1333 Overclocked to 1600, Is It Safe?

[waen]

Hello All, and thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

First, about me, I am a novice at all this overclocking and Intel XMP stuff. I recently purchased an Alienware Aurora-R3 from Dell. OK, after you stop laughing, remember I said I was a novice. I just wanted an upgrade to my old XPS so I could play the latest and upcoming new games. I have an accout with Dell, and am lazy, so I just clicked and chose what I thought was some good options for the new machine. One of the options I chose was 16 GB's of 1600 MHz RAM (4 GB x 4). here's the real funny part . . . they sent me a machine with 1333 instead of 1600, BUT, they overclocked it to 1600. I did not request them to do it, I suppose they did it to attempt to foll my dumbass into thinking it was 1600, I really don't know why they did it. I do know from doing a little google research that they have been having trouble with some Kingston 1600 Mhz RAM. They don't even offer 1600 as an option now on their web site for the Aurora. What I would like to know is if what they have my stuff set at is safe or not? I have had the machine for a little over a week now and have not had any issues, no BSOD's or freezes, so it seems stable. However, I'd like this RAM to last for longer than a few weeks. I would like to know if it is going to burn out quickly. Here's my specs . . .

Intel i7 2600K 3.4 GHz Turbo Boost to 4.1 GHz
Alienware Motherboard Model 046MHW
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 1333 MHz (Currently OC to 1600 from the factory)(4 GB x 4)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 3 GB DDR5
Seagate Barracuda XT (ST32000641AS) 2 TB 7200 RP

Oh, and yes, in case you're wondering, I did request some actual 1600 RAM since that's what I'm paying for and they sent some out. However, I am afraid to try it since it's 1. Refurbished, 2. Aurora-R3's are having issues with 1600 I found out, 3. Dell removed 1600 as an option when ordering an Aurora on their web site . . . very suspicious. I suppose I could just try out the 1600 since I have the 1333 as backup, but I have to remove the graphics card to change it out. Plus, they have the settings changed to overclokc the 1333 in the BIOS and I have no idea what the correct settings are and HATE wasting hours on the phone with Alienware/Dell TS with someone who probably knows even less than I do.

Here are screenshots from CPU-Z, please tell me if this is going to last, or if I need to attempt to go into the BIOS and change some stuff. I have no problem with changing it to what it should be for 1333, but 1. I have no idea what the correct settings should be, 2. am reluctant to try being the dumbass novice that I am. Again, thanks very much in advance for any help.

 

[blazorthon]

It should be fine, I also have overclocked 1333MHz memory in my system and it runs stable. If it becomes a problem you can come back here and request help on setting the RAM back to 1333MHz.

Next time you want a new computer you could come back here and Google a few step-by-step instructions on how to proceed because you will save hundreds of dollars.

 

[Pinhedd]

1600mhz memory will run fine on a 2600/2600K without anything more than selecting the right timing profiles, nothing else needed. I am running 16GB @ 1600 9-9-9-24 on both my Desktop (i7 2600, officially supports 1333) and my Laptop (i7 2820QM, officially supports 1600)

 

[blazorthon]

The 2600k should be fine with memory speeds in excess of 2133MHz. I think the question was also about whether or not the memory modules could handle it.

 

[waen]

Best answer selected by waen.

 

[waen]

It should be fine, I also have overclocked 1333MHz memory in my system and it runs stable. If it becomes a problem you can come back here and request help on setting the RAM back to 1333MHz.

Next time you want a new computer you could come back here and Google a few step-by-step instructions on how to proceed because you will save hundreds of dollars.

Understood, thanks very much. The next computer I buy will be bought piece by piece and built myself. I have read a few other posts by you regarding how easy it is to do it, even by a dumbass like me. Phillips head and a flashlight . . . I can handle that.

So, you think that RAM should last for a while, even though it's overclocked, and considering of course that it's from a prebuilt Dell?

 

[blazorthon]

I can't say how long it will last. I also had a prebuilt Dell a few years back and it's memory is still good today after having been moved between four computers and still being run. Considering it was from 2004 that's not bad.

However it is probably generic RAM if it came from a prebuilt machine and thus it may fail sooner than brand-name RAM would. I have not actually had generic RAM fail on me yet (or any RAM. I must be lucky) but it has given BSOD problems and I did fight with some memory on a machine for a while before it worked.

Since you have a second memory kit I suggest you ride out the generic kit until it fails. Maybe it won't fail and it'll last until your next machine but if it doesn't you can just replace it with the second kit and it should be fine.