Corsair facing $5.5m payout to customers over gaming RAM lawsuit

A lawsuit targeting gaming hardware manufacturer Corsair could mean you're entitled to compensation if you've bought some of its gaming RAM in recent years. A marketing snafu around the way Corsair marketed its RAM speeds has led to years of litigation, with Corsair set to pay $5.5 million to its customers, should a proposed settlement be approved.

Corsair is one of the big names in memory manufacturing, and we recommend a number of its products in our best gaming RAM guide. Ironically, some of the Dominator and Vengeance modules we list in our guide are under scrutiny here, with the complaint raising concerns that the advertised speeds for the company's DDR4 and DDR5 RAM didn't match up to the reality for most buyers.

It all comes down to the default standards: DDR4 modules run at 2,133 MT/s by default, while DDR5 modules start at 4,800 MT/s, based on the JEDEC standards. The complaint, filed in the US with a listing here, argues that speeds well above these defaults were printed without an adequate disclaimer to explain that the standard speeds are much lower.

Corsair, it's argued, advertised the higher XMP/EXPO profile speeds as if they were the default, even though these are technically overclocked settings that not every system supports or that many buyers may never enable, or know how to enable. Corsair modules, like the RAM we tested in our Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 review, are aimed at enthusiasts, who are likely to overclock their RAM above these defaults, but aren't guaranteed to do so.

While Corsair denied any wrongdoing, a settlement has been put forward that will end the case. If it's approved, Corsair will update its packaging and marketing to more clearly explain and disclaim the possible speeds. It will also pay $5.5 million in compensation, which will go to purchasers in the US who bought certain Corsair RAM modules for gaming PCs between January 14, 2018, and July 2, 2025, and who register a claim before the court deadline.

You can make up to five claims, depending on how many times you've been affected, but to register for these proposed cash payments, you'll need to register your details at this settlement site, run by a court-appointed administrator, before October 28, 2025. A final hearing is set for December 4, 2025, so the payments could well be wrapped up before the end of the year.

If you're thinking about upgrading your gaming PC, you might want to start with your motherboard first. Our best gaming motherboard guide has boards for Intel and AMD-focused builds across a range of different price points.

A cash payout, just for buying RAM in the past, seems like a pretty sweet deal. Let us know what your thoughts are, and if you've been affected, by starting a conversation in our community Discord server with other readers and staff.