G.Skill settles with plaintiffs following $2.4 million class action lawsuit over advertised memory speeds, denies all wrongdoing — company will have to change its packaging and be clearer about overclocking and BIOS adjustments if approved

A class action lawsuit brought against G.Skill, maker of some of the best RAM for gaming and general computing applications, has been settled to the tune of $2.4 million. The company was sued over claims that it deceptively advertised and labeled the speed of DDR4 and DDR5 memory kits sold between January 2018 and January 2026. The company denies all wrongdoing, and the case was not decided in court.

As per documents from the case, the initial class action lawsuit was brought over claims "that G.Skill deceptively advertised and labeled the speed of its DDR-4 and DDR-5 DRAM (non-laptop) memory products with rated speeds over 2133 MHz or 4800 MHz, and that G.Skill is liable for violations of consumer protection statutes and breach of express warranty." Specifically, the lawsuit seems to be about overclocking, noting plaintiffs represented allege "they were lead to believe that the advertised speeds were 'out of the box' speeds requiring no adjustments to their PCs."

Rather than take the case to court, both sides have agreed to a $2.4 million settlement. G.Skill denies the allegations, and the court hasn't decided in favor of either party, avoiding "the uncertainties, burdens, and expenses associated with ongoing litigation," and ensuring class members get a payout sooner rather than later.

To that end, "All individuals in the United States who purchased one or more G.Skill DDR-4 and DDR-5 DRAM (non-laptop) memory products with rated speeds over 2133 MHz or 4800 MHz respectively from January 31, 2018 to January 7, 2026," are part of the settlement class and eligible for payout. Court documents go on to specify that class members will be eligible for up to five qualifying purchases per household, provided you have proof of purchase.

As is often the case with settlements, a lot of that money has already been allocated. $295,000 in settlement administration costs, up to $800,000 in attorneys' fees, an undetermined amount of attorneys' expenses, and service awards to class representatives of up to $5,000 means that upwards of half the settlement pot has already been spent. How much you'll get if you're eligible depends entirely on how many class members there are, with the remainder of the fund split between them.

If you think you're eligible, you should head to the Claim Depot website and follow the instructions. You'll need to submit a claim form by April 7, or you can, of course, also submit an objection or indeed exclude yourself from the class by the same deadline.

Aside from the monetary payout, the settlement also includes provisions that G.Skill will take "commercially reasonable efforts to implement changes" to its packaging, website product pages, and specifications provided to retailers to make them more explicit about achieving top speeds with its RAM. The court documents state that rated speeds will be listed as "up to" speeds, and include the following disclaimer: "Requires overclocking/BIOS adjustments. Maximum speed and performance depend on system components, including motherboard and CPU.”

As noted, the class action is only applicable within the United States, with payouts expected approximately 45 days after the court matter is all settled, notwithstanding any appeals or further process.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.