Memory rated 2133, but only able to select 1866 in BIOS..

[wilfreeman]

My motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130600) is supposed to be able to overclock the memory to 2133, yet I can only select 1866. This is extremely frustrating because I paid the extra money for faster ram, thinking it would work without a hitch..

Here's my setup:
MSI 990FXA-GD80 AM3+ AMD 990FX
AMD FX-8350 Vishera (Stock, No OC)
ARCTIC Freezer 13
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) (running @ 1866mhz)
Asus Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 2GB
SPARKLE 85+ Green 700
Mushkin (120GB SSD)
Seagate (3TB HDD)
Windows 8 Pro

My motherboard's BIOS setting are all on "Auto", so none of the +or- voltage here / there suggestions I've read have been of any use to me. I have no idea what the baseline levels are supposed to be.

Could anyone offer me any help? I have no idea what to do, and I've spent hours scouring the internet. Also, would anyone have any suggestions for OC'ing the FX8350? I only tried upping the ratio to kick it out to 4.4ghz, and that got me just past the initial Windows loading screen before it crashed.

I'm exhausted. Help would be super appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[Cons29]

i think you will have to OC if you want to use higher freq rams. check you mobo manual

 

[deadjon]

i think you will have to OC if you want to use higher freq rams. check you mobo manual

+1

The stated RAM specs are after Overclock.

If its rated at that speed and your motherboard can handle it, overclocking to 2133Mhz shouldn't be a problem.

Some mobos will allow you to select 2133Mhz, yours is obviously not one of them.

 

[wilfreeman]

Okay, once overclocked, will that option just "appear" in the BIOS, or will the ram just be running at that speed?

I'm having trouble overclocking the CPU.. where would be a "safe" place to start with the voltage? As I stated before, I have no frame of reference for this. Also, every time I've tried upping the FSB, it will either crash, or reset the FSB back to 200, so I think I'm kind of limited to increasing the multiplier and upping the voltage..

EDIT: I should say that the last time I tried to increase the FSB, I had an 1100T in there.. maybe this new 8350 will allow it? Not sure, but I remember reading that messing with the FSB wasn't really a recommended method of overclocking.

I've already tried increasing the multiplier to 22, and that crashed it. So I'm thinking I need to increase the voltage.. can't imagine that slight bump would have overheated it enough to crash it (regularly around 40C with the multiplier at 20).

 

[abbadon_34]

If you look at the product page it says 2133*(OC) meaning overclock. It will default to a lower speed. You must set the memory speed manually. In a modern system this is separate from and unrelated to overclocking the CPU or any other part. Once you change the appropriate option from "auto" the option will appear. You may need to update your bios. Though frankly in the end it's rare anything currently will show real world benefit above 1600.

 

[Cons29]

im not too familiar with amd, but if you can OC the ram separately (not linked), then it would be easier.

 

[wilfreeman]

If you look at the product page it says 2133*(OC) meaning overclock. It will default to a lower speed. You must set the memory speed manually. In a modern system this is separate from and unrelated to overclocking the CPU or any other part. Once you change the appropriate option from "auto" the option will appear. You may need to update your bios. Though frankly in the end it's rare anything currently will show real world benefit above 1600.

Just to be clear, I have DRAM settings for "Auto, 10XX, 13XX, 1600, and 1866". I have already chosen 1866, overriding the defaulted setting of 1600. So I'm aware of the functionality of the BIOS overclocking options. I understand what OC means.

My BIOS is the latest EFI version.. version D0 I believe. Fancier than the DOS-like one it shipped with.

To give you an example of the benefits from changing from 1600 to 1866, I can do a replacement search on a website's style sheet's version number (i.e. stlye.css?v=3.2.1 to 3.2.2) without a halt in Dreamweaver now that I've upgraded. With the old RAM the program would become unresponsive ("Not Responding") whenever I'd perform a sitewide change like this. Although, that could be due to the new processor (Thuban vs Vishera) I have. Not sure

im not too familiar with amd, but if you can OC the ram separately (not linked), then it would be easier.

Cons29, I can do that. If I change the setting to .. I think it's referred to as "Unganged" or something. Then I have an option for "Link" and "Unlinked". Why would that make it easier, and what would I be looking to do? On the Newegg product page, G.Skill responded to a comment with:

Thank you for your G.Skill purchase and review. Glad to hear the memory is working well in your system. In fact, the performance is currently limited, so actually it is capable of much more. For AMD CPUs, manual overclock settings are necessary to reach DDR3-1866+. First, make sure you have the latest BIOS for the motherboard. Next, set the DRAM Frequency to DDR3-2133, DRAM Timings tCL 11 - tRCD 11 - tRP 11 - tRAS 30, DRAM Voltage 1.60V. You can also enable the EOCP/DOCP (if your motherboard supports it); this will automatically configure the settings mentioned above. In addition, you must raise CPU-NB Voltage +0.1V~+0.15V. This allows the CPU to stabilize 4 modules since technically it only supports one DIMM per channel. Once you input the proper settings, save, exit, and the system should be ready to go. Should you have any further questions or issues, feel free to contact us directly. We will make sure the memory operates at maximum performance in your computer.

I have no idea what EOCP or DOCP stands for, nor could I find a setting anywhere named as such. Guess my MOBO doesn't support it.

Here's another post by a Newegg reviewer and the Manufacturer's Response:

Other Thoughts: Manually set at 2133Mhz, Timing 11-11-11-30, NB frequency 2200Mhz, 1.6 to 1.65 Dram Voltage, 1.1625 to 1.5 CPU/NB voltage
everything else at default(AUTO)
NO luck (Unstable)
Clear Cmos, remove battery&Back in, reset RAM etc.
EOCP/DOCP with the same seting above still NO luck (Unstable)

Work perfectly fine with default speed 1600Mhz

Latest Bios 1604
Asus M5A99X EVO
FX-8350

Manufacturer Response:
.
Dear Customer

We can surely help you stabilize this high speed memory kit in your AMD platform. One immediate problem we see with your settings is your CPU/NB Voltage. This value should be ~1.25V for four modules of DDR3-2133. 1.50V is much too high and that can cause major instability. Make the change, keep DOCP/EOCP enabled, and it should work like a charm. With 16GB of DDR3-2133, your computer will be very fast and stable on a daily basis. You should never experience any lag or delays. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

I'm going to tinker in the BIOS and see if anything changes. Thanks again for your continued input, I appreciate it.

EDIT:

i think you will have to OC if you want to use higher freq rams. check you mobo manual

Cons29, I forgot to mention, the manual for my motherboard only explains what the setting changes, not recommended changes or anything like that. My cooler is like a $40 "I got this to be quieter than stock" cooler that does a pretty good job, but I don't have all the faith in the world that I won't fry the CPU if I'm not careful. That's why I'm asking for help.. Thanks again

 

[wilfreeman]

Update: So adjusting the FSB to 220mhz to up the ram to ~2100 was a huge mistake. Had to unplug and remove battery to even get a start screen. Also, the OC Genie didn't help much either. That wouldn't even load into Windows and had the ram set to 1033! What a joke.

Here's the overclock options I have on my BIOS:





Any ideas of where I should start?