Memory Frequency supported but OC required?

xcel_jkl

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Aug 9, 2010
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My MSI 870-G45 mobo, according to it's specs, at the following url:

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/870-G45.html#/?div=Detail

indicates that it can handle 1600MHz memory only if overclocked. If i buy native 1600MHz GSkill memory, can i just

a) stick it in and it will run at the rated 1600MHz without any toggled setting?

b) have to install the 1600MHz then toggle a setting to make it work at its rated frequency?

c) have to toggle a setting BEFORE INSTALLING THE GSKILL MEMORY to make sure that when the 1600MHz memory is installed it will be recognized by mobo and POST properly?

any additional details on necessary precautions will also help greatly. Big thanks!
 
Solution
1600 ram on most ram on intel mb is called an xmp profile. most ram when you install it the mb reads the jtag of the ram and sets the memory up as 1333 or slower. you have to go into the bios after the first boot and look under dram speed and change it to xmp. most times i tell people boot into windows once and use cpu-z to read the ram sdp info. the last colloum in cou-z will be the xmp profile settings. jsut make sure that the mb set the ram timing up to the one in the spd.. (ie 9-9-9-24t.) 1.5 or 1.6v.
and then reboot and run memtest and some burn in programs to see if your memory and mb is stable. not all mb and ram will run at the stock speed sometime you have to tweek them.
 
Hi there,

Intel and AMD moved their memory controllers directly onto their CPUs which means that the CPU itself has to also support the high speed memory, not just the chipset.

The Chipset may support 1600Mhz memory IO but but this has only recently been officially supported by Intel and AMD. Prior to this, running higher speed memory required certain components of the CPU to be overclocked. Many CPUs that only officially supported 1333 could easily run 1600 or higher without issue but historically there have always been a couple of outliers that just wouldn't cut it.
 
on amd mb you need to change the default bus speed of the ram. if the ram on first boot says dram bus speed 533 that the speed for 1066 ram. if it says 667/668 that 1333. you want to set the bus speed to 800. 800 by 2 is 1600.
then set the ram timing up from cpu-z.
 

xcel_jkl

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Aug 9, 2010
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Intel and AMD moved their memory controllers directly onto their CPUs which means that the CPU itself has to also support the high speed memory, not just the chipset.

The Chipset may support 1600Mhz memory IO but but this has only recently been officially supported by Intel and AMD. Prior to this, running higher speed memory required certain components of the CPU to be overclocked. Many CPUs that only officially supported 1333 could easily run 1600 or higher without issue but historically there have always been a couple of outliers that just wouldn't cut it.

My processor is an AMD Phenom II 945. I would like to think it can handle 1600MHz :)


on amd mb you need to change the default bus speed of the ram. if the ram on first boot says dram bus speed 533 that the speed for 1066 ram. if it says 667/668 that 1333. you want to set the bus speed to 800. 800 by 2 is 1600.
then set the ram timing up from cpu-z.

So if after I install it and it shows up NOT 800, i should simply just set it to 800. Got it. But what do you mean by "setting the ram timing up from cpu-z?"


Thanks!
 
Any 4-core Phenom can handle DDR3-1600 you'll need to OC the FSB -> 240MHz, or if you have a BE then raise both the CPU-NB & HT Link Frequency to 2400MHz plus CPU-NB Voltage to 1.20v. Problem with non BE CPU's you need to lower the CPU Ratio.

Example 3GHz/200MHz = 15 vs 3GHz/240 = 12.5 rounded 12 (2.88GHz under) or 13 (3.12GHz over).

By default the RAM will ruin DDR3-1333 and the gains are so small it's often best to run it at Defaults.
 


The AMD Phenom II processors only officially support DDR3-1333. You might think that it can handle 1600 and it may, but its not guaranteed. About once a week I find a post here on Toms from someone getting BSODs who's running 1600Mhz SDRAM on an 2500k. Step it back to 1333 and BSODs go away. 1600Mhz SDRAM will work on a 1333 standard controller 95% of the time but its the 5% of the time that it doesn't work that give me something to do late at night. Most of those cases can be solved by bumping the SDRAM voltage or loosening timings but even then there's always 1-2% which will simply refuse to run it due to low silicon quality.
 
Solution


If you can run it at 1600 then there is nothing wrong with doing so. Just keep an eye out for instability and if you're running more than one rank per channel keep in mind that you might have to bump the voltage or loosen the timings