Can you run ram at different speeds below the advertised speed?

[Johnnnyb]

So I built this computer about 3 years ago I think it was 2019 keep in mind I didn't really know the parts I was choosing didn't really make perfect sense at the time and this is my first PC I have ever built. I can't afford to go buy ram at this time that runs at the specific speed I need and with the CPU I have I didn't realize at the time my Ryzen 5 1600 had a very low supported ram speed. I have 16gb of 3000mhz ram and I'd really like to hear if anyone knows if there's an easy way to run that ram at 2666mhz rather than 3000mhz. Actually while I'm the topic of ram, when I'm able to buy ram does the motherboard have to be able to support it or can any ram running at 2666mhz work?

[Fasauceome]

What speed is the ram currently running at?

 

For a ryzen 5 1600 that isn't playing nice with the rated speed, typically what I do is enable XMP and just turn the speed down to 2933 or 2800 in the BIOS. It is a lot more favorable than 2666. Bear in mind that Ryzen is pretty sensitive to memory speed, across all generations, so higher is better if you can get away with it (without sacrificing your timings of course)

Edited November 28, 2022 by Fasauceome

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

5 minutes ago, Johnnnyb said:

I'd really like to hear if anyone knows if there's an easy way to run that ram at 2666mhz rather than 3000mhz.

Yes. You can go into your BIOS and manually set it to run at 2666Mhz.

 

What speed is it running at now?

6 minutes ago, Johnnnyb said:

when I'm able to buy ram does the motherboard have to be able to support it or can any ram running at 2666mhz work?

The motherboard will have a QVL list of RAM part numbers that are verified to work. Buying from that list gives you more assurance that things will work properly. But in my experience, buying RAM that is not on the list is unlikely to cause any issue.

[Johnnnyb]

30 minutes ago, Hairless Monkey Boy said:

Yes. You can go into your BIOS and manually set it to run at 2666Mhz.

 

What speed is it running at now?

The motherboard will have a QVL list of RAM part numbers that are verified to work. Buying from that list gives you more assurance that things will work properly. But in my experience, buying RAM that is not on the list is unlikely to cause any issue.

I've tried searching for ram on the list most ram google searchs bring up nothing. My motherboard is an Asrock B450 pro4. I can change the speed to anything? But I don't need to change the voltage and timings and stuff myself?

[Johnnnyb]

34 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

What speed is the ram currently running at?

 

For a ryzen 5 1600 that isn't playing nice with the rated speed, typically what I do is enable XMP and just turn the speed down to 2933 or 2800 in the BIOS. It is a lot more favorable than 2666. Bear in mind that Ryzen is pretty sensitive to memory speed, across all generations, so higher is better if you can get away with it (without sacrificing your timings of course)

I've enabled XMP before on my system and suprisingly it boots yes but I've noticed that after restarting it fully the mhz reset to there default for this kit it's 2400.

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

Just now, Johnnnyb said:

I've enabled XMP before on my system and suprisingly it boots yes but I've noticed that after restarting it fully the mhz reset to there default for this kit it's 2400.

That happens when the system fails to POST with the XMP settings.

 

The simple solution is to go into your BIOS, enable XMP, and then modify the RAM frequency from the XMP speed (3000MHz), down to something more likely to work like 2933Mhz, 2800Mhz, or 2666Mhz.

[Johnnnyb]

37 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

What speed is the ram currently running at?

 

For a ryzen 5 1600 that isn't playing nice with the rated speed, typically what I do is enable XMP and just turn the speed down to 2933 or 2800 in the BIOS. It is a lot more favorable than 2666. Bear in mind that Ryzen is pretty sensitive to memory speed, across all generations, so higher is better if you can get away with it (without sacrificing your timings of course)

Oh ya I forgot to mention the ryzen 5 1600 at it's highest only supports 2667mhz

[Johnnnyb]

8 minutes ago, Hairless Monkey Boy said:

That happens when the system fails to POST with the XMP settings.

 

The simple solution is to go into your BIOS, enable XMP, and then modify the RAM frequency from the XMP speed (3000MHz), down to something more likely to work like 2933Mhz, 2800Mhz, or 2666Mhz.

I enabled it and it's working fine so far I tried 2666mhz

[Fasauceome]

44 minutes ago, Johnnnyb said:

Oh ya I forgot to mention the ryzen 5 1600 at it's highest only supports 2667mhz

official support is not the same as what you are capable of running. almost all 1600s I've used have no issue at 2933 or 3000, most work at 3200

[Sarra]

Is it the memory controller on the CPU that's holding it back, or the circuitry on the motherboard?

[Johnnnyb]

1 hour ago, Fasauceome said:

official support is not the same as what you are capable of running. almost all 1600s I've used have no issue at 2933 or 3000, most work at 3200

I went back again and put it up to 2933 and it's perfectly fine so I'm thinking maybe my CPU just won't do 3000 but 2933 is OK? but thats only on the first boot I haven't rebooted the system yet hopefully it keeps the 2933.

[Johnnnyb]

1 hour ago, Sarra said:

Is it the memory controller on the CPU that's holding it back, or the circuitry on the motherboard?

I have no idea if it is or not. I guess that can be the only reason why it won't run at that speed. Because I remember watching videos LInus at the time talking about Ryzen APU's I remember him mentioning about how ryzen likes high speeds and having 3200 mhz was like basically the sweet spot for speed at the time I think something like that so I decided to get 3000mhz ram.

[Coaxialgamer]

Your CPU may list 2666 as the official maximum memory speed (aka the speed supported by the memory speed), but odds are it can cope with higher RAM speeds just fine.

Go into your BIOS and you'll be able RAM speeds to basically anything you want within reason. Try using XMP profiles if at all possible; if not, don't worry about timings or anything else, just deal with frequency.

If you get stability issues, try bumping up the SOC voltage a tad bit (a few dozen mV, nothing more) or bumping up DDR4 DRAM voltage to something like 1.35V as opposed to the more typical 1.2V. Test for stability to make sure everything's A-OK.

[Fasauceome]

1 hour ago, Johnnnyb said:

I went back again and put it up to 2933 and it's perfectly fine so I'm thinking maybe my CPU just won't do 3000 but 2933 is OK? but thats only on the first boot I haven't rebooted the system yet hopefully it keeps the 2933.

well hopefully your applications like games and stuff are stable with 2933. You enabled XMP right? Or otherwise adjusted voltage and timings manually.

[Johnnnyb]

14 hours ago, Fasauceome said:

well hopefully your applications like games and stuff are stable with 2933. You enabled XMP right? Or otherwise adjusted voltage and timings manually.

I played some games they seem fine no stability issues arrised so I think it's good. I don't play that many super demanding games other than DOOM. But I tried OW2 and A hat in time they seem to run fine. I really only brought this up because I knew I was leaving performance on the table and I didn't know what to do about it I want the most out of these parts.