1600mhz ram on a motherboard that only supports up to 1333mhz?

[ColePi]

Im wanting to upgrade my 4 gig memory to 16 gigs of corsair vengeance that run at 1600mhz but my motherboard says it only goes up to 1333mhz. I was told by a friend that if my motherboard cannot match the rams mhz that it would actually decrease performance. and if it helps my motherboard is an ASUS H81M-A.

 

[TheJackah]

As it only supports up to 1333mhz either your PC will not start, or you're going to break something. Do not try it.

 

[Ithaca]

I disagree with TheJackah.

To my knowledge, your RAM will just simply downclock and match the speed of the motherboard.
It will not decrease the performance of your setup (as your motherboard will be maxed out on the 1333mhz), but your RAM will have extra headroom.

 

[ColePi]

I disagree with TheJackah.

To my knowledge, your RAM will just simply downclock and match the speed of the motherboard.
It will not decrease the performance of your setup (as your motherboard will be maxed out on the 1333mhz), but your RAM will have extra headroom.

Ok I'm really confused cause i just went into my bios to see where i go about about down clocking it when I get it, and it says the ram I have running right now is running at 1600 MHz? http://m.imgur.com/PVERr2f

 

[Ithaca]

I believe that what you're seeing there is purely the information about the RAM type in that particular slot. It's like a label on a carton of cigarettes: The label may state "20 x Look 100's", but if you check the contents you may find that there are only 18 cigarettes left. The analogy is bad, but I hope it gets my point across.

So let's look into the actual settings of your RAM.

What you want to look for is found in "Advanced Mode", and is likely labeled something like "DRAM Speed", "DRAM Frequency" and "BCLK : DRAM Frequency Ratio". Could you tell me what you find there?

Besides: You do not need to downclock your RAM manually from 1600mhz to 1333mhz. The motherboard has right of way, so to speak, and it will decide on it's own.

 

[ColePi]

I believe that what you're seeing there is purely the information about the RAM type in that particular slot. It's like a label on a carton of cigarettes: The label may state "20 x Look 100's", but if you check the contents you may find that there are only 18 cigarettes left. The analogy is bad, but I hope it gets my point across.

So let's look into the actual settings of your RAM.

What you want to look for is found in "Advanced Mode", and is likely labeled something like "DRAM Speed", "DRAM Frequency" and "BCLK : DRAM Frequency Ratio". Could you tell me what you find there?

Besides: You do not need to downclock your RAM manually from 1600mhz to 1333mhz. The motherboard has right of way, so to speak, and it will decide on it's own.

Ok, I am in advanced mode and looking at what I believe to be what you requested, Memory Frequency - 1600 MHz
Total Memory 4096 MB (DDR3)

 

[Ithaca]

Really? Could you post a screenshot of this? If your motherboard is running RAM at 1600 mhz while not being able to, something is definitely wrong.

 

[ColePi]

Well great, I just installed the new memory after going through dozens of other threads of people that were in the same boat and now I'll start my pc up and nothing happens, my display doesn't even recognize it as an input. I even sat there for a while to see if it was just reconfiguring or adjusting to the upgrade but, nooope.

 

[Ithaca]

So... You just installed the new memory, but have already shown us a screenshot of your memory installed and recognized in UEFI/BIOS? Did you remove your memory at some point? Why?

Your startup issue could be simple, or it could be bad. I'm going for simple: Reseat all components. RAM, graphics Card, other peripherals, etc. and make sure that all components are correctly installed and properly plugged in to the correct PSU outlets.

If that doesn't work, try resetting your CMOS. Your motherboard's manual can help you out there.

Let me know how you fare.

 

[ColePi]

Oh my god, I feel like such an idiot. I didn't have the sticks pushed in all the way. It works fine thank you for the help though.