Corsair Memory CMX8GX3M2A1600C9 XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory 1.65V

Fast, stable, reliable, durable, you can't beat what you get in this ram. I have pushed this with hungry software and it stands up like a champ and screams "give me more!". Easy to install like any other memory card, just slide and clip them in. You just can't beat Corsair. Well worth the value!

I installed four (two pairs) of these DDR3 memory modules in one of my home-built computers (for a total of 8 GB). They have operated flawlessly for two years. For the 8 GB kit, see: Corsair XMS3 8 GB (2 x 4GB) 1333 MHz PC3-10666 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 . Make sure and certain your computer's motherboard uses DDR3 memory. Before you order memory modules, you should review the webpage and "User Guide" for your motherboard. For example, the ASUS website provides a “Qualified Vendor Lists” (QVL) of compatible memory for the motherboard I used in this build. Your motherboard's vendor may have a similar list. If you purchased a ready-built computer, then look on the manufacturer's website to verify that you are purchasing the correct memory, or give them a call. My computer's motherboard requires DDR3 dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), installed in "matched sets" for "dual channel" function. My motherboard's "User Guide" recommends installing DIMMs from the same vendor, with the same CAS latency, and of the same version or date code (D/C). Therefore, it may be best to install all memory at once (in the initial build) instead of waiting to add more memory at some future date (although I have never had a problem doing that). Please note: If you are only installing two DIMMS, you may need to install them in only two specific slots on the mother board (i.e., you can't just install them in any two slots). Check the "User Guide" for your motherboard to ensure that you are inserting the DIMMs in the correct slots. Since I filled all four memory slots on the motherboard this was not a concern for me. No matter how much physical memory you install, your copy of the Windows operating system may limit how much memory your computer can use. The 32 bit versions of Windows can only address a maximum of 4 GB of memory, with only (about) 3.5 GB of that usable. Windows 7 or Windows Vista Home Premium can only use 16 GB; Windows 7 or Windows Vista Home Basic can only use 8 GB. Memory limits are not an issue with later versions of Windows. I recommend that you run a memory test on your newly-installed memory. I used Memtest86+ (it's free). Extract the image (iso) file from the ZIP file, and then create a bootable CD by burning disc from image (do NOT copy the iso file to CD, burn disc from image). I ran this memory test prior to loading the operating system.

UPDATE, June 30, 2010 I keep amending this review, and the heck with those that give me consequence from doing it, I am going to tell my loyal Amazon readers the truth, and the rest I could care less about honestly. It's not that I hate this RAM, but it seems to be failing at every opportunity that I give it, and I have given it three (3) opportunities to perform for me in my OEM PC build, and dang, dang if it hasn't failed yet again. That is correct dear readers, don't despair, Wavey Davey is here to tell you the facts, and here we go again. Last month, once again I started getting random crashes and BSOD's (BlueScreenofDeaths) in PC No.2, where this RAM inhabits the DIMM receptacles, and I couldn't explain it so I just watched things closely for a couple days, which led into a couple weeks of adjusting, figuring out what was going on, and you know it wasn't anything to do with my CPU, my TIM placement and its sustainability, it had nothing to do with my CPU, nothing to do with my build or how things were going with my fans, nothing at all...it was this God Danged RAM AGAIN! When I backed things down to about 4Ghz instead of running @ 4210Mhz (4.2Ghz), turned the RAM off and out of the equation pretty much by adjusting the SODIMM Ratio to 2:6 instead of the normal 2:8 Ratio for 1600Mhz RAM like this stuff is supposed to be, well the long and short of it? I was still getting random crashes, BSOD's, and Dang It there could only be one cause, and that is failed RAM once again! Today I got another RMA handled from Corsair company, that is true, I recited all of the litany of things that I had done to try and "fix" my PC to work correctly, and when none of that worked I tried RAM tests, I used Memtest and Windows RAM tests both, and dang if this RAM didn't fail both tests miserably once again! Dang Dang Dang I was pissed about it, too! You have no idea how frustrating it can be to build a perfect little OEM PC, have it performing 100% at its peak of performance @ 4.2Ghz at a very respectable overclocking and at good temps too, just barely cresting 70-degrees Celsius during the hot day, and doing you right down to the 60's at night, well then...you know what I am writing? It is discouraging to do all of that and once again be faced with an RMA with the RAM that you had put your faith into, this being the 3rd Time that this RAM has failed! That is just 3 times too many for my taste, and I don't like it, and I am not going to just sit here and meekly send in my RAM to Corsair once again and not say anything about it! Listen I bought 12GB of G. Skill RAM at about the same time I bought this Corsair RAM last year, back last summer in June/July because they were both on sale, the G. Skill RAM being on sale at another retailer that you all know and love, and this Corsair being on sale here at Amazon.com. And guess which RAM has survived through thick and thin, through build after build, and heat, and hot, and hard times and good times, yessir, the G. Skill RAM has continued to work 100% all of the time, has never given me a single itty bitty bit of a problem. Meanwhile the Corsair RAM has failed 3 times, and guess what has gone into the PC with the failed Corsair RAM while the Corsair RAM gets RMA'd? Right, the G. Skill RAM, that is what goes into the poor little failed PC without any RAM while the Corsair RAM gets RMA'd again, while Corsair gives me yet another batch of this dang DDR3 "XMS3" RAM of theirs, and I once again try to get the PC to function 100% with it installed. The G. Skill RAM to me has no equal, it's the good stuff, while this Corsair RAM has been nothing but problems for me over and over again...go figure! That is what I am writing about tonight dear readers, and my update is simply this: FAILED AGAIN, the Corsair RAM is going back for yet another RMA to Corsair company, and they will replace it again for me, this being the 3rd time it has happened, and I will try once again with the new batch to keep my PC lit and functioning 100%, and Goodness Gracious people, let's hope that this time it works longer than 3 months, 6 months, let's just hope that it works 100% and I don't have to update this review yet again with another failure story! That is my update tonight, and for Corsair's sake, and for my PC's sake, let's hope that the 3rd time is the charm! Let's hope that the Corsair RAM functions like I paid for it to function, and that I don't have to repeat myself again about another failure down the road, that it just works this time, thank you for reading--my faith is like yours: I only have it because Corsair made this RAM with a Lifetime Warranty, and I hate to continue to have to use the Warranty, you know that? Wavey Davey - 6-30-2010 UPDATE, Dec 27, 2009 One or more of the DIMMs has failed, and they are going to Corsair on an RMA Ticket that was "instantly approved" yesterday, and I mean within 15 minutes of my submitting the trouble ticket, I got back an email with an RMA#...it was very, very fast! I am sorry to have to report this sad fact, but I suspected trouble 2 weeks ago when I started getting incomplete WU's in Folding@home, many in a row...so I tried a LinX 0.6.3 stability test, and couldn't get past 2 cycles, Red ERROR message three times in a row. Hmmm, I thought...try MemTest and see what happens. So that was next, and instantly the SDRAM started throwing error after error, the RAM would not complete a cycle at all...it failed MemTest, test after test. Bummer! Sadly this is the 2nd set of Corsair RAM I have had to RMA, both sets purchased here at Amazon.com. The replacement set on the Dominator RAM (12GB) was stellar, no issues with that...so here's hoping that when Corsair replaces this set that it will also be exceptional RAM, not something that fails in such a short time. After all, I was running this RAM for less than 3 months when it failed, albeit at a stout overclocking of 4210Mhz @ 1.65V VDIMM, 1.3V QPI PLL VCore, 1.3V IOH PLL VCore, nothing really stressful on the RAM, and BAM! Failure of at least one of the DIMMs, so back it all goes. I will report again here after the RMA is completed, and I check out what I get back.-Wavey Davey - 12-27-2009 UPDATE - 1/10/2010 Corsair RMA Dept sent me some super-nice XMS3 SDRAM in exchange for the 3 x 2GB set that I RMA'd to them on 12/26/2009. All 3 DIMMs have the identical coding on them: "09520481" which matches the coding on the box's part number sticker, so these have been individually matched as a set by Corsair, a very, very good thing! In addition the box has a special splash at the top where it is written, with a big check mark: "Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition"...which the previous set did not have on the box, another good thing from Corsair. I have had them installed since Tuesday Jan 5, and they are working great with my overclocked (4210Mhz 24/7) 2nd rig, which is principally a Folding@Home machine, though I'll use it for work if my No.1 rig is tied up with something important and can't be interrupted. I have the RAM set in BIOS at the identical settings as before--just like the 1st set, and the PC has been running smooth ever since I installed them, no crashes, no problems, just a fine running PC. I don't know how much better than the 1st set these are, but it's apparent that they are more stable and running strong. I'll report back here if anything changes in the long run, but so far so good. Corsair RMA Dept gets a big Thumb's Up for sending me this RAM, all matched and ready to rock straight out of the box! I have been running this Corsair DDR3 SDRAM for almost a 6 weeks in a new PC build I put together in October 2009, and so far so good. The timing is pretty relaxed @ 9-9-9-24 Clocks from the factory people at Corsair. I have it set, for my complete specs, @ 9-9-9-24-74 1T Clocks, @ 1.65V VDIMM in BIOS, with my QPI PLL VCore set @ 1.300V since I am over-volting the RAM somewhat. In addition I am running a 58% overclock on the CPU, up to 4210Mhz from 2.66Ghz OEM Box Stock, which is a sort of "normal overclock" for a good running Core i7 920 CPU like I have in the build... specifically it's a Batch# 3849B202 CPU, made in late April at the Costa Rica Intel CPU factory there! There, now you have all my secrets, hah-hah! Well, just kidding about the secrets, it's just that I have never disclosed this build's inner workings to anyone yet, so it's an Amazon.com 1st Run Production I guess, to be showcasing my Core i7 920 CPU build with this great Corsair SDRAM on board! More of the build, it's got an EVGA BL-132-x758-A1 motherboard, from here also, and it's running an ancient BIOS, I think it's all the way back to May, 2009, yes, it is! Anyway, it's stable for me, so go figure, and I'm not changing it for anyone at this point. The SDRAM is running great though @ that lofty 4210Mhz overclocking, and I am going no further there, so don't ask me about the BIOS settings, because I'm not telling anybody what *those are*! I haven't asked too much of the SDRAM yet, even though it's rated @ 1600Mhz you never know about those things until you push it, and the SDRAM is being pushed to the tune of 1608Mhz presently, a little tiny overclocking, running @ 2:8 to 1 Command Ratio, but so far SO GOOD! Sometimes RAM isn't even as good as its rating, but this stuff peaks well @ 1608Mhz, and has given me zero trouble so far. I haven't had to run any tests on the SDRAM yet, other than the normal stability tests of running LinX 0.6.3 for 10X iterations for starters, then a longer iteration of 20X so I could put the build into the EVGA Stability i7 Club, which is a good thing to do if you have an EVGA motherboard and are a good enough builder to run the rig @ 4Ghz or higher overclocking, as I have demonstrated that the rig is indeed stable there @ 4210Mhz...so into the Club it went, this humble Amazon.com parts pieces build. In fact, the only thing I didn't get for this build from Amazon.com is the video card, and that's a BFG GTX 285 OC 1GB Video Card, which I scored elsewhere...you really don't want to know that source, and Amazon.com would probably censor it anyway. That's the story on the nice Corsair SDRAM that I sourced here at Amazon.com, it's an excellent buy at less than $150 for a 3 x 2GB=6GB matched set...and it works great, honestly it does! I am not putting the build on the David Letterman Show, Tonight, am I? Nope, didn't think so...thus it has some bargain basement SDRAM from here that works a treat, yes it does! Wavey Davey - Dec.1, 2009

Io ho acquistato queste ram per potenziare il mio pc un po' datato. Montate su una scheda madre Asus P8B75-V con processore intel i-5 e con già due banchi di memoria da 2Gb per un totale di 4Gb. Sfruttando i 4 slot della scheda (è una dual channel) ho aggiunto la ram acquistata a quella già presente (simile a questa acquistata, ma di capacità inferiore), raggiungendo un totale di 12Gb di memoria Ram. Una volta inserite sono state riconosciute automaticamente e senza problemi. Controllando sia dal bios e sia con un altro software di monitoraggio, la memoria disponibile è assolutamente quella dichiarata dal costruttore, anzi mi sono trovato qualcosina in più. Nell'utilizzo normale si vedono subito i vantaggi di avere più Ram a disposizione, il pc è più veloce e fluido. Con poca spesa e una operazione che richiede pochi minuti, si rivitalizza il pc un po' anzianotto con un ottimo prodotto.

Nice RAM no issues

Le due dimm da 2GB l'una, arrivano in un imballo che offre protezione più che adeguata e di facile apertura, la qualità che ne risulta alla vista è alta. Sono dotate di un dissipatore passivo senza grossi fronzoli ma che fa il suo lavoro nella maniera corretta. La qualità delle dimm e' elevata. Le ho montate (senza nessun problema di assemblaggio) su una motherboard per piattaforma Intel Ivy-Bridge, occorre in questo caso (contrariamente a quanto accada per piattaforme un minimo più datate come la sandy-bridge) settare via BIOS la velocità a 1600Mhz in quanto di base (via spd chip) sono settate a 1333Mhz. A livello di tensione di alimentazione sono in automatico messe a 1.65V. Dal sito del produttore si vede che sono testate fino a 2000Mhz quindi volendo tentarne l'overclock dovrebbero (condizionale d'obbligo) reggere discrete velocità. Credo possano funzionare egregiamente anche a 1.5V (ammesso che da BIOS possiate fare tale scelta). Utilizzate ad oggi da due settimane su un sistema da videogiocatore senza nessun problema o blocco sistema in nessuna condizione di utilizzo. Personalmente mi ritengo soddisfatto della scelta effettuata. L'unica nota è considerare forse altri prodotti in caso di sistemi con obiettivo overclock estremo.

Le memorie vanno benissimo, messe, acceso, funzinonanti. Sono costruite bene ed accupano il minimo spazio, le temperature non sono elevate, ma ho anche ventoline dedicate nel case. Ho spinto un pò di frequenza senza nessun problema, per ora non troppo, devo concludere un'attività e non posso avere blocchi di sistema.

Hallo, für die Aufrüstung des PCs meiner Schwester habe ich hier diesen Artikel bestellt und möchte meine Erfahrungen damit bekanntgeben. Ich habe Donnerstag Abend um 23:15 den Artikel bestellt. Freitag gegen 15:20 kam bereits die Versandbestätigung und schon Samstag vormittag lag der Arbeitsspeicher in meinem Briefkasten. Nur 36 Stunden zwischen Bestellung und Lieferung - Traumhaft! Der Einbau war sehr einfach, die RAM-Riegel nehmen auch nicht viel Platz weg. Außerdem sehen die Komponenten sehr hochwertig aus in Schwarz mit den Silberstreifen (auch wenn man das im Gehäuse nicht sieht). Der PC ließ sich nach dem Einbau problemlos hochfahren. Allerdings musste ich - wie viele andere Rezensenten auch - im Boot-Menü den Speichertakt manuell anpassen (ASRock N68C-S UCC) was aber wirklich keine Schwierigkeit ist. In meinem eigenen Rechner verwende ich seit mittlerweile 17 Monaten den gleichen Arbeitsspeicher. Bisher traten noch keine Probleme auf (im System mit Intel i7 2600K, GTX570, Windows7). Man hat also wirklich lange Freude an diesem Top Produkt zu einem angemessenen Preis. Von mir gibt es daher eine klare Kaufempfehlung und 5 Sterne! MfG Robert