We had two pairs of Corsair memory in our hands. The first one is the pair of DDR3-1800 RAM we used for the shootout between Corsair's and OCZ's DDR3-1800 products last August, while the second is the current XMS3 DDR2 memory, rated at CL7 timings.

While Corsair rates its XMS3 memory with Dual Heat Exchange heat spreader (DHX) as mainstream memory, we would still classify it as an enthusiast product. Unlike many other cooling approaches, the concept of removing heat from the top of the memory IC as well as from the circuit board does make sense, although the impact is hard to measure. The dimensions of the Dominator DIMMs and those of the XMS3 DHX memory are the same, which means that you can install Corsair's memory cooling solution on either one. Both the XMS3 DHX and the Dominator DDR3 are rated for CL7-7-7-20 timings, although only the Dominator may go as far as DDR3-1800 speed. When overclocked, the XMS3 RAM also reached 900 MHz (DDR3-1800), but it required 2.2 V instead of the Dominator's 2.0 V to run reliably. On the other hand, the XMS3 RAM is rated for 1.8 V operation at its maximum DDR3-1600 speed

Watch the model numbers: should the product name end on -IN (e.g. CM3X1024-1600C7DHXIN), the modules will support Intel's Extreme Memory Profile, which allows the motherboard to operate the memory at maximum performance rather than using the SPD information, which typically holds compatible (conservative) settings. The EMP memory is currently supported by Intel's X38 chipset, and will be supported at least by the upcoming X48 chipset for FSB1600 and PCI Express 2.0.