Wary of deceptive ad claims about RAM speeds
Wary of deceptive ad claims about RAM speeds
Hey, I did this just to check what IC the RAM was using. I bought a set of Corsair LPX high-performance RAM last week during a sale—16*2 GB for under 50 euros, which seems fair. I installed it today and checked the version; it’s V3.44 if you need the details. The chips are Micron E type as expected, but there’s an issue: this particular batch has low quality. It claims a base speed of 2133 MHz, but won’t actually reach 3600 MHz. The advertised 3200 MHz C16 speed is an XMP setting, and forcing it down to C14 caused many errors during a TM5 test. Notably, it would crash with IRQL_LESS_OR_EQUAL when I opened Windows at a precise timing of 3733 MHz (the same setting used on another Hyundai CJR-XNC 8+8). Summary: Proceed with caution when speeds appear like 3200 MHz but are actually around 2133 MHz XMP’d to 3200.
It differs from the typical E die in several ways. Micron developed two variants—8Gb and 16Gb. The 8Gb Rev E model consistently achieves speeds above 4800. The 16Gb Rev E tends to perform poorly, averaging around 3200 CL16. The specific model you receive is identified by its first four digits, which indicate the die density; for example, version 3.34 points to the 8Gb Rev E. Overclocking potential varies widely, from 3200 CL16 to up to 4800 CL15 depending on the memory IC. It’s not misleading because it still meets advertised capabilities. However, its limited overclocking ability remains a point of concern, especially since most users don’t typically attempt RAM overclocking.
The issue lies in the frequency value of 2133Mhz, which doesn't match typical JEDEC standards for RAM speeds around 3000Mhz or higher.
JEDEC represents the expected RAM speed. Anything higher than JEDEC indicates overclocking and isn't assured. Features like XMP, Expo, DOCP are all claimed by manufacturers as effective overclocking options. That’s essentially what they say. I believe this approach is confusing and potentially misleading, yet it’s common in marketing.