Frequently Asked Questions

Top Questions

• Windows 7 64-bit says that I have 24GB/16GB amount of memory installed but only 2GB/8GB/16GB available?

  The amount of memory which is usable by Windows 7 depends on your specific version. Here is a link to Microsoft's explanation: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

   

  Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64
  Windows 7 Ultimate	4 GB	192 GB
  Windows 7 Enterprise	4 GB	192 GB
  Windows 7 Professional	4 GB	192 GB
  Windows 7 Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
  Windows 7 Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
  Windows 7 Starter	2 GB	2 GB

• How Tall is My Corsair Memory Module?

  Corsair offers 4 heat spreader options for enthusiast memory; XMS Classic, Vengeance LP, Vengeance, and Dominator.

   

  XMS Classic

  

   

   Vengeance LP

   

  Vengeance

  

   

   

  Dominator/Dominator GT

  

   

   * Dominator/Dominator GT modules are 1.7 inches/43mm tall with the top cooling fin removed.

• Which Corsair Memory modules will be compatible with my computer/motherboard/laptop?

  You can look up your system or motherboard compatibility by using our Memory Configurator. Click here to use this utility.

• Which memory should I use with my AMD Phenom II CPU?

  The Phenom II CPU is designed for the AMD AM3 Socket and supports dual channel DDR3 memory configurations.  You can find memory designed and tested to run with the AMD Phenom II here, or you can look up your motherboard on our Memory Configurator to get specific memory recommendations for your motherboard.

• Which memory should I use with my Intel Core i3 CPU?

  The Intel Core i3 CPU is designed for Intel Socket LGA1156 and supports dual channel DDR3 memory configurations.  You can find memory designed and tested to run with the Core i3 here, or you can look up your motherboard on our Memory Configurator to get specific memory recommendations for your motherboard.

• Which memory should I use with my Intel Core i5 CPU?

  The Intel Core i5 CPU is designed for Intel Socket LGA1156 and supports dual channel DDR3 memory configurations.  You can find memory designed and tested to run with the Core i5 here, or you can look up your motherboard on our Memory Configurator to get specific memory recommendations for your motherboard.

• Which memory should I use with my Intel Core i7 CPU?

  The Intel Core i7 CPU has two different versions.  The is the i7-800 series and the i7-900 series.  The i7-800 series is designed for Intel Socket 1156 and supports dual channel memory configurations.  The i7-900 series is designed for Intel Socket LGA1366 and supports dual and triple channel DDR3 memory configurations.  You can find memory designed and tested to run with the Core i7 here, or you can look up your motherboard on our Memory Configurator to get specific memory recommendations for your motherboard.

• Can I use a triple channel memory kit on a dual channel system?

  Absolutely, but we can’t make any guarantees as to the performance of tri-channel modules in a dual channel system as they’re not tested in this manner.

• I have an X58 motherboard and my memory is not being fully detected, what’s going on?

  The first thing to check is to make sure each memory module is detected properly when installed individually in the system.  If you only have detection problems when using more than a single module then you may need to make some adjustments to the settings in the BIOS.  Here is a link to our forum which should help you resolve the issue.

• What is XMP?

  XMP is a feature of most current motherboards using an Intel chipset (X58, P55, etc.) which allows for simple overclocking of your memory.  Overclocked memory modules often must be manually configured in your BIOS in order to achieve the overclocked settings.  A memory module which supports XMP (eXtreme Memory Profile) allows you to simply enable XMP mode in the BIOS which would then automatically configure your memory settings for the correct voltage, speed and latency values.

  Please contact your motherboard manufacturer to see if your motherboard supports XMP.

• Which Corsair Memory modules will work with my existing modules?

  We strongly recommend matching the module part number as closely as possible in order to ensure the greatest chance of compatibility. Even if you match part numbers properly, we can’t make guarantees as to their performance as the modules weren’t tested together.  Also be aware that when using two kits of memory together, you may need to reduce the speed of the memory due to motherboard chipset limitations.

• I’m getting a blue screen/system hang/no post/reboots after installing my Corsair Memory.

  Please make sure your modules are set up properly in BIOS. You can find speed, latency and voltage settings directly on the memory label, or on our website under the "Tech Specs" tab for your type of memory. 
  
  If your modules are still giving you problems after setting voltage, timings and speed manually, you will need to test the modules one at a time using memtest from www.memtest.org.

  For more information on how to use Memtest86, please view this How To Use Memtest86 presentation.

• How do I use memtest?

  There’s a readme.txt file included in the package you download from memtest.org which will explain how to setup the program. We recommend using the default test on each module for two to three passes. This will take a while but it gives the modules the best opportunity to fail.

  For more information on how to use Memtest86, please view this How To Use Memtest86 presentation.

• What are the settings for my Corsair Memory modules?

  The timings, voltage and speed for your modules can be found on directly on the memory label, or on our website under the "Tech Specs" tab for your type of memory.

• I have 4GB of Corsair Memory (or more) installed on my machine but I see less than that in my operating system.

  This is a limitation of a 32-bit operating system. In Windows, the Windows memory manager is limited to a 4 GB physical address space. Most of that address space is filled with RAM, but not all of it. Memory-mapped devices (such as your video card) will use some of that physical address space, as will the BIOS ROMs. After all the non-memory devices have had their say, there will be less than 4GB of address space available for RAM below the 4GB physical address boundary.
  
  MacOS X Tiger and Leopard are both 64-bit operating systems and will not experience this problem. Neither will 64-bit versions of Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7.

• How do I properly install my Corsair Dominator Airflow fan?

  We have an excellent video illustrating the step by step process for installing the Dominator Airflow Fan on our Youtube page.

• Why won't multiple GTX modules run at their rated speed when running in dual or triple channel?

  These modules are sold as single modules and are only tested and guaranteed as single modules at the rated speeds. You can purchase more than one and use them in a dual or tri channel configuration's but in most cases you would need to lower the memory frequency to keep the system stable.  The more memory modules you have installed on any motherboard, the lower your overclocking results will be, due to the increased loading on the board.

• I purchased a set of memory and I noticed the timings set in the modules SPD is not set the tested spec of the modules; why not?

  The tested settings of any given part would normally need to be set manually and the modules SPD will be set to JEDEC standard for the specific part so they will post on any system with default voltage.