Help needed with Mobo+RAM combo

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nezerous

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Oct 30, 2009
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Hey guys, I have just built a new i5 720 system, with GA-P55M-UD2 motherboard and XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 1600Mhz 8-8-8-24. Easy build, very straight forward. System is running fine, BUT..

I opened CPU-Z to check out the timing of my RAM, and its running at 9-9-9-24, PC3 Max Bandwidth is 10700H (667MHz). I just checked the motherboard book, and supported speeds are 2200/1333/1066/800MHz. So, my 1600MHz are not listed. Does this mean I can never get the full potential out of my RAM? As I have only just purchased the items, I was thinking of sending something back? Or can I upgrade the firmware or something? Or any settings that can be altered? I honestly thought this motherboard supported 1600MHz RAM. If anyone can help me out I would be very grateful. Im a bit lost when it comes down to the nitty-gritty with RAM clocks and stuff. Do I change the RAM, do I change the Motherboard.. etc

Just to clarify- the computer boots up and that.. but I am unsure if I am getting the full speed of the RAM due to the board. I just checked the gigabyte website and compatible ram list includes some 1600MHz modules.. but does it just default it to the lower speed?
 
bilbat

bilbat

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Sep 21, 2008
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The standard RAM speed (and, by the way, the maximum officially supported by Intel) is 1333 - which you are at; the 667 you're showing is DDR (double data rate), meaning it transfers data on both the rising and falling clock edges - i.e., 667 (well, actually 666.666, for all you fundamentalist rapture watchers) times two is 1333... The RAM speed is pretty much infinitely adjustable on these platforms (i7/15), but there is no benefit to increasing RAM clocking - only to lowering latencies!
 
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nezerous

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Oct 30, 2009
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Ok, I understand what are saying.. but my RAM can go up to 1600MHz, and it is running at 1333. Therefore is running slower than its potential. The clock speeds at the moment are 9-9-9-24 @ 1333MHz. If it was running 1600MHz it would be 8-8-8-24?

Can I change anything to produce the 1600MHz?

The motherboards that are rated @ 1600 and 2200+ are OC ratings? My mobo can achieve 2200MHz, but 1600MHz is not listed in manual... ??

Im a little confused acutally.
 
bilbat

bilbat

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Sep 21, 2008
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Did you read the referenced article?
High End Memory Is Not Worth The Money
The results are obvious: going from one memory speed to the next, e.g. from DDR3-1066 to 1333, does not provide major benefits. Even the replacement of slow DDR3-800 RAM by DDR3-1600 memory will mostly yield disappointing results. While the performance advantage is measurable, it is never noticeable.
Click to expand...
That RAM will likely run 7-7-7-20 @ 1333, the processor will be happier, the stability will be better, and you will never 'see' the difference. For the new CPUs w/on-die memory controllers, all that matters is latency - and latency is a time period, that is, a physical limit of the chips on the DIMM itself; 8-8-8-24 means you (well, actually, the CPU) have to wait six-hundred and twenty-five picoseconds to 'strobe' a column address, or roughly two nanoseconds to deactivate a row - and it doesn't care if that's eight cycles (or twenty-four) at 1600 MHz, or seven cycles (or twenty) at 1333 MHz, it's still six-hundred and twenty-five picoseconds!
 
N

nezerous

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Oct 30, 2009
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Yes, I did read the article, but not til I posted the reply.

Thanks a lot for the additional information Bilbat. I wont be bothering OCing my memory. However I might try my hand at OCing my CPU, but going to read a lot more into it on here before I chance destroying my system.

This is an excellent website! Forums/Articles are very informative.
 
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