As we conclude our review of the Corsair Vengeance CUDIMM memory, several questions remain about its optimal use and compatibility. To provide a comprehensive assessment, we'll discuss areas where Corsair can improve its product and highlight some of the positive aspects.

The iCUE software is an inevitable topic when reviewing Corsair memory, and this case is no exception. Although Corsair made significant improvements to iCUE last year, addressing issues like high resource usage and refining the UI, some drawbacks still persist. Notably, iCUE remains officially the only way to control the memory's RGB lighting, which can be a limitation for users who prefer motherboard software control. While Corsair offers motherboard plugins, their effectiveness can vary, and manual adjustments are often necessary to unlink memory RGB from other system components. The need to install iCUE just for RGB control contributes to the broader issue of software "bloatware" Corsair's approach makes sense from a compatibility and support perspective, ensuring its products function within a unified ecosystem. For users already invested in Corsair hardware, this isn't a major issue. However, those managing multiple control programs for components like fans, AIO coolers, motherboards, and memory may encounter software conflicts, adding an extra layer of frustration.

In terms of compatibility, Corsair isn't directly responsible for the limitations, but the lack of support for CUDIMM on other platforms can cause issues and is not recommended for use. For example, our testing revealed that an Intel Z790 motherboard required a BIOS update to boot successfully with this memory kit. However, even with the update, the motherboard didn't support the Client Clock Driver (CKD) that's essential for CUDIMM technology. As of now, CUDIMM is only officially supported on Intel's Socket 1851 platform, making it unlikely that previous Intel platforms or AMD's current AM5 socket will receive official support. By default, CUDIMM is designed to boot in bypass-mode which does not enable the CKD function, enabling basic backwards compatibility. Though clearly from testing this out, that does not always translate to all DDR5 motherboards.

With compatibility out of the way, let's dive into the gaming performance of this memory kit and the advantages CUDIMMs offer over traditional UDIMMs. The Intel Ultra 200 series faces a significant memory latency challenge, a direct result of its architectural shift from a monolithic to a tile-based die design. In this new setup, the memory controller is now placed on a separate die, further from the CPU cores. Previously, the monolithic design prioritized higher bandwidth and was less affected by memory latency. Now, the situation is reversed, and reducing memory latency is now crucial for improving frame render times in gaming. Any optimization that minimizes latency can lead to noticeable performance gains.

Whether the Corsair Vengeance RGB 8800 MT/s memory kit is right for your system depends on how you plan to use it. Simply enabling the XMP profile may not provide significant benefits, especially for the Intel Ultra 200 series. However, manual adjustments, such as changing the CPU Ring Cache and Die-to-Die (D2D) ratio, can help unlock the advantages of high-frequency memory. These optimizations can be achieved without altering default system voltages, making them a relatively low-risk endeavor, with the main challenge being overcoming the time required to validate stability after these additional tweaks.

In conclusion, the Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-8800 memory kit has its strengths, but its biggest limitation is that the only supported Intel platform struggles to fully utilize the potential bandwidth offered by CUDIMM memory. Despite this, the kit delivers solid value, with a limited lifetime warranty, well-executed RGB design, and high-quality PCB construction. While Corsair may not currently lead the pack in the highest-binned memory kits, the Vengeance series remains a strong contender for users who can take advantage of its unrealized potential.