. And the have the best latency. There used to be some gskill that were 6-7-6 but I can't find them anywhere

 

[baditude_df]

There isnt a reason to even get dominators if you are not overclocking. Just get the cheapest set of DDr3 1600 you can find and call it a day.

Yeah, I linked him to these in his other thread. I think they're going to be a great value. Yet to test them out for myself though.

 

[Marshmallow64]

I heard the GT's have been tested to be overclocked even higher.

 

[gsrcrxsi]

The corsairs have better timings

 

[baditude_df]

7-7-7-20 vs 7-8-7-24, you'll never notice the difference. Hardly worth the extra $90 USD, but it's your money. If you trust the Corsair, then that's what I would buy. I would also pay a bit of a premium for the black PCB. I don't blame you there.
The thing about Cas6 on DDR3 is that it's really not guaranteed regardless of what the rated specs are. Some sets can do it, and some can't.
There were 3 different sets of Mushkin Redlines available early on near the release of i7 that were rated to do Cas 6 out of the box and reviews are mixed as to whether the buyer would actually get RAM that would run at Cas 6 24/7 at stock voltage. You don't see those for sale much anymore.
OCZ Blade 1600's are rated to do Cas6 as well, but much like the GT's, you're gonna pay for it.

 

[gsrcrxsi]

i was looking at these before, but the egg is out of stock. they were cheaper than the corsairs too

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231272

 

[baditude_df]

They might have taken them out of production or off the market.
Regardless, I hear alot of good things about the Tridents, particularly over at XS in the extreme bandwidth forum.