Question 3600 MHz RAM Running at 2400 MHz?

[notoriouscheech]

Hey everyone! Curious if this is a fairly normal thing for my RAM to be running at. I was recently told to enable XMP in bios to up my MHz but in doing so I was receiving some webpage errors (internet status breakpoint), a BSD error (DPC Watchdog Violation), and another stating some kernal error. Seeing that it was causing issues I reverted back to disabling the XMP with none of these issues continuing. Is there anything different I should try to get my full MHz on my RAM?

Some Specs
- i7-12700K
-3080
-32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3600MHz t force delta
- ASUS PRIME Z690-P WIFI DDR4 mobo

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[sizzling]

Did all 4 sticks come from a single kit? Is the RAM kit on the support list for the motherboard?

Running 4 dimms instead of 2 can result in a lower stable maximum speed.

 

[notoriouscheech]

Did all 4 sticks come from a single kit? Is the RAM kit on the support list for the motherboard?

Running 4 dimms instead of 2 can result in a lower stable maximum speed.

It was a prebuilt system so that's a good question. I assume they would be however I am not 100% on that. Suppose that does make sense that maybe it is the 4 resulting in lower stable maximum.

 

[Bob.B]

Hey everyone! Curious if this is a fairly normal thing for my RAM to be running at. I was recently told to enable XMP in bios to up my MHz but in doing so I was receiving some webpage errors (internet status breakpoint), a BSD error (DPC Watchdog Violation), and another stating some kernal error. Seeing that it was causing issues I reverted back to disabling the XMP with none of these issues continuing. Is there anything different I should try to get my full MHz on my RAM?

Some Specs
- i7-12700K
-3080
-32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3600MHz t force delta
- ASUS PRIME Z690-P WIFI DDR4 mobo

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Go to the mobo site and install the latest bios and chipset driver.

Make sure everything functions with xmp off.

Then try xmp on.

 

[sizzling]

It was a prebuilt system so that's a good question. I assume they would be however I am not 100% on that. Suppose that does make sense that maybe it is the 4 resulting in lower stable maximum.

If this was a pre built that came with 3600mhz I would contact the seller. If the system isn’t stable running the RAM at the speed it was sold as then they need to resolve. They may suggest something like increasing the DRAM voltage which might work but you only want to do that if they tell you to, otherwise you may invalidate their warranty. They may want the system back to test and possibly swap hardware.

 

[geofelt]

Some pre built makers buy their ram sticks in bulk and mix them as needed.
For the most part, this turns out to be ok.
Not so ok in this case.

Since ram runs in dual channel mode, a better configuration would have been 2 x 16gb. It is harder for a motherboard to manage 4 sticks vs. two.

But, ram needs to be matched in a single kit to operate properly.
Your specs should allow 3600 speed which is about the sweet spot.
Set xmp and try to run
Run memtest86 or memtest86+
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

MemTest86 is the original self booting memory testing software for x86 and ARM computers. Supporting both BIOS and UEFI, with options to boot from USB.

www.memtest86.com

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

www.memtest.org

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.
Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.
If you get ANY error, complain to the vendor or you can try to fix it yourself.

In the bios, you should be able to set the xmp specs yourself, but increase the ram voltage in small increments past the usual 1.35v required for most kits to run at 3600 speed.

 

[notoriouscheech]

If this was a pre built that came with 3600mhz I would contact the seller. If the system isn’t stable running the RAM at the speed it was sold as then they need to resolve. They may suggest something like increasing the DRAM voltage which might work but you only want to do that if they tell you to, otherwise you may invalidate their warranty. They may want the system back to test and possibly swap hardware.

Thanks for this info. I'm going to try this route and see what they say then will take others advice about updating the BIOS/Chipset driver.

 

[notoriouscheech]

Some pre built makers buy their ram sticks in bulk and mix them as needed.
For the most part, this turns out to be ok.
Not so ok in this case.

Since ram runs in dual channel mode, a better configuration would have been 2 x 16gb. It is harder for a motherboard to manage 4 sticks vs. two.

But, ram needs to be matched in a single kit to operate properly.
Your specs should allow 3600 speed which is about the sweet spot.
Set xmp and try to run
Run memtest86 or memtest86+
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

MemTest86 is the original self booting memory testing software for x86 and ARM computers. Supporting both BIOS and UEFI, with options to boot from USB.

www.memtest86.com

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

www.memtest.org

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.
Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.
If you get ANY error, complain to the vendor or you can try to fix it yourself.

In the bios, you should be able to set the xmp specs yourself, but increase the ram voltage in small increments past the usual 1.35v required for most kits to run at 3600 speed.

That is good to know for the future, thank you! Should I try these tests even though I had noticeable issues when I did enable XMP the first time? Multiple BSOD, internet page errors, etc. Was getting pretty frequent issues and have no issues with XMP disabled. Are these tests worth doing with XMP disabled as well to see if it runs into any errors?

A previous response mentions to message the seller before increasing the ram voltage as it could cancel out my warranty. I did just send them a message so will hopefully hear back within the next couple days. Thanks a ton for the in depth response.

 

[notoriouscheech]

This was the reply to the email I sent.

"RAM runs at a standard speed when not under load. If you would like to overclock your RAM to run at full speed all the time, you can enable the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) overclocking profile for your RAM. RAM will always post at standard speeds intentionally designed by your motherboard manufacturer when not under load. Keep in mind that overclocking or running at higher speeds than what is intended by your part manufacturer may reduce the longevity of your parts if not done correctly with stability in mind when configuring. "

Is 3600MHz RAM running at 2400MHz running at a standard speed? He mentions if its not under load, but when I load up any games or anything it doesn't raise that speed when under load. Also granted I did try enabling the XMP and had issues right away I don't see it as a sufficient answer unless I am mistaken.