Corsair Vengeance vs Dominator: Which RAM Kit is Best for Gaming?

Corsair offers some of the most popular RAM for gaming PC builds. While there are great RAM kits from other manufacturers on the market, many gamers choose to opt only for Corsair. In which case, comparing different Corsair RAM kits might be a good starting point for deciding on your PC’s memory.

Which RAM kit you choose for your build doesn’t just come down to its DDR generation, capacity, and speed, either. There are many other things to consider when deciding how to choose RAM for your system.

Corsair’s Vengeance and Dominator RAM kits might offer similar options for base memory specs, but latencies, aesthetics, and general performance can set them apart.

If you’re set on having Corsair RAM in your build, deciding between Vengeance and Dominator sticks can help you narrow down your PC memory options.

What is Vengeance and Dominator Platinum RAM?

Vengeance and Dominator Platinum are the names of two ranges of Corsair RAM kit. Both are popular choices of system memory for PC gamers.

Dominator RAM is marketed as being the company’s flagship, high-end RAM, while Vengeance kits are marketed for the midrange.

The Dominator Platinum range is supposed to be for enthusiasts as it should host better-binned memory chips with top-class cooling that can handle higher overclocks, while the Vengeance range is supposed to host standard kits that aren’t as capable of overclocking. Dominator kits usually more expensive than respective Vengeance ones.

Corsair Vengeance vs Vengeance Pro RAM

If you want Corsair Vengeance RAM, you’re likely looking at either Corsair Vengeance LPX or Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro kits. These are the most common Vengeance kits.

Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM kits are ‘low profile’, meaning they’re shorter than their RGB Pro counterparts. Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro RAM, on the other hand, has RGB lighting and is taller than Vengeance LPX RAM. For this reason, it’s the more expensive option.

Apart from these aesthetic differences, the ranges are the same. You should be able to find corresponding LPX and RGB Pro kits with the same exact specs, where the only difference is RGB lighting and form factor.

Apart from Vengeance LPX and RGB Pro, Corsair has recently introduced its Vengeance RT and RS sub-ranges. Again, the main differences are aesthetic ones: RT and RS kits have RGB lighting but are shorter than RGB Pro kits. RT kits are said to be optimised for AMD systems, and RS kits optimised for Intel systems. RT kits also offer more RGB LEDs per DIMM than RS kits.

Performance: Vengeance vs Dominator RAM

Most of the time you’ll be able to find Corsair Vengeance and Dominator Platinum RAM kits that offer the same core specs — DDR generation, capacity, clock speed, and CAS latency timings. For instance, you can pick up both Vengeance and Dominator kits of 2x8GB DRR4 RAM at 3,200MHz with C16 latency.

There also seems to be little way of predicting which range will offer the fastest RAM in each DDR generation. For instance, while one might expect the flagship Dominator Platinum range to host the fastest 2x8GB DDR4 kit, in fact Vengeance LPX hosts the fastest one at 5,133MHz.

Looking across the entire ranges, any general differences in performance between Dominator Platinum and Vengeance RAM kits will likely come down to individual chip and cooling quality differences.

While generalising across the entire range is difficult, Dominator Platinum RAM kits should be more likely to be capable of slightly better performance than their Vengeance counterparts.

Dominator Platinum kits’ memory chips have been hand-picked, meaning they’ve been binned as the best-performing ones out of their batches. Because Dominator kits are flagship products, Corsair also fits them with top notch heat spreaders to keep them running cool at higher frequencies and voltages.

This doesn’t mean a Dominator Platinum kit will perform better than a Vengeance kit at stock settings, however. At stock settings, you likely won’t notice a difference between the two at all if they share the same base specs. But the hand-picked chips and top-tier cooling of Dominator DIMMs should, in theory, allow for easier overclocking.

If you’re set on overclocking your RAM far beyond the usual XMP switch-flick, however, you’ll likely care less about whether you have Vengeance or Dominator kit and more about whether your RAM boasts Samsung B-die or Micron E-die — something the RAM’s brand alone can’t tell you.

In short, while Corsair Dominator Platinum kits will likely have a higher performance cap than Vengeance ones, in terms of real-world performance, there shouldn’t be much difference.

Aesthetics: Vengeance vs Dominator RAM

While performance differences are only likely to be a big deal for enthusiast overclockers, aesthetic differences might be more of a deal for everyone. Dominator looks completely different to Vengeance RAM, and, in fact, many Vengeance ranges look completely different to other Vengeance ranges.

Height

Probably the first thing you should consider regarding the design of Vengeance and Dominator RAM kits is how tall they are. If your RAM is too tall for your system, it might prevent you from seating your CPU cooler.

Both DDR4 and DDR5 Dominator Platinum kits are taller than any Vengeance kit — but Vengeance RGB Pro and Vengeance LED RAM comes close. The shortest RAM is Vengeance LPX and Vengeance DDR5.

Design

Dominator Platinum RAM is quite blocky, featuring a tall, squared body with a panel for RGB lighting running across the top.

Vengeance LPX RAM is quite understated, with subtle vertical columns highlighting its matte body.

Vengeance RGB Pro RAM matches the Dominator’s distinct, showy charm, with RGB lighting running across the top and its body moulding into a V shape midway down. (RGB Pro SL RAM is the same, but shorter.)

Vengeance RGB RT and Vengeance RGB RS RAM is more understated than its RGB Pro predecessors. It’s the same height as the Pro SL, but less of its body is taken up by the RGB strip at the top, and the V on its body is less protrusive and is more defined by a grey-on-grey contrast.

RGB Lighting

Both Corsair’s Vengeance and Dominator Platinum ranges offer RGB lighting on some of their kits. Dominator kits are traditionally seen as the go-to Corsair RGB option, but Vengeance’s RGB isn’t lacking, especially since the addition of its RGB RS and RGB RT ranges.

Standard Vengeance, Vengeance LPX, Vengeance LED, and Dominator Platinum kits don’t offer RGB (Vengeance LED offers lighting, but not adjustable RGB lighting). All the rest do, however.

On paper, Dominator Platinum kits have the advantage. They come with 12 individually addressable Capellix RGB LEDs which shine brightly, and you can apply a range of effects to them in Corsair’s iCUE software.

Off paper, however, many gamers prefer Vengeance lighting to Dominator lighting. This is especially the case since the addition of the Vengeance RGB RT range, which has ten LEDs per DIMM (the RGB RS range has only six) and looks great if you prefer something a little more understated but no less impressive.

Ultimately, which RAM kit looks best is a matter of personal preference. Dominator Platinum RGB, Vengeance RGB Pro, and Vengeance RGB RT kits all offer top-quality RGB lighting. The choice between these three will therefore likely come down to how you rate their overall designs.

Is Corsair Vengeance or Dominator RAM Best for Gaming?

Corsair offers some of the most popular RAM for PC gamers, from both its Vengeance and Dominator Platinum ranges.

Dominator RAM is marketed towards enthusiasts, because its memory chips are hand-picked for quality, and it offers great cooling. Vengeance RAM is marketed towards the midrange but can in fact boast the best out-of-the-box speeds.

If you want more of a guarantee that you’re getting RAM that not only has all the specs on paper but has also been validated for best-in-batch quality, then you should opt for Dominator RAM. If you’re willing to pay the extra cost for it, that is.

Unless you’re an enthusiast overclocker, however, you likely won’t notice a performance difference between comparable Vengeance and Dominator RAM kits. In which case, you might be better saving your money and opting for a speedy Vengeance kit.

Ultimately, what might sway your decision is the RAM’s design and aesthetics. If you want something bold and blocky with plenty of RGB to boot, a Dominator kit should serve you well.

If you prefer a more angular design with RGB lighting, a Vengeance RGB Pro kit might suit you better. And if Vengeance RGB Pro RAM is a little too overstated, you could try a newer, shorter Vengeance RGB RT or RGB RS kit.

Finally, if you don’t care much for RGB and flashy designs, you could opt for a standard Corsair Vengeance or Vengeance LPX RAM kit. Vengeance LPX and Vengeance DDR5 kits also have the benefit of being short enough that they should fit alongside just about any CPU cooler.