The New Dominator Module

Corsair’s Dominator memory modules look like nothing else you have seen on system memory before with a unique cooling device and fantastic overclocking results to go along with it.

Back in the middle of 2006, Corsair introduced a new memory cooling technology called Dominator.  These new memory modules were the first consumer DIMMs to use a heatsink and not just a heat spreader that enthusiast memory had used for years.  While the differences might seem only a matter of terminology, the fact is that the Corsair Dominator modules are blazing fast!

Corsair Dominator Memory Review - New Heatsinks and Cooling - Memory 19

Pictured above is the first sample of the Dominator module that Corsair sent in to us last year.  These PC2-8888 modules are rated at DDR2-1111 speeds while maintaining some very tight timings of 4-4-4-12.  More on the various Dominator models that Corsair is offering later in the article.

Corsair Dominator Memory Review - New Heatsinks and Cooling - Memory 20

Here is a Corsair-supplied breakdown of the innards of a Dominator module.  There are actually two heatsinks on the module to help get heat away from the module itself and into the air.  One actually contacts the PCB circuit board while another makes contact with the memory modules themselves.  The fins along the top of the module make them quite tall; more so than any other module was have used but their objective is to allow airflow between them to cool the metal off more effectively. 

Corsair Dominator Memory Review - New Heatsinks and Cooling - Memory 21

From the top angle, you can clearly see the two seperate heatsinks; the black external and silver internal one. 

Corsair Dominator Memory Review - New Heatsinks and Cooling - Memory 22

This side-diagram shows how the exterior black heatsink is able to take the extreme heat from the memory chips to the top fins while the small silver heatsink makes contact with the specially designed PCB to get the heat off of it as well.

Corsair Dominator Memory Review - New Heatsinks and Cooling - Memory 23

From our picture of the side of the module, you can clearly see the application of this Dominator technology to our testing samples.

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