CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB 32GB DDR4 3,600MHZ C16

Corsair mixes things up with its flashiest RAM yet

CORSAIR’S DOMINATOR LINE is nothing if not striking. In stark contrast to its small, slick Vengeance series, the Dominators are heavy metal sticks that stand tall in your motherboard’s RAM slots. The Dominator Platinum RGB has the addition of a dozen individually addressable LEDs along the top of each stick, enabling a variety of flashy RGB effects courtesy of Corsair’s iCue program. We’re reviewing the 32GB 3,600MHz CL16 model; a highpowered four-piece set that will set you back over 500 bucks.

Do they look good? Without a doubt. iCue’s preloaded patterns make for some seriously funky options, making these perhaps the greatest choice for builders looking to show off their rig’s internals. Want a rainbow spiral revolving around your entire mobo? It’s got you covered. Color-coding to denote the temperature of your CPU? You’ve got it. It’s surprising Corsair hasn’t figured out a way to let us play Tetris on these little LED stacks.

We’re not the biggest fans of over-thetop lighting, but it’s hard to deny how cool these can look. More important, though, is performance. We had to meddle with the BIOS settings to get this RAM to work; if you’re running this on an AMDcompatible mobo, be prepared to spend time in the BIOS to get the settings right.

While possible in theory, we struggled to get this RAM running at 3,600MHz on an AM4 motherboard. Switching to an Asus Prime X299-Deluxe, we had it up and running smoothly enough (a hasty mash of the CMOS clear button was required, though). Once we got things going, it was hard not to be impressed; hefty memory bandwidth and tight latency make it clear that this RAM is not to be messed with. It also demonstrated speedy zip and unzip times, but our other tests showed little to impress; this isn’t going to blow any other DDR4 memory out of the water.

Pricing is obviously a key concern when upgrading RAM, and the Platinum RGB ain’t cheap. This isn’t memory for the faint of heart or the slender of wallet. Per gigabyte, it costs more than pretty much every other 32GB RAM kit on the market right now, but the smooth 3,600MHz means that there isn’t much it’ll struggle with. When it comes down to it, it’s difficult to unreservedly recommend the Platinum RGB; while the latencies are relatively low, there are faster kits, and they tend to be cheaper. The need for 32GB of memory is up for debate as well; 16GB is often sufficient, but that’s an argument for another day. Size is also a concern; the overhead on these sticks is significant, meaning that it might be incompatible with bulky coolers.

If RGB is your thing, this is impressive. iCue makes for a great selection of color and pattern customization—combining this with other RGB products from Corsair can result in a veritable lightshow. For builders looking to make an uber-stylish rig, the Dominator Platinum RGB is a solid choice. –CHRISTIAN GUYTON

VERDICT 8

Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB 3,600MHz

HEADLIGHT Stunning appearance; fully addressable LEDs; good performance.

GOODNIGHT Heavy and tall; high price per gigabyte; AMD compatibility issues.

$ 530, www.corsair.com