At first we would like to thank Corsair for offering us the Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 2666MHz C16 Memory Kit for testing and reviewing.

 

About Corsair:

"Founded in 1994, Corsair has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market to one of the world’s leading providers of enthusiast-grade PC components and peripherals. Our groundbreaking technology and innovation can be found in our high-performance memory, ultra-efficient power supplies, PC cases, PC and CPU cooling solutions, and solid-state storage devices. Under the Corsair Gaming brand, launched in 2014, we provide gaming keyboards, mice, headsets and mouse mats to eSports professionals and anybody who is passionate about competitive PC gaming.

 

Corsair hardware is regularly featured in showcase “dream systems,” and we have earned the adulation and respect of the press, professional gamers and overclockers, high-end system integrators, and PC enthusiasts worldwide by delivering leading-edge technology backed by renowned service and support.

 

Corsair has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships, and our products are available through leading distributors and retailers in over sixty countries worldwide."

Product Features:

 

Compatibility tested across X99 and 100 Series motherboards for reliably fast performance

 

Part of our exhaustive testing process includes performance and compatibility testing on most every X99 and 100 Series motherboard on the market – and a few that aren’t.

 

Designed for high-performance overclocking

 

Each Vengeance LPX module is built from an eight-layer PCB and highly-screened memory ICs. The efficient heat spreader provides effective cooling to improve overclocking potential.

 

Pure aluminum heat spreader for faster heat dissipation and cooler operation

 

Overclocking overhead is limited by operating temperature. The unique design of the Vengeance LPX heat spreader optimally pulls heat away from the ICs and into your system’s cooling path, so you can push it harder.

 

The heat spreader doesn’t just allow Vengeance LPX to run better… the aggressive yet refined form factor looks great in showcase systems.

 

XMP 2.0 support for trouble-free, automatic overclocking

 

Manually pushing your DRAM frequency can be a fun experiment, but sometimes you just want to get maximum performance without the hassle.

 

Intel X99 and 100 Series-based motherboards support the new XMP 2.0 standard, and Vengeance LPX DRAM does, too. Turn it on, and it will automatically adjust to the fastest safe speed for your Vengeance LPX kit. You’ll get amazing, reliable performance without lockups or other strange behavior.

 

Low-profile design fits in smaller spaces

 

When the first Mini-ITX and Micro ATX motherboards for DDR4 are released, Vengeance LPX will be ready. The small form factor makes it ideal for smaller cases or any system where internal space is at a premium.

 

Available in multiple colors to match your motherboard or your system

 

The best high-performance systems look as good as they run. Vengeance LPX is available in several colors to match your motherboard, your other components, your case… or just your favorite color.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

Corsair is another top manufacturer which always brings to the table interesting products for us to review; with the coming of the Intel 100 Series motherboards, they have available two models of Vengeance LPX 2x16GB DDR4 memory kits, one 2400MHz C14 and one 2666MHz C16. Both kits are available in either black or red, in order to be able to accommodate a wide range of setups; the packaging style follows some of the characteristics we have seen in the past and on the top side we will get to see the total capacity of the kit, rated frequency, product name but also a small description:

 

 

 

On the back side we will get to see some more details on the kit, but also the product code name and serial number:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will get to see the two modules sitting in blister packaging, for additional protection:

 

 

 

Corsair has built this kit in a Low Profile format in order to avoid compatibility issues with large CPU heatsinks; the PCB is also black and fits in with the heatsink design just perfect. For increased overclocking capabilities, Corsair has built these modules with an eight-layer PCB:

 

 

 

The product logo is located in the central area and is also protected with a transparent plastic film:

 

 

 

The back side of the module is featuring a similar design heatsink, only that here we will get to see a sticker with the product code name, capacity, serial number, rated speed, timings, operating voltage and version number:

 

 

 

If we look on the top area of the heatsink we will be able to see how the two sides come together and in the middle we will be also able to spot a while Corsair logo:

 

 

 

Test Setup

 

CPU: Intel I5 6600K Retail

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14

Motherboard: BIOSTAR GAMING Z170X

RAM: Currently tested kit

Video: HIS 380X

Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W

SSD: OCZ Vector 150

Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840

 

The pre-programmed timings and frequencies can be also found by using AIDA64:

 

 

Right after confirming full stability thanks to Memtest86 in Windows at stock settings as before, we have dialed down in steps to 2133Mhz while keeping the same timings for comparison purposes. The overclocking stage was next so we first dialed the speed up to 3000MHz only to find out that the system was unstable; relaxing the timings did not help a bit even at 1.35V so we went down a notch to 2933MHz, while keeping the same voltage and stock timings; with these settings the system has proven rock-solid in Memtest86 so we did re-bench the machine in order to test out the new results. Here is the validation thanks to CPU-Z:

Validation

 

 

Test Results

 

Synthetic Benchmarks

 

SuperPI XS 1.5 2MB

 

wPrime 32M

 

 

Memory Bandwidth, Latency

 

AIDA64 Bandwidth

 

 

 

Cinebench R11 Rendering

 

Cinebench R15 Rendering

 

x264 Encoding

 

PCMark 8

 

 

 

Supporting the latest XMP 2.0 standard, this kit was designed to be fully compatible with the Intel X99 and 100 Series systems, while the 16GB modules are running at 2666MHz 16-18-18-35, while keeping low voltage of 1.2V. The LPX code name suggests that we are dealing with a low-profile kit, which assures good clearance with all large CPU heatsinks. As we have seen in our tests, the kit can also run at higher speeds than the rated one so we have succeeded to reach 2933MHz while keeping the stock timings, but the voltage needed a small bump at 1.35V.

 

Speaking of the low-profile heatsink (31mm module height), this one is made from pure aluminum which is allowing fast heat dissipation; even when overclocked, the modules continued to stay at a low temperature

 

For the moment, the 2x16GB DDR4 2666MHz C16 kit is available in two different colors (black and red) in order to match with our motherboard, other components, our case and so on.

 

The Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK32GX4M2A2666C16 32GB kit is available online for about 294 Euros. While the price of this kit is a little prohibitive, we are investing in a future-proof component and the extra memory can help when working with large video file projects, running multiple virtual machines at once, working with RAM drives and so on.

 

Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 2666MHz C16 Memory Kit is Recommended For:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Corsair for making this review possible!