Corsair DHX TW3X1600C9DHXNV

Josh Collins checks if Corsair can save the souls of stricken 790i users...

Last month we featured Corsair’s DDR3-1600 C7 4GB with Intel Extreme Memory Profile support (XMP), and this month we’ve had another kit of Corsair RAM arrive on our doorstep.

With the DDR3 needs of Intel platform users, specifically X38 and X48, seen to by the good folks at Corsair, it appears the company likes to share the love. It has now invested time and money into binning kits specifically for use on NVIDIA’s 790i chipset motherboards.

One notable attributes of this binning process is that with the maintenance of the DDR3-1600 frequency yet to accommodate the frequency on the 790i platform, alpha latencies were eased. This time around, the kit is based around a CAS 9 latency set with the full alpha timings list reading 9-9-9-24 instead of the 7-7-7-20 found on the Intel XMP kit. Although the latencies are quite different, performance is still much the same due to the intricacies and differences between the 790i and X38/X48 chipsets.

One of the biggest complaints, not only for 790i users but NVIDIA chipset users in general, has been regarding the incompatibility of memory with the motherboard’s chipset. To resolve this issue Corsair has taken the time to individually test, validate and certify a specific range for use on this potentially troublesome chipset. This concept gave birth to the extremely annoyingly named Corsair DHX CM3X2G1600C9DHXNV.

While the kit’s name certainly isn’t a verbally friendly creation, it does hold all the information the end user could want to know. From start to finish the otherwise random alpha-numeric bunching indicates that the kit is DDR3 memory, a 2GB stick (thus part of a 4GB total kit), operates at DDR3-1600 frequencies with CAS 9 based alpha timings, belongs to the DHX range (close cousin to the Dominators) and last but not least, has been binned for use on an NVIDIA platform – naturally this leads to use on NVIDIA’s only DDR3 platform featuring the 790i chipset.

Having had the chance this month as well as last November to drop in at the Corsair HQ while visiting Silicon Valley, we’ve been privy to Corsair’s validation process. Using the knowledge of in-house tester and renowned overclocker Bachus_Anonym, each kit is meticulously and vigilantly put through its paces to meet in-house benchmarks for performance and quality are met.

We see a lot of memory come through the labs of Atomic. From the likes of largely known brands like Kingston and OCZ through to the smaller companies such as G.Skill and Team Group, even the smaller companies such as Apogee. But it’s the consistent quality of Corsair modules that leave an impression on us.
The impression we’re left with is one of quality, reliability and consistency. We’ve never had dead on arrival (DOA) kits arrive for testing, be it from channel sources or direct. We’ve found through extensive testing of our own and from other enthusiasts that the kits will often exceed stock specification. And most notable, is the ability for the company to do this time and again.

True to form, this specially tailored kit for the 790i chipset holds its own both within the ranks of its branded brethren and the competition.

During testing the kit not only operated effortlessly at the stock specified settings but also exceed the mark by operating at tweaked settings such as DDR3-1600 6-6-6-18 1T and DDR3-1800 7-7-7-20 1T.

If you’ve sunk your investment into a 790i motherboard, quality Core 2 Duo chip and undoubtedly a kick-arse GPU to boot, then be sure to round out the awesome gaming beast with sufficiently awesome and beastly memory modules.