Ram question from an illiterate

Don't use an "app" or automatic overclocking features. Those are just a waste of time for the most part and as you say, practically dangerous in some cases. I recommend avoiding ALL preconfigured overclocking profiles and desktop overclocking applications.

For ME, I recommend ALWAYS overclocking manually via bios settings/configuration. It's not hard. Actually, it's probably easier than a lot of common tweaks you probably do regularly in Windows.

This might be helpful. Yes, it's pretty basic, but basic is all you need to get started doing things manually and one of us, or any of the various advanced tutorials online, can help get you even further down the road once you get past the basics if you need to.

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-3761568/cpu-overclocking-guide-tutorial-beginners-work-progress.html

Also, this, even though it isn't ASRock board specific, aside from some few settings and possible some of the nomenclature and naming schemes, a lot of it should be helpful:

https://rog.asus.com/articles/overclocking/rog-overclocking-guide-core-for-5960x-5930k-5820k/

I'd recommend putting the memory to the default speed and settings, probably 2133mhz, maybe 2400mhz, IDK for sure with those sticks on that board, but I think those early platforms all defaulted to 2133mhz unlike a few newer ones that are hit or miss on which they want to default to, while you work the CPU configuration and then worry about the memory afterwards.

If you are going to upgrade to a new system though, this might not even be something you want to mess around with right now.

I will say this, for the number of modules you are using, at the speed you wish to use them at, while Crashman certainly knows a hell of a lot more than I do, my advice would be that you are GOING to need to overclock the CPU AND you are GOING to have to increase the DRAM voltage, system agent voltage and VCCIO voltage, at least moderately, to get all those sticks to run at that speed.

Your biggest problem likely isn't getting either of those kits to run at that speed, that can probably be done far easier. It's getting two not-matched sets, with a total of four or more modules, at a HIGH frequency, to all run together. Regardless what anybody might say, running memory at high speeds with four or more modules is almost never a given. It will always require some work unless you are very luck AND buying ALL of the memory together in a matched set will of course help a lot. Buying very good modules, like those using Samsung B-die ICs, is probably also helpful when trying to do this on a consumer platform.


You might also try restoring EVERYTHING to it's default configuration, then enable XMP, THEN increase the DRAM voltage by steps of .005-.020v to see if they stabilize. You will be best off to begin doing this with only one module installed, then add two, etc. See where you end up. You may have to increase voltage incrementally AS you add more modules. I wouldn't exceed 1.4v and if you get that far and can't get all the sticks stable at that speed, I'd call it quits because it's probably not going to happen and if it does, running at higher DRAM voltage full time might be a less than desirable situation for a daily driver.