Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 5200MHz 32GB Review

1. Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR52. Testing Methodology3. Memory Benchmarks4. Compute and Productivity Tests 15. Compute and Productivity Tests 26. 3DMark Tests7. Gaming Tests8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

DDR5 has launched alongside the Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake consumer platform, and we have already seen instances where the performance improvements versus DDR4 can be significant. In this review, we will be taking a look at one of the few kits currently on the market – Corsair’s flagship, the Dominator Platinum RGB in 2x16GB 5200MHz CL36 form.

The Corsair DDR5 kit that we are looking at uses a pair of 16GB DIMMs with XMP rated settings of 5200MHz at 36-38-38-74 at 1.25V. With DRAM IC density being typically higher for DDR5 as compared to DDR4, these 16GB DIMMs represent a single-rank module configuration.

The onboard voltage regulation hardware – or Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC) if you prefer – should aid stability at these lofty memory frequencies. It is one of the new features for DDR5 that is design to alleviate some of the power delivery burden from the motherboard when compared to DDR4.

You can read more about some of the new introductions and benefits of DDR5 in our DDR4 vs DDR5 testing article and video HERE.

Being a set from Corsair’s flagship Dominator Platinum RGB line of memory, the sticks get the full DHX treatment when it comes to design and aesthetics. The sizable, anodised aluminium heatspreader oozes quality, and the finned design will provide ample cooling potential for 1.25V DIMMs.

Of course, the downside of such eye-catching modules is the interference-inducing height of around 56mm. Basically, a large air CPU cooler is likely to cause you headaches anywhere near these DIMMs. And there’s even the likelihood that roof mounted AIOs will be an issue in many cases.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again; the aesthetics of Corsair’s large modules are superb, but the sheer inconvenience of such height is blatantly obvious to a wide cohort of potential customers.

RGB LED lighting quality is outstanding, as we have come to expect from Corsair. The 12 Capellix RGB LEDs do a good job at projecting their light through the well-hidden diffuser strips between the heatspreader fins. Brightness is more than adequate for my own personal preference.

This is a smart design, and when coupled with the LED diffuser squares at the top of each module, looks eye-catching without being overpowering.

There’s a lot to like when it comes to iCUE’s LED lighting control abilities. The software tool does feel a little resource heavy now that its functionality has grown so significantly; the most recent download is a massive 800MB!

However, the ability to set such a diverse set of LED control modes, on top of reporting from the DIMMs’ built-in temperature sensors is a strong positive. Plus, if you already have other Corsair components utilising the iCUE ecosystem, adding another link into the chain will be a smart addition rather than adding a dissimilar vendor’s own, competing software.

The ability to set XMP names and configurations was not available in the latest version of iCUE on our test system. The above image is taken from Corsair's review guide to show the eventual functionality that this will permit within iCUE. There is also a note in the Corsair review guide highlighting that the functionality of XMP Profile Manager will be available in Q4 2021, motherboard BIOS update dependent.

Information regarding the modules’ memory ICs is limited as the usual reporting software is still having trouble presenting accurate readings for DDR5. The Corsair review guide does, however, highlight that the Dominator Platinum RGB sticks that we have on test are using Micron ‘A’ spec ICs.

UK pricing for this CMT32GX5M2B5200C36FE review kit is £314.99 on the Corsair store, though availability is still practically non-existent as has been the case for all DDR5 since Intel’s Z690 platform launch.

• Model Number: CMT32GX5M2B5200C36FE
• Capacity: 32GB (2x 16GB)
• Rated Frequency: DDR5-5200MHz
• Rated Timings: 36-38-38-74
• Voltage: 1.25V XMP
• Format: 288-pin DIMM

We will be outlining the memory kit's performance with the Intel Core i9-12900K CPU, ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F Gaming WiFi motherboard, and a Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC graphics card. The processor is maintained at its stock frequency.

DDR5 comparison comes in the form of a Kingston Fury Beast 2x16GB 5200MHz 40-40-40-80 1.25V kit. The model code is KF552C40BBK2-32.

For more details on the test procedures and comparison kits, check out our recent testing piece looking at DDR4 versus DDR5 on the Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake platform HERE.

Test Memory Kits:

For our DDR4 comparison kits, we have a reasonable variety of frequencies, single-rank, dual-rank, and 4-DIMM single-rank kits.

• DDR5 – Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB: 5200MHz 36-38-38-74 32GB (2x16GB Single-Rank), CMT32GX5M2B5200C36FE, 1300MHz Intel CPU Memory Controller Clock, around £314.99
• DDR5 – Kingston Fury Beast: 5200MHz 40-40-40-80 32GB (2x16GB Single-Rank), KF552C40BBK2-32, 1300MHz Intel CPU Memory Controller Clock, around £296
• DDR4 – Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL: 3600MHz 18-22-22-42 32GB (2x16GB Single-Rank), CMH32GX4M2Z3600C18, 1800MHz Intel CPU Memory Controller Clock, around £140 in the UK
• DDR4 – G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Elite: 3600MHz 14-14-14-34 32GB (2x16GB Dual-Rank), F4-3600C14D-32GTEGA, 1800MHz Intel CPU Memory Controller Clock, around $370 in the US
• DDR4 – Kingston Fury Renegade: 5333MHz 20-30-30-52 16GB (2x8GB Single-Rank) @ 4400MHz 19-23-23-42, KF453C20RBK2/16, 1100MHz Intel CPU Memory Controller Clock, around £475 in the UK / $600 in the US
• DDR4 – KLEVV Cras XR RGB and Bolt XR: 4000MHz 19-25-25-45 32GB (4x8GB Single-Rank), KD48GU880-40B190C & KD48GU880-40B190Z, 1000MHz Intel CPU Memory Controller Clock, around £105-110 in the UK

Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i9-12900K at XMP settings
• DDR5 Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F Gaming WiFi (DDR5)
• DDR4 Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 (DDR4)
• Graphics Card: Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC
• System Drive: Corsair MP600 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
• CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240mm AIO
• Power Supply: Seasonic Prime TX-1000 1000W
• Case: Lian Li Open-air Test Bench
• Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

Tests:

• 7-Zip v19.00 – Built-in 7-Zip benchmark test (CPU & Memory)
• Cinebench R23 – All-core CPU benchmark (CPU & Memory)
• Blender 2.93.5 – All-core rendering of the Classroom benchmark (CPU & Memory)
• HandBrake H264 – Convert 1440p60 H264 video to 1080p60 H264 using the YouTube HQ 1080p60 preset (CPU & Memory)
• AIDA64 – Memory bandwidth, memory latency (Memory)
• 3DMark TimeSpy – Time Spy (1440p) test (Gaming)
• 3DMark CPU Profile – CPU Profile test, Max Threads (Gaming)
• F1 2020 – 1920 x 1080, Ultra High quality preset, DX12 version (Gaming)
• Far Cry 6 – 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, HD textures OFF, DX12 version (Gaming)
• Tom Clancy's The Division 2 – 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, DX12 version (Gaming)
• Watch Dogs Legion – 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, DX12 version (Gaming)

Memory Benchmarks

It's a top-place start in terms of memory bandwidth performance for Corsair's quick DDR5 sticks. That comes as zero surprise given the rapid operating frequency of 5.2GHz.

But latency performance is a key caveat for DDR5, with timings numbers well into the mid-30s and higher. Corsair's Dominator sticks do, however, outperform the cheaper and slacker CL40 Kingston 5200MHz DDR5 modules.

Compute and Productivity Tests – 7-Zip and Handbrake

The trend of Corsair's Dominator Platinum RGB CL36 DDR5 kit narrowly outperforming the looser CL40 Kingston Fury Beast kit continues for 7-Zip and Handbrake.

Compute and Productivity Tests – Blender and Cinebench

Blender and Cinebench rendering tasks show basically no difference in performance between high-end DDR5 or DDR4 kits. There's no benefit to the tighter timings of Corsair's Dominator modules versus the cheaper Kingston DDR5 competitor in this test.

3DMark Tests

Albeit by small margins, the CPU-focused scoring in 3DMark puts Corsair's DDR5 to the top of our charts.

Gaming Tests

As we saw in our DDR4 vs DDR5 testing piece, a high-speed and reasonable latency DDR4 kit can often outperform the market's current high-end DDR5 options. That's what we continue to see here, though Corsair's 5200MHz CL36 Dominator Platinum RGB kit does narrowly outperform the cheaper CL40 competitor from Kingston in general.

DDR5 memory is a difficult component to judge currently. The pricing is high, availability is poor, and performance uplifts versus high-end DDR4 can sometimes be insignificant. But that's the way the technology is currently, given its immaturity to the consumer market.

Nevertheless, Corsair's Dominator Platinum RGB memory modules represent a strong option for users who have already made the decision to go with DDR5. Performance in situations heavily tied to memory bandwidth – such as 7-Zip compression – absolutely flies.

And in games and other tests, the Dominator sticks repeatedly outperform the poorer latency (and cheaper) Fury Beast 5200MHz CL40 sticks from Kingston.

As we have come to expect from Corsair, the aesthetic design, lighting package, and software support for the Dominator Platinum RGB modules is simply superb. I have written of my love for the G.SKILL Trident Z RGB/Royal modules many times before.

However, Corsair's Dominator Platinum RGB are the only sticks that can reasonably compete with G.SKILL's flagship modules in my opinion. And in many areas – most notably availability and software ecosystem abilities – the Corsair sticks are vastly superior to G.SKILL's.

Yes, the price is very high currently at around £315 for the 32GB kit (which is about £50 more than a slightly lesser kit of Vengeance). And yes, availability is currently dreadful. And yes, the performance uplifts versus DDR4 are not always worth it. But as far as the creation of an alluring, eye-catching, well-designed set of high-performance memory goes, Corsair does incredibly well with the Dominator Platinum RGB 5200MHz CL36 DDR5 kit.

Check out our DDR4 vs DDR5 testing piece and video HERE. Check out our i9-12900K review HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

• Glorious aesthetic design.
• Capellix RGB LED lighting implementation is superb.
• Excellent iCUE ecosystem integration.
• Thermal sensor.
• Reasonably tight timings for a 5200MHz DDR5 kit on the current market.

Cons:

• Tall and awkward for air cooler (or some AIO) users.
• Very expensive.

KitGuru says: If you've already made the decision to spend big on DDR5 memory, Corsair's ultra-premium Dominator Platinum RGB 5200MHz kit can comfortably make its way onto your consideration list.

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