Possible With FX-8350 To Underclock 2400MHz RAM?

Azdin Zaman · Mar 20, 2015

I'm looking to buy some RAM to finish off my new system.

Pertinent Parts:
motherboard: ASRock 970 Performance(http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-970performance)
CPU: AMD FX-8350(http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8350frhkbox)

The "G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400(http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#s=301866,302400&Z=16384002&sort=a7) is the cheapest in the namebrand DDR3 category, even cheaper than the 1866 RAM.

What I want to know is if I can underclock it and lower the timings so that the next time I upgrade the CPU I don't have to buy new RAM? Or would I be better off sticking to 1866MHz RAM?

TechyInAZ · Mar 20, 2015

Sure, you can underclock that RAM. Plus, it will auto downclock to 1333mhz unless you select the AMP profile. So just don't enable that and manually clock it to 1866mhz.

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 20, 2015

I usually stick with 1600mhz on AM3+ builds.

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 20, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($145.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $145.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-20 19:10 EDT-0400

gskill support · Mar 20, 2015

You can definitely underclock. The rated specs are the maximum values we test the RAM to be capable of, but you can run them at any settings in between. The main difference is you won't have the XMP/DOCP profile to automatically set things up, but you have an AMD system so manual settings are best anyway.

Tradesman1 · Mar 20, 2015

Yes you can underclock, the Snipers are great sticks, I used the 4x8GB set of these in an article and also did some testing with them at 2133, 1866 and 1600...ran fine. If you can run them at 2400 would do so. If you need any help give us a shout. Here's a link to to my article:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dram-benchmark-fluctuations,4080.html

Azdin Zaman · Mar 22, 2015

What could hold me back from achieving 2400MHz RAM speed?

Will going up to the 8370 allow me to clock it at 2400?

Tradesman1 · Mar 22, 2015

It can in large part be the individual CPU, some (actually many) can't run full 2400 where others can. Yours might, could try DOCP or XMP and set to 2400 if option available, then find the CPU/NB voltage (it feeds the MC (memory controller) and set it to maybe 1.3 to try, have seen some go up to 1.4 and higher, but higher voltage means more heat, so want the voltage as low as possible while maintaining stability

Azdin Zaman · Mar 23, 2015

I haven't purchased the CPU yet, so if going up to the FX-8370 will increase my chances, I'd be willing to spend the extra $40.

Tradesman1 · Mar 23, 2015

It's possible yes, they basically are the same as the 8350 but tested out to be a little stronger overall - that's one reason I went 8370 - For the slight difference in price wanted the bit stronger

Azdin Zaman · Mar 24, 2015

Just bought the 8370... fingers crossed, here's hoping I get 2400 MHz!

Tradesman1 · Mar 24, 2015

Let us know

Azdin Zaman · Apr 10, 2015

So I ended up going with the g.skill trident X series (http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32400c10d16gtx) because they are CL10 and were on sale.

Now I'm having issues testing the ram with memtest-86(v4.0 - because I already had it burned from awhile ago).
If I test them separately, they complete the tests without issue, but when I test them together they freeze just before they go to test #3. Could it be the RAM isn't working with one another, or could there be another issue?

As well, I did the blend test with Prime95, and my idle CPU temp is 32C, but with load it was creeping up to 70C. Maybe I need to remove and reapply the thermal paste?

Chipset: AMD FX-8370
Mobo: ASRock 970 Fatal1ty Performance
Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 (in a push-pull configuration)

Tradesman1 · Apr 10, 2015

Always run Memtest on the sticks individually, using multiple sticks can come up with false positives (errors), and Prime will drive the CPU hard, so you are prob fine

Azdin Zaman · Apr 11, 2015

I actually went ahead and downloaded & burned the latest memtest86.
This time it used a 64bit mode to test and they passed with flying colors.

As far as clocking them to 2400 MHz, all I needed to do was set the XMP profile and it automatically clocked them up from the default of 1333MHz.

Do I need to fiddle with the voltage, or is 1.65 the required for the clock speed?

Tradesman1 · Apr 11, 2015

1.65 is spec and perfectly safe, have fun

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