Checking out iCUE Software

iCUE is Corsair central hub software design to connect everything Corsair branded in one place. Any Corsair peripherals, Corsair Commander, Corsair power supplies or using a AIO that requires control over some features will need iCUE 4 software installed (product dependent). This is also the only program that works with Corsair Dominator Platinum memory to set the RGB lighting. This is because ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polychrome Sync RGB software are all unsupported at this time of publication.

The Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB has twelve LED zones that can be independently controlled and set. However navigation and setting up the lighting schemes is a daunting task without an aid of some video tutorials. For example, if you want to set a single LEDs color, the keyboard's Alt key must be held in order to do so. Otherwise, each additional click erases the previous action. This is one of the many idiosyncrasies that isn't always easy to figure out.

iCUE Performance Test

Next we will take a quick look at Corsair iCUE performance impact on the system while it's running. These tests are conducted on a fresh install of Windows 11. The application uses 341 MB while open and seemly has no impact in Forza Horizon 5 on either medium or maximum graphical settings. However, CPU scores do decrease which indicates a minor impact on the CPU overall when iCUE software is running in the background.

BIOS Intervention

While the Corsair iCUE software is far ahead of any other memory company attempts (and fails) to produce decent working RGB software, it still has a number of quirks that make the software a hassle to deal with. However, that isn't a deal breaker to most because specific actions can be learned through watching video guides.

What could be seen as a devastating blow to sales is when my initially testing found the inability to control the RGB lighting. Yes, the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB memory did not show up in iCUE without user intervention. Thus, you cannot control the RGB lighting or synchronize the whole setup in iCUE without going into the motherboard BIOS and changing a setting. This has become an even bigger issue because Corsair memory does not support any motherboard vendors RGB software either as it is simply not supported, leaving Corsair iCUE as the only option to change the RGB lighting.

Observation: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB and Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 memory kits will not be recognized by iCUE unless "SPD Write" is Enabled in the BIOS. This was observed on the ASUS Z690 Hero and Gigabyte Z690 Tachyon. The solution to Corsair iCUE software not recognizing the memory was to go into the motherboard BIOS and enable real-time SPD write related functions. This is also a setting disabled by default in the ASUS and Gigabyte Intel Z690 BIOS. It could be others, but these are the only was properly checked.

Commentary: A bit back and forth with Corsair, they were helpful in providing a link to a video as well as a written guide already posted on the website FAQ section. I was given acknowledgment from Corsair Rep that this is an issue with the RGB communicating through the SMBus and it should affect other memory brands as well. This is where things get a bit more complicated and not that simple to write it off as "everyone" has this problem. A total of six other DDR5 RGB memory kits from XPG, V-Color and Team Group tested did not need SPD Write Enabled for RGB control in either Aura Sync or OpenRGB. Those memory kits RGB functions were recognized with this SPD Write setting Disabled and Enabled. However, OpenRGB software lists the connection as "ASUS AURA USB Device". This would suggest these other memory kits may not be communicating through the SMBus in a similar way to Corsair. All these non-Corsair memory kits each has motherboard vendors' software supported, which strengthens a reason behind why Corsair is seemly in a corner by themselves.

Whatever way Corsair memory is communicating through software, it is still overall a very concerning issue because many users will have this "problem" unless future BIOS updates enable this by default. That or Corsair finds a way to patch it with a firmware update. Another observation is that seemly iCUE only allows for firmware updates when it can communicate with the memory. This does not solve the inherent problem of the memory not being visible to iCUE in the first place.

Corsair Link Reference:
Video: How To Set Up CORSAIR DDR5 Memory in iCUE 4
FAQ: How to: Enable SPD Write on your ASUS Z690 motherboard