Is it ok to use DDR3 2133 on a DDR3 1333 motherboard?

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I have an older motherboard (MSI P55-GD65) and cpu (Intel i5 750 - Lynnfield).

My motherboard lists supported ram as: 2133*(OC)/ 2000*(OC) /1600*(OC)/ 1333/ 1066

I am looking to upgrade my RAM from 4gb of DDR3 1333 to 8gb of DDR3 _____ and I am wondering if I should go with the top supported speed of ram for my motherboard - DDR3 2133(OC) even though I am not overclocking...yet. I may get in to overclocking in the future, when I get closer to looking at building a new machine I will probably overclock by current build before laying it to rest.

  • ■ Will the DDR3 2133 just run at the maximum "non-OC" speed (1333)?
    ■ If so, is it bad/does it damage Motherboard/RAM/PC to run the RAM slower than it's rated for?
I found these 2 forum posts on a similar topic, but they don't quite answer my questions so I was hoping for some help on this decision.
 
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Apart from the odd compatibility issues, which can still occur even if you bought 1333 RAM or any other memory grade; even ones explicitly listed in your motherboard's memory QVL or the DIMM's motherboard QVL, it should work.

The whole point of standards is to make devices seamlessly interchangeable within their respective operating ranges but there will always be corner cases.

Memory manufacturers do not manufacture different dies for 1333/1600/1866/2000/2133/etc. They make the best dies they can, sort them in bin...
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But does it work to use 2133 if the mobo, by default, is 1333 at max? And is this okay to do or does it hurt the hardware?
 
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JackNaylorPE

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If it was Haswell, DDR3-1866 is a no brainer as it's the same price as 1600....2133 is usually no more than $10 more for 16GB so I can't see not jumping for that and even sometimes it's cheaper on specials....

Faster memory on Haswell will have an impact on your performance, no doubt....

-On CAD and video editing for example it makes a large difference.

-On gaming, it doesn't have a huge impact across the board but the impact on average FPS is usually bigger than the increase in cost of your box. For example the $10 extra cost for 16 GB of 2133 on a $1500 box is just 0.6 % whereas the performance increase will range from 0 to 10+ %. See THG article below where 2400 RAM showed an increase of 11% on a 4770k system. STALKER is another game that shows large increases with faster memory. Keep in mind that other games like Metro LL show like 0.3% speed increases....but on average it's going to run 2-3%, can be more depending on the mix of games you run... is 2-3% performance worth a 0.6% increase in system costs ?

-Also on the gaming front, faster memory does have a bigger effect on minimum frame rates and multi-card (SLI / CF) configurations.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/32-gb-ddr3-ram,3790-10.html

And no, provided your MoBo will accept the type of RAM, there is no harm in running it at slower speed. In fact everything from 1600 on up is "officially "overclocked" RAM
 
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There is a limit to how cheap/slow you can go. With most current CPUs, the point of diminishing returns is 1600-9 but you can get 2133-9 for $5-10 extra bucks, which makes it worth considering if you think you might reuse the RAM in a future build within the next year or two.

Since OP has a 4-5 years old system, I suspect the itch to upgrade will get a fair bit stronger after Skylake comes out.
 
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Yes but you might have to set RAM timings/frequency manually.
IF your RAM doesn't have xmp profile for 1333
I run G.Skill 2600Mhz Cas10 on my 775 Gigabyte ep45t-usb3p :D
ofc I lower the frequency and timings ;)
With Lynnfield..eh..It likes to stay around 1600-ish
You can run higher..with more qpi/vtt voltage but..
It kinda tops out around 1900-2000-ish
 
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So 2133 will be recognized and work without hurting anything and run at 1333mhz? Turning it up to 2133mhz in the BIOS should only be done if the CPU is overclocked as well, correct?

 
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So, would the RAM not work/run the system if it doesn't have an "xmp profile" (not sure what that means) for 1333mhz? It would need to be turned up to 2133mhz before it would run the system properly?
 
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And the motherboard will "accept" the ram if it is listed as supported? The "OC" behind each supported RAM speed indicates the board will only run it at that speed if you overclock it manually, correct?
 
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Yes, the 'diminishing returns' concept is the reason for my bolded questions in the original post. I will purchase the 2133mhz ram if it will work properly in my motherboard (and run at 1333?), and not cause problems?
 
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Apart from the odd compatibility issues, which can still occur even if you bought 1333 RAM or any other memory grade; even ones explicitly listed in your motherboard's memory QVL or the DIMM's motherboard QVL, it should work.

The whole point of standards is to make devices seamlessly interchangeable within their respective operating ranges but there will always be corner cases.

Memory manufacturers do not manufacture different dies for 1333/1600/1866/2000/2133/etc. They make the best dies they can, sort them in bin based on their per-die performance characteristics and make those into DIMMs. The reason why most memory grades below 2133-9 are priced almost the same is simply that memory manufacturers have mastered DDR3 fabrication well enough that a large chunk of their production hits that grade so it makes little sense to significantly discount anything slower.
 
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JEDEC profiles only run up to 1333 maybe a 1600 spec is out by now, haven't looke din ages. .... everything above that is XMP and therefore "overclocked".

Corsair_CMY32GX3M4A2800C12R_Timings.png

 
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