DDR3 @ 1600Mhz to 1800Mhz

[JP20Boss]

Hi everyone! I'm a first time builder who's looking for an OC'ing solution. I've overclocked my A6-3500 from 2.1Ghz to 4.0Ghz and it idles at lows of 10-20 Celsius and highs of 20-30 Celsius. I don't have a dedicated GPU so everything is running off of the integrated graphics. I know pumping the RAM a bit would increase the IGPs performance but how do I go about doing it? Virtually all the settings in my BIOS are locked when it comes to RAM (excluding the XMP) so I don't seem to be able to push it any further from there.

From a bit of research I've heard of people increasing the voltage of their mobs to unlock higher clock rates for their hardware. Would increasing my voltage give me any new performance options?

Specs:

Mobo: GA-A55M-DS2
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (2x2)
CPU: AMD A6-3500 APU
Overclocking Software: AMD Overdrive

 

[toarranre]

Yes but for the risk/benefit involved I really wouldn't reccommend it. What setting does the MOBO support? If it can push RAM to the limit I would look at getting better RAM as you will hardly see a difference in performance going from 1600 to 1800, note using integrated AMD graphics is the only scenario that I feel benefits from top end RAM.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-bandwidth-scaling-trinity,3419.html
Even so you still need to ask yourself at what point are you spending so much on RAM that a low-mid range dedicated graphics becomes a more finacially viable option.

 

[JP20Boss]

Yes but for the risk/benefit involved I really wouldn't reccommend it. What setting does the MOBO support? If it can push RAM to the limit I would look at getting better RAM as you will hardly see a difference in performance going from 1600 to 1800, note using integrated AMD graphics is the only scenario that I feel benefits from top end RAM.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-bandwidth-scaling-trinity,3419.html
Even so you still need to ask yourself at what point are you spending so much on RAM that a low-mid range dedicated graphics becomes a more finacially viable option.

Thanks for the response toarranre The motherboard supports up to 1800. I gave it all some thought and given the risk I'll probably just buy a graphics card and perhaps upgrade the RAM later to 1800. For now I'll have to be satisfied with adjusting the timings Thanks again

 

[toarranre]

I would just stick with what you've got. No point in spending money and replacing good RAM for the sake of an extra 200 Mhz. You probably wouldn't notice it while using it in the APU and if you get dedicated graphics the RAM is no longer used for graphics processing anyway. Cheers!