Pros: Solid. Specs and performance for the asking price is good. Installed Windows 7 64-bit with both sticks in the motherboard and received no errors.
Cons: None.
Overall Review: Installed this in an MSI mini-ITX FM2-A75IA-E53 motherboard......for those looking for a good set of sticks that will work with that board.
Pros: Rebate
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On QVL of MSI P67A-G43 (B3) MS-7673 (v2.x) mainboard
Cons: None yet
Overall Review: I was having problems with a famous brand that were persistent yet intermittent. I still like there mem a lot but needed more stability. This memory installed easily into the board while the other famous makers was difficult. Perhaps that was the whole issue
Pros: Gives you the 16GB upgrade option if you only have 2 slots, the stick I received worked fine.
Cons: I purchased this by mistake, not noticing that it was a single stick. It's a con only because I didn't expect Corsair to be selling them this way and didn't look at the details.
Overall Review: I know matching RAM for Dual Channel isn't that difficult, but I wouldn't do it unless I had to (e.g. an upgrade for someone who already had one stick installed). I have almost always ordered a dual channel kit so there isn't the guesswork/homework.
Some important things to think about10/15/2010 9:35:36 AM
Pros: Fast RAM. Stable. I've ordered three sets of these for various builds, and all have worked beautifully.
Cons: This isn't really a con, but it is something to be aware of. By default I've noticed that most DDR3 doesn't run at it's advertised speed by default but rather that it is certified to run at those speeds. There are two ways to do this either via the the XMP profile (similar to EPP) or by manually setting the timings. I've done it both ways.
As you know, the memory controller is now on die for the Core i3/5/7 processors as well as AMD processors. This means that certain CPUs will handle certain speeds while others will not. The Core i7 can handle up to 1600 speeds without overclocking, while the Core i5 can handle up to 1333. There's a long and lengthly explanation as to why this is, but I won't go into it for now.
By using the XMP profile on the Core i7 I had no issues. On the Core i5 however I had to set the timings manually. I'm not sure why as it is 1333 memory which is within spec of the Core i5. However, setting the timings manaully works just fine. (continued below)
Overall Review: I later learned however that while the memory does indeed run faster when using XMP certain features of the CPU are disable such as TurboBoost. It's because of that I'm recommending that memory timings be set by hand. Now, also something to think about is that the difference in memory speeds in real world benchmarks (in other words, applications you will use every day) doesn't really make a whole lot of difference between using 1333 or 1600 especially if the timings are looser. Save some money and get this RAM. No reason to buy faster RAM when it's going to cost a lot more for very little gains (unless you are overclocking I supposed and the timings are SUPER tight). Take the money you'd spend on the extra RAM and get the better processor or video card or hard drive. You'll be glad you did!
Pros: It does what it says (couldn't get mine to work due to faulty motherboard/incompatibility)
Cons: Had to return for refund and get G.Skill of the same. (8gb ddr3 1333mhz CAS9)
Overall Review: Nothing against corsair, love their products. just sad i had to return when these fit perfect with my corsair a70.