Changing DVAM frequency

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

Hey guys I just added crucial ballistix 3200mhz to my rig and I went into bios to change the frequency to 3200, am I ok to use the computer in that frequency ? Because it was set to I think 2660 

[Eigenvektor]

21 minutes ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

Because it was set to I think 2660 

It's normal for it to run at 2666 MHz without XMP enabled. Anything higher usually requires enabling XMP or a manual overclock.

 

(The fastest JEDEC spec is 3200 MHz @ CL20, but most sticks use 2666 MHz and need XMP/overclocking to run at the marketed speed)

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

I learned the hard way lol because it kept shutting off I reset it back to auto 

[Alvin853]

1 minute ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

I learned the hard way lol because it kept shutting off I reset it back to auto 

You need to enable the XMP profile, this will not only change the clock to 3200, but also adjust timings and voltages to the programmed profile. By just changing the clock to 3200, you're running the module outside of its standard specs, but it should be able to do 3200 fine if everything is setup correctly.

[Eigenvektor]

8 minutes ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

I learned the hard way lol because it kept shutting off I reset it back to auto 

Yeah, just increasing the clocks isn't going to do it in most cases Normal DDR4 voltage is 1.2V, but overclocking means running at ~1.35V and possibly changing timings as well, so using the XMP profile is easier if the RAM has one.

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

and it's weird because after installing the both ram sticks,changing the frequency, but i changed everything back, my PC is still randomly shutting down???

[Alvin853]

1 minute ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

and it's weird because after installing the both ram sticks,changing the frequency, but i changed everything back, my PC is still randomly shutting down???

2 sticks? Did you get a kit of 2 identical sticks, or did you add one stick to an existing stick in your PC?

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

Yes I did get a kit, and made sure it was compatible with my MOBO but I’m not sure why is it cutting off like that 

[Alvin853]

1 minute ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

Yes I did get a kit, and made sure it was compatible with my MOBO but I’m not sure why is it cutting off like that 

You may have gotten a bad kit then, do some memtests and see if any errors show up. You can also try clearing your CMOS/resetting the BIOS. At "auto" settings the RAM should default to "plug&play"-mode and not cause any issues. If they do, then it's a bad kit (you could try testing each stick individually, but might as well return/RMA the entire kit anyway if one of them is bad, since you want to have matching sticks).

[CryingWimp]

Reset your bios to default settings. Enable XMP and it should work. Leave everything on auto except the XMP profile, it'll automatically adjust all the other settings that need to be changed for the kit to run at 3200.

 

Was it originally working before you changed anything?

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

[CryingWimp]

Put the Dram Frequency on auto, unless it was on auto and clicking the xmp profile changed it

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

Yeah it changed back on its own but I made sure that the frequency was set to auto and it still kept turning off though? I personally don't think it could be the ram sticks, they were brand new ordered from amazon and had just came in today. Unless, could it be the power supply? maybe it can't handle that much power? because it's only a 500-watt standard bronze?

[Alvin853]

29 minutes ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

Yeah it changed back on its own but I made sure that the frequency was set to auto and it still kept turning off though? I personally don't think it could be the ram sticks, they were brand new ordered from amazon and had just came in today. Unless, could it be the power supply? maybe it can't handle that much power? because it's only a 500-watt standard bronze?

Even brand new RAM can be bad, you may have just gotten unlucky, that's why I recommended performing a Memtest, but make sure you disable XMP and reset everything to auto first (XMP is not guaranteed, it works most of the time but not in every possible combination of components). Or some other component in your PC is not compatible with the RAM, what CPU are you using? RAM power draw is very low, so I doubt the PSU is an issue

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

This might be the issue? the model that I purchased from crucial Ballistix was a (CL16BL2K8G32C16U4B). Maybe that could be it ? and I had left for work so when I get home, im going to try and disable my XMP and just set everything to auto and see how that goes, or just trying one stick at a time. I also still have my old ram stick so worse case of scenario. it'll suck but just have to get another kit, even though that kid was almost $100 

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me with this issue. Honestly, thank you.  

[Alvin853]

37 minutes ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

This might be the issue? the model that I purchased from crucial Ballistix was a (CL16BL2K8G32C16U4B). Maybe that could be it ? and I had left for work so when I get home, im going to try and disable my XMP and just set everything to auto and see how that goes, or just trying one stick at a time. I also still have my old ram stick so worse case of scenario. it'll suck but just have to get another kit, even though that kid was almost $100 

The kit you bought should be usable, but possibly not at 3200 MHz. If it still produces errors at "auto" settings with XMP disabled, the kit is bad and you should RMA it and get it replaced. If it works on auto settings you can keep it and let it run at 2666 MHz, in most applications you won't notice a big difference in performance anyway. Maybe some other component in your system is not capable of running the memory at 3200 MHz, and any other kit will just give you the same problem.

 

If the kit is bad, have it replaced. If it works fine at lower speeds, you should keep it, that's still a good speed on a good kit, and there's no guarantee any other kit would run at higher speeds.

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

I believe it might be some components in my rig that is not compactable. It's a low entry level rig.

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

It seems like it’s working  for now. It’s so weird though, because it seems like it can only run 2666 MHz  but it’s a 3200 mhz ? 

[Alvin853]

8 hours ago, Nicholas Rodriguez said:

It seems like it’s working  for now. It’s so weird though, because it seems like it can only run 2666 MHz  but it’s a 3200 mhz ? 

XMP is not guaranteed to work, especially in entry level setups where the memory controller in your CPU could be the limiting factor. XMP changes many variables at once, not just the clock speed, so it puts stress on other components, not only the memory itself, it's basically overclocking and running some parts outside their specs. The RAM could be able to run 3200 MHz, but maybe only on certain CPUs.

 

The kit is still really good at 2666 MHz, and if you ever plan to upgrade your other components, you can reuse the kit, so hopefully you won't feel bad about your purchase

[Nicholas Rodriguez]

Thank you I really appreciate your help and it stood on longer  with everything on. Auto but it still turned off so I’m not sure what to do