Corsair's XMS4000 Pro modules were something of a mystery for us, with our marketing contact at Corsair claiming that they had a secret new product in the works, keeping us on our toes for weeks. Well, it’s now arrived and its quite a departure from normal memory modules.
As you can see, the Corsair comes with heat spreaders… with a difference. The first thing I noticed is that these are literally welded onto the wafer with thermal epoxy. Try as I might, I was not able to get even a little give on the spreader to reveal what was underneath. I have been assured by corsair however that it is no difference, in terms of PCB and wafer, from their regular XMS4000 line. This is replicated across the new Pro line – PC3200LL and 3500 Pro should also be available by the time you read this.
Apart from beefy heat spreaders, the Corsair XMS Pro series also features 18 LED memory activity lights. This is a physical mod to the existing XMS PC4000 PCB, with the LEDs drawing power directly from the DIMM slot. As I understand it, (although this is subject to confirmation), ICs on the modules themselves run in serial; so as the memory banks fill up (each IC utilised for storage), the more LEDS light up. Each light corresponds to an IC on each side of the DIMM. The LEDs illuminate because when voltage is detected on the lead going into the IC (as in the IC is being "accessed") it also lights up the diode.
Voltage
Speed
Timings
Result
2.8V
200MHz
CAS 2 3-3-6
PASS
2.8V
250MHz
CAS 3 4-4-8
PASS
2.8V
250MHz
CAS 2.5 4-4-7
PASS
2.8V
260MHz
CAS 3 4-4-8
PASS
2.8V
260MHz
CAS 2.5 4-4-7
PASS
2.8V
265MHz
CAS 3 4-4-8
PASS
2.8V
265MHz
CAS 2.5 4-4-7
PASS
2.8V
270MHz
CAS 3 4-4-8
PASS
2.8V
270MHz
CAS 2.5 4-4-7
FAIL
2.8V
275MHz
CAS 3 4-4-8
FAIL
2.8V
275MHz
CAS 2.5 4-4-7
FAIL
2.9V
200MHz
CAS 3 4-4-8
FAIL
Extremely fast memory, the XMS Pro topped out at a huge 273MHz at CAS 3 4-4-8. So far it is the leader of the pack in this roundup. No surprise that the XMS Pro also fails the 2.9V test, as it is based on the same PCB as the non pro version on the previous page. The Corsair XMS Pro was the only sample not provided from a retail store, but as previously mentioned, we have no reason to believe corsair shipped us anything different to that which you will find on the shelves right now. At the moment the only place I have seen in the UK to buy Corsair XMS Pro is www.chillblast.com. They are priced at an extravagant £327inc VAT, making them the second most expensive modules in this roundup. They are however, only £4 more than the non-pro TwinX kit from www.overclockers.co.uk so if you want to go the Corsair route, this kit would be my preference!
