Corsair XMS Xpert RAM
The DIMMs & The Dashboard
Without their unique LED displays installed, Corsair's XMS Xpert memory modules look much like many other types of high-performance RAM, except for the oversized aluminum heat-spreaders and a series of pins that are exposed along their top edges...
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However, with the LED displays installed, there's currently nothing else on the market that even looks remotely similar. As you can see in the images above, when the LED display is installed, it runs the entire length of the memory module and has large, very readable characters. The scrolling read-out is flanked on either side by a lighted version of Corsair's sailboat logo, and on one side by a series of blinking activity LEDs, reminiscent of their Pro modules. The LED display overhangs the module by about 1/4" on one side, but there is enough room underneath to fit a standard sized DIMM. So, should you want to populate 4 DIMM slots on your motherboard, two with Xpert DIMMs and two with standards DIMMs, you should have no trouble getting them to fit.
We should note that the heat-spreaders used on the XMS Xpert memory, are relatively large, and somewhat thicker than the standard flat heat-spreaders found on most other brands of RAM. With some motherboards, like Gigabyte's K8NXP-SLI for example, that don't have some extra room between their DIMM slots, these module may not fit in a side-by-side configuration.
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The information being displayed on the XMS Xpert series' LED readout, is also accessible through a small (roughly 3MB) proprietary Windows program dubbed the "Memory Dashboard". If you watch the video and look at the images posted above, you'll see that Corsair's Xpert RAM scrolls information like temperature, voltage, frequency, and brand on its readout. But with the Dashboard software, users can also see more detailed information about the modules, and can create their own custom messages that can be scrolled on the display. We found Corsair's Memory Dashboard software to be quite useful, and very easy to use. The latest version of the software is available for download on Corsair's website if you'd like to get a "feel' for it (see here), but don't expect to see a treasure trove of information unless you've got a pair of Xpert modules installed into your system.
