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Why do we need DDR4?
There are four major reasons why DDR4 is set to replace DDR3: it's capable of hitting faster speeds, it's
capable of hitting higher densities (16GB DIMMs are expected in 2015), it has improved error correction
built into the baseline specification, and it consumes less power for equivalent or better performance
than DDR3. In short, while DDR3 is butting up against its limitations today, DDR4 still has a tremendous
amount of room to scale.
Does DDR4 have XMP?
Yes! We have been working hard with all major motherboard vendors to ensure compatibility
with our high speed DDR4 memory, and that includes XMP. DDR4 employs a new
specification, XMP 2.0, while DDR3 remains on XMP 1.3.
How does XMP work on DDR4?
Very similarly to DDR3, but with some caveats. For starters, Haswell-E tops out at a 2666MHz
memory strap, which is very low for what DDR4 can do. Since XMP specifies speeds in excess
of 2666MHz, your motherboard BIOS has to compensate somehow. Typically, when XMP tells
the motherboard to use a higher memory speed than 2666MHz, the motherboard BIOS will
bump the BClk strap from 100MHz to 125MHz. That's normal, but that change will also increase
the clock speed of the CPU itself; a well-designed BIOS will compensate and bring the CPU
clock speed in line.
Where can I learn more about DDR4?
We’ve authored a whitepaper that provides a much more detailed examination of this new
memory technology. You can find it here.
Why am I encountering stability issues with XMP?
While we've been working around the clock with motherboard vendors to maximize
compatibility and performance, these technologies are all very new. If you have trouble with
stability using either XMP profile, we recommend either manually entering the speed and
timings the DDR4 is rated for or running your memory at its default speeds until your
motherboard vendor provides a BIOS update to improve stability.
Why are there two XMP profiles on my Corsair DDR4?
We include a pair of XMP profiles instead of just one for users who want to control how much
power is consumed by the memory. The first XMP profile runs the DDR4 at its specification of
1.2V, while the second offers a higher speed at the cost of bumping the voltage to 1.35V. The

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