Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4-3200 CL22 SODIMM Black

The Corsair Vengeance CMSX16GX4M1A3200C22 is a reliable 16GB DDR4 SODIMM stick that runs at 3200 MT/s with no BIOS setup on compatible laptops. Performance is average for the category, but the 4.7-star rating from over 5,200 buyers says people are happy with it. Worth buying if you find it near the low end of the price range, especially at Newegg in the US or Memory Express in Canada.

3200 MT/s at CL22 is the sweet spot for DDR4 SODIMM in most laptops from the last few years. It's not going to set any records, but it's exactly what a lot of gaming and productivity notebooks were designed to run. The 22-22-22-53 timings are loose, which is normal for this speed and voltage. In our database, speed lands at the 54th percentile and latency at the 58th, so it's basically average for the category. The capacity is the one area that feels a little behind. A single 16GB stick puts it at the 45th percentile, which makes sense when dual-channel 32GB kits exist. If your laptop has two SODIMM slots, you'll want two of these for dual-channel bandwidth. If you only have one slot, this is a solid way to max it out.

Against the G.Skill TridentZ RGB and Team Group Xtreem kits in our database, this Corsair stick looks pretty tame. Those are desktop kits with higher speeds and flashier heat spreaders, so they're not really direct competitors for a laptop SODIMM. The Kingston FURY Beast KF568C34BBEA-16 is a closer match in spirit, but that's a DDR5 part, so it's a different generation entirely. For DDR4 SODIMM specifically, the Vengeance holds its own on compatibility and reliability, but it doesn't lead on raw performance. The Patriot Viper Venom and PNY XLR8 kits both offer more aggressive specs if your laptop can handle them. This Corsair stick is the safe, boring choice, and for a lot of people, that's exactly right.

Pricing is all over the place depending on where you shop. In the US, listings range from USD 120 to USD 148, and the best deal we found is at Newegg on the low end of that spread. In Canada, it's CAD 184 to CAD 222, with Memory Express offering the cheapest option. That's a meaningful gap for a single stick of RAM, so it pays to shop around. At the low end, this is a fair price for a reliable 16GB SODIMM with a lifetime warranty. At the high end, you're paying a Corsair tax that's harder to justify when similar sticks from other brands sit closer to the floor.

The Corsair Vengeance CMSX16GX4M1A3200C22 is a single 16GB stick of DDR4 SODIMM memory aimed at laptop owners who want a no-fuss upgrade. It runs at 3200 MT/s with CL22 timings and pulls just 1.2V, which is pretty standard for this class. The big selling point is the auto-overclocking behavior on compatible systems. You pop it in, the laptop recognizes it, and it runs at full speed without you digging through BIOS menus.

Our database puts this stick right around the middle of the pack for speed, latency, and features. That's not a knock. For a budget laptop upgrade, middle of the pack with a lifetime warranty and Corsair's name on it is a comfortable place to be. The social proof is a different story. With over 5,200 ratings averaging 4.7 stars, buyers clearly like this thing.

If your laptop already has 16GB or more and you're not hitting memory limits, skip this. The performance gain from swapping one 16GB stick for another at the same speed is basically zero. Also skip it if your laptop supports DDR5, since this is a DDR4 part and won't fit. And if you're building a desktop, this SODIMM stick is the wrong form factor entirely.

If you have a laptop with a single SODIMM slot and you want to max it out without any drama, this is a great pick. It's also a solid choice for anyone who wants a straightforward 16GB upgrade and doesn't care about RGB or chasing benchmark scores. The auto-overclocking feature is genuinely useful for people who don't want to touch BIOS settings. Buy two if you have dual slots and want dual-channel performance. Otherwise, one stick gets the job done.