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@ 2006/05/15Fremont, CA (May 15, 2006) – Corsair® Memory, Inc., the worldwide leader in design and manufacture of high performance memory, today announced immediate adoption of Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP). Jointly developed by Corsair and NVIDIA® as a new open memory standard, Enhanced Performance Profiles elevate memory performance by taking full advantage of the additional memory parameters that are now added to the unused portion of the JEDEC standard Serial Presence Detect (SPD). As a new open standard, immediate adoption by motherboard manufacturers and other memory manufacturers is expected.
“Corsair is excited to be the first one to introduce memory modules based on EPP. We believe this feature adds overclocking convenience and performance advantages to all users,” said John Beekley, VP of Applications Engineering at Corsair Memory. “With the introduction of EPP, we have essentially made overclocking a high-confidence endeavor for novice enthusiasts and at the same time have made our actual overclocked testing specifications available on-module,” continued Beekley.
Traditional SPD values include only a basic set of JEDEC standard memory specifications. The new Enhanced Performance Profiles include many more critical specification values omitted from the standard SPD, such as command rate and memory voltage. This allows EPP memory modules to perform at their optimal profile as specified by the memory manufacturer, providing users with tested and approved overclocked performance while maintaining JEDEC compatibility.
To take full advantage of the Enhanced Performance Profiles, motherboards designed with a special BIOS can recognize the presence of EPP settings. Once these settings are enabled, the system boots directly into the memory’s specified settings and takes immediate advantage of the increased performance.
EPP-based memory modules from Corsair support performance profiles that are based upon both high frequency and low latency optimization. Enhanced Performance Profiles brings simplified overclocking success for entry level enthusiasts, and access to more advanced memory specifications and a higher recovery point for hard-core overclockers.
“By working closely with Corsair on this new exciting technology initiative, we have exposed underlying performance settings that have up to this point only been used by the most ardent overclockers,” said Drew Henry, general manager of MCP business at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA and Corsair engineers are all PC enthusiasts at the core, and we look forward to having our combined customers—PC enthusiasts—take advantage of this new technology pairing.”
The first products from Corsair with the new Enhanced Performance Profiles will be the SLI-certified TWIN2X2048-6400C4 and the TWIN2X2048-8500C5. These two gigabyte module pairs, running at 800MHz and 1066MHz respectively, are fully optimized to work with new motherboards based on the upcoming NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI™ media and communications processor (MCP), all of which will be available later this month. EPP is expected to be available on all upcoming XMS DDR2 products from Corsair.
For more information on the Enhanced Performance Profiles and the TWIN2X2048-6400C4, and TWIN2X2048-8500C5 SLI-Ready memory modules, please visit
“Corsair is excited to be the first one to introduce memory modules based on EPP. We believe this feature adds overclocking convenience and performance advantages to all users,” said John Beekley, VP of Applications Engineering at Corsair Memory. “With the introduction of EPP, we have essentially made overclocking a high-confidence endeavor for novice enthusiasts and at the same time have made our actual overclocked testing specifications available on-module,” continued Beekley.
Traditional SPD values include only a basic set of JEDEC standard memory specifications. The new Enhanced Performance Profiles include many more critical specification values omitted from the standard SPD, such as command rate and memory voltage. This allows EPP memory modules to perform at their optimal profile as specified by the memory manufacturer, providing users with tested and approved overclocked performance while maintaining JEDEC compatibility.
To take full advantage of the Enhanced Performance Profiles, motherboards designed with a special BIOS can recognize the presence of EPP settings. Once these settings are enabled, the system boots directly into the memory’s specified settings and takes immediate advantage of the increased performance.
EPP-based memory modules from Corsair support performance profiles that are based upon both high frequency and low latency optimization. Enhanced Performance Profiles brings simplified overclocking success for entry level enthusiasts, and access to more advanced memory specifications and a higher recovery point for hard-core overclockers.
“By working closely with Corsair on this new exciting technology initiative, we have exposed underlying performance settings that have up to this point only been used by the most ardent overclockers,” said Drew Henry, general manager of MCP business at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA and Corsair engineers are all PC enthusiasts at the core, and we look forward to having our combined customers—PC enthusiasts—take advantage of this new technology pairing.”
The first products from Corsair with the new Enhanced Performance Profiles will be the SLI-certified TWIN2X2048-6400C4 and the TWIN2X2048-8500C5. These two gigabyte module pairs, running at 800MHz and 1066MHz respectively, are fully optimized to work with new motherboards based on the upcoming NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI™ media and communications processor (MCP), all of which will be available later this month. EPP is expected to be available on all upcoming XMS DDR2 products from Corsair.
For more information on the Enhanced Performance Profiles and the TWIN2X2048-6400C4, and TWIN2X2048-8500C5 SLI-Ready memory modules, please visit
The SPD is a small EEPROM that normally stores basic information about memory, such as its latency settings, manufacturer, and serial number. EEPs add parameters to unused areas of the SPD chip in the form of either two "Full" profiles or four "Abbreviated" profiles. According to NVIDIA slides snapped by Legit Reviews, abbreviated profiles specify voltage, command rate, CAS, tRCD, tRP, and tRAS latencies, while full profiles add signal drive strength settings, write recovery and active refresh settings, and delay and setup times. NVIDIA says these settings will simplify overclocking on "properly-designed BIOSes," namely those for nForce 590 SLI platforms, without breaking compatibility with unsupported systems.
To complement NVIDIA's chipset support announcement, Corsair is announcing the adoption (PDF) of EPPs in SLI-ready TWIN2X2048-6400C4 and TWIN2X2048-8500C5 matched memory pairs, which are scheduled to hit shelves "later this month." The 2 GB kits run at effective clock speeds of 800 MHz and 1066 MHz, respectively, with 4-4-4-12-2T and 5-5-5-15-2T timings. In addition, Corsair says all upcoming XMS-series DDR2 memory modules will feature EPPs, and NVIDIA claims other memory manufacturers are expected to follow suit.