A Closer Look:

   It's time to take a close-up look at the Corsair Twin2X2048-8500C5.

   One thing I found particularly interesting was Corsairs decision to use, what amounts to, 'stickers' on this memory. They are one-piece, full length stickers on both sides. Stickers do not "breathe" very well and you'd think with this being the "world's fastest production memory", and damn near most expensive ($454 USD), Corsair would've opted for something more distinctive. Unfortunately this memory kit looks pretty much exactly like the rest of the XMS2 memory line.

   Having recently reviewed the OCZ PC2-8000, and it's very unique chromed and meshed heat spreaders, maybe I'm a little harder to impress these day. Honestly with the price and specs of this new memory, it should be 100% copper heatspreaders with embossed logo's and somehow scientifically 'fused' to the memory chips >:) Ahh well, that's just my opinion. Although they are quite purple, so having them standout in the rest of the hardware won't be a problem.

   One last note about the Corsair supplied heatspreaders, they are two piece with a very small gap on the top. Possibly to help any trapped heat escape. However, I've been running them 24/7 for 5 days now and they're not even warm to the touch.

Installation:

   Installing the Corsair Twin2X2048-8500C5 is just like any other memory: Very Carefully! It's such a simple process that it's easy to do it wrong. Corsair includes a nice little instruction sheet built-in to the inside packaging of the memory so I won't get into it too much.

   The other main issue you want to be aware of is the memory configuration. This, like most newer memory, is dual channel memory and needs to be installed in the correct slots using the correct configuration according to your particular motherboards design. Consult your motherboard manual for more detailed instructions on installing your new memory in the right way.

   I'll be using the ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe as my test platform and here's some pictures on how I have it installed. You'll notice I have it in the yellow slots in one picture and the black slots in the other picture. Both are correct as they are both "channels" for a dual channel configuration.