Bios shows 667 instead fo 800?
- Thread starter vudluxi
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Not an expert but your FSB must be at 333 and when multiplied by 2 give 667. Your RAM is running probably at 1:1 (ratio). If your FSB is not 333, your ratio must be something else.
You may have to change setting to manual to see values in the BIOS. RAM speeding is I believe the maximum rated not what speed it will run. Your BIOS is controlling it.
You may have to change setting to manual to see values in the BIOS. RAM speeding is I believe the maximum rated not what speed it will run. Your BIOS is controlling it.
ausch30
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- Feb 9, 2007
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That RAM in question is DDR2 667 and has what is called EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles) up to DDR2 800. I know it's a little confusing but the DDR2 memory standard runs at 1.8v and up to 800 speeds, the memory you have is listed at 2.0v and 800 which means that it is really just guaranteed to run that fast. Take my memory for instance it was sold as Mushkin DDR2 800 4-4-3-10 but when you look at CPUZ this is what you get
as you can see the only way to get that speed is with a voltage increase to 2.1v. Some boards will automatically set the speed to the EPP while other's have a setting in the BIOS called SLI memory or something like that. the best way is to simply set the memory manually to is rated speed and voltage and you'll be all set.
I just bought the exact same card, two of them, 1 GB each. The Kingston HyperX PC6400 which is supposedly 800 MHz. I just bought a brand new computer which came with 3 GB at 800 MHz (BIOS verifies that these existing cards are at 800 MHz). So I am sure my motherboard can take 800 MHz and even the Dell website offers this computer with the option of 4 GB and 800 MHz (the option of 4 GB and 667 MHz is $50 cheaper). Then after I added the 1 GB HyperX cards the BIOS reads only 667 MHz. I tried all combinations of re-arranging the cards in different slots and it still stayed at 667 MHz. I then read several posts which indicate that the RAM cards should all be exactly identical for you to get the advertised speed, so I went out and bought another two Kingston HyperX PC6400 cards, 1 GB each so all four of my 1 GB cards were exactly identical with same manufacturer.
Here is the real kicker: After taking out all my existing cards and only put in the HyperX cards, the BIOS still reads only 667 MHz. I even took out 2 cards and left 2 in and still get 667 MHz. There is definitely something wrong with these cards. I am returning them today.
I just checked my email and Kingston tech support just replied to me about this 800 MHz vs 667 MHz problem with this HyperX card. I will copy and paste it for all of you:
"This memory by default runs at 667MHz. In order to run it at 800MHz you have to overclock it by entering the memory timings in the bios (which is what this memory is all about) unfortunately OEM manufacturers (Dell) does not allow for the consumer to manipulate the bios memory timings. Even so because this memory is not tested for compatibility with any particular system or motherboard it's not guaranteed to be compatible. However you have to start off by being able to set the memory timings in the bios. If you're able to do so, please let me know and I will send you the timings you will need to enter. If you wish to use true 800MHz memory without overclocking, please click on the following link and use the appropriate 800MHz memory."
He then gives me a link to buy another Kingston memory card. However, I am now wary of buying from them. This overclocking should have been addressed on the box and is false advertising. It should have been addressed with the knowledge that not all motherboards can manipulate BIOS memory timings (I know I can't with my Dell). Even CPU's can be overclocked but manufacturers never advertise more than what they arrive in the box with. Why couldn't they just make this arrive with 800 MHz (like my existing cards that came with the computer)? I've never used Kingston before, what a horrible first impression!
"This memory by default runs at 667MHz. In order to run it at 800MHz you have to overclock it by entering the memory timings in the bios (which is what this memory is all about) unfortunately OEM manufacturers (Dell) does not allow for the consumer to manipulate the bios memory timings. Even so because this memory is not tested for compatibility with any particular system or motherboard it's not guaranteed to be compatible. However you have to start off by being able to set the memory timings in the bios. If you're able to do so, please let me know and I will send you the timings you will need to enter. If you wish to use true 800MHz memory without overclocking, please click on the following link and use the appropriate 800MHz memory."
He then gives me a link to buy another Kingston memory card. However, I am now wary of buying from them. This overclocking should have been addressed on the box and is false advertising. It should have been addressed with the knowledge that not all motherboards can manipulate BIOS memory timings (I know I can't with my Dell). Even CPU's can be overclocked but manufacturers never advertise more than what they arrive in the box with. Why couldn't they just make this arrive with 800 MHz (like my existing cards that came with the computer)? I've never used Kingston before, what a horrible first impression!
I am literally walking in the door after exchanging the memory cards for another manufacturer. The new cards I got are Patriot. I got two 1 GB cards. Something different has happened. This time, I just put in the 2 Patriot cards alone and BIOS reads 2 GB RAM and 800 MHz. However, when I put in all 4 cards (2 Patriot and 2 Nanya), the BIOS reads 4 GB RAM and 667 MHz. This is different in that the Kingston HyperX cards still read 667 MHz even when the cards were inserted alone with no other cards.
So I am thinking of buying 2 more Patriot cards just so that I get the exact same manufacturer and same card settings so hopefully when I put in the 4 Patriot cards it will give me 800 MHz. Hopefully this will work.
If it still doesn't work I will suspect that the motherboard will automatically slow down the speed if all 4 GB are used. But that is strange because when I ordered this Dell XPS 420 there is an option to get 4 GB at 800 MHz which costs $50 more than getting 4 GB at 667 MHz.
By the way, I checked on the Patriot website and these cards are 1.8V.
So I am thinking of buying 2 more Patriot cards just so that I get the exact same manufacturer and same card settings so hopefully when I put in the 4 Patriot cards it will give me 800 MHz. Hopefully this will work.
If it still doesn't work I will suspect that the motherboard will automatically slow down the speed if all 4 GB are used. But that is strange because when I ordered this Dell XPS 420 there is an option to get 4 GB at 800 MHz which costs $50 more than getting 4 GB at 667 MHz.
By the way, I checked on the Patriot website and these cards are 1.8V.
RetiredChief
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- Feb 22, 2007
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Memory can be Finicky when using 2 sets. It is always best to buy two matched pairs, and that is still no gurrantee that they will run at the rated speed (ie 800) without changing some voltages.
Installed 2 1 Gig DDR2800 modules, set Dimm voltage to 2.1 volt. Worked fine, installed a 2nd set and had memory errors (Memtest86) at rated speed. Bumped up FSB voltage slightly and all was fine.
Using 2 mismatched pairs of 2 gig Kits is not advisable.
ALSO: Advise booting from bootable CD with memtest86 Plus
and VERIFY no memory errs. Memory erros can hose you where it hurts!l
Try emailing patriot with your computer brand/model, ask if 2 pairs of matched 2 gig kits will work.
Added: Try looking at newegg for your memory, then look at user comments - take with grain of salt.
Installed 2 1 Gig DDR2800 modules, set Dimm voltage to 2.1 volt. Worked fine, installed a 2nd set and had memory errors (Memtest86) at rated speed. Bumped up FSB voltage slightly and all was fine.
Using 2 mismatched pairs of 2 gig Kits is not advisable.
ALSO: Advise booting from bootable CD with memtest86 Plus
and VERIFY no memory errs. Memory erros can hose you where it hurts!l
Try emailing patriot with your computer brand/model, ask if 2 pairs of matched 2 gig kits will work.
Added: Try looking at newegg for your memory, then look at user comments - take with grain of salt.
Again I'm just walking in the door from buying the 2 more Patriot cards and there is a reply to this forum already. This is great! Also great news is that putting in 4 identical cards from the same manufacturer worked! BIOS is reading 4 GB at 800 MHz, finally! And this is without altering any of the BIOS or voltage settings. If anyone else is having this problem this is the exact card I got: http://www.patriotmem.com/products/specs/PSD22G800K.pdf (4 of them)
I realize that Vista (32-bit) will not recognize all 4 GB. When I put in 3 GB Vista says it reads 3070 MB. However, when I put in 4 GB Vista says it reads 3326 MB. I'll willing to pay for that extra bit (plus there was a deal at Fry's for two 1 GB cards for $49.99 total - Dell would have charged $120 more for going from 3 GB at 800 MHz to 4 GB at 800 MHz). There's also a theory that the remaining memory that is not recognized will go to your hardware (still controversy over that). In addition, there is word that Windows will release a Service Pack 1 for Vista in a few months that will address the issue of not recognizing more than 3 GB. So in the near future Vista (32-bit) may be able to recognize everything.
One other minor note is that this 4 GB memory at 800 MHz only gives me a 5.5 Windows Vista Experience Index rating. On my other computer I'm only using 3 GB at 667 MHz and that's giving a 5.9 rating. That seems odd to me. Oh well, I'm just happy I got this thing going. Now I have to sell the cards that came with this computer so I'll get some cash back even after the discounted price of the cards, well worth the hassle.
I realize that Vista (32-bit) will not recognize all 4 GB. When I put in 3 GB Vista says it reads 3070 MB. However, when I put in 4 GB Vista says it reads 3326 MB. I'll willing to pay for that extra bit (plus there was a deal at Fry's for two 1 GB cards for $49.99 total - Dell would have charged $120 more for going from 3 GB at 800 MHz to 4 GB at 800 MHz). There's also a theory that the remaining memory that is not recognized will go to your hardware (still controversy over that). In addition, there is word that Windows will release a Service Pack 1 for Vista in a few months that will address the issue of not recognizing more than 3 GB. So in the near future Vista (32-bit) may be able to recognize everything.
One other minor note is that this 4 GB memory at 800 MHz only gives me a 5.5 Windows Vista Experience Index rating. On my other computer I'm only using 3 GB at 667 MHz and that's giving a 5.9 rating. That seems odd to me. Oh well, I'm just happy I got this thing going. Now I have to sell the cards that came with this computer so I'll get some cash back even after the discounted price of the cards, well worth the hassle.
I do not believe SP1 for Vista 32 will "FIX" the problem of the memory. It not a problem but a limitation. A 32 OS can address a maximum of 4GB but other memory need it too (BIOS, Video Card, ...) . That why 64bits exist. The limit is pushed far enough for a while.
Shadow703793
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- Feb 3, 2007
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Shadow703793, I already achieved 800 MHz without changing anything. With the Dell XPS 420, you can't even change any BIOS settings controlling the CPU or the RAM. There is a message on the BIOS screen "these values cannot be changed".
Anyway, I did get it to work by using the same identical cards from the same manufacturer. I heard it is the safest to do it this way since memory cards may differ in their 4 numbers specs. For example, a card may be spec'd at 4 4 4 12 whereas another card with the same memory and same speed may be spec'd at 5 5 5 15. If you use these cards together, it may somehow "confuse" your motherboard and automatically make it go to a lower speed. That's just a theory I have but whatever the case, using the same model for all 4 slots worked.
And here's a note about the advertised speed: CPU's can be overclocked but manufacturers never advertise a higher speed than what arrives in the box. For example, my quad core Q6600 is advertised as 2.4 GHz but from all accounts can be overclocked to 3.6 GHz. But Intel still advertises this as 2.4 GHz realizing that most people don't mess with their systems and overclock their hardware, and recognizing that overclocking can have the potential to damage the hardware or shorten its life-span. Memory cards should be no different. Although the Kingston HyperX can be overclocked to 800 MHz, I think it's still wrong of them not to mention that its default is only 667 MHz. They could still mention on the box that it can be clocked to 800 MHz but it's important that they still put the default speed because many computer users (like Dell users like myself) cannot alter the BIOS settings to control the RAM. I'm wondering if it's a part of their marketing strategy not to mention it since only a small percentage of all computer users (like us) would actually verify the speed through the BIOS settings. I'm betting that alot of people buy this card and think they're getting 800 MHz but don't bother checking.
Anyway, I did get it to work by using the same identical cards from the same manufacturer. I heard it is the safest to do it this way since memory cards may differ in their 4 numbers specs. For example, a card may be spec'd at 4 4 4 12 whereas another card with the same memory and same speed may be spec'd at 5 5 5 15. If you use these cards together, it may somehow "confuse" your motherboard and automatically make it go to a lower speed. That's just a theory I have but whatever the case, using the same model for all 4 slots worked.
And here's a note about the advertised speed: CPU's can be overclocked but manufacturers never advertise a higher speed than what arrives in the box. For example, my quad core Q6600 is advertised as 2.4 GHz but from all accounts can be overclocked to 3.6 GHz. But Intel still advertises this as 2.4 GHz realizing that most people don't mess with their systems and overclock their hardware, and recognizing that overclocking can have the potential to damage the hardware or shorten its life-span. Memory cards should be no different. Although the Kingston HyperX can be overclocked to 800 MHz, I think it's still wrong of them not to mention that its default is only 667 MHz. They could still mention on the box that it can be clocked to 800 MHz but it's important that they still put the default speed because many computer users (like Dell users like myself) cannot alter the BIOS settings to control the RAM. I'm wondering if it's a part of their marketing strategy not to mention it since only a small percentage of all computer users (like us) would actually verify the speed through the BIOS settings. I'm betting that alot of people buy this card and think they're getting 800 MHz but don't bother checking.
RetiredChief
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- Feb 22, 2007
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I have DDR2800(Pc6400CL4). Vista shows 5.9 for ram on my system.
I believe your PC6400 Ram is CL5. There is a performance Hit (may be wrong but I think it's 3 to 5%) going from CL4 -> CL5.
Try running CPU-z (Ver 1.42). Memory shows usage, and SPD shows Jedec & EPP Ratings.
I believe your PC6400 Ram is CL5. There is a performance Hit (may be wrong but I think it's 3 to 5%) going from CL4 -> CL5.
Try running CPU-z (Ver 1.42). Memory shows usage, and SPD shows Jedec & EPP Ratings.
RetiredChief, the RAM cards on my old computer were only 3 GB and only 667 MHz speed and a CL5 and they still got a 5.9 rating on Vista Experience Index. The exact cards are: Samsung PC2-5300 DDR2-667MHz Non-ECC Unbuffered CL5. On my new computer I have 4 GB at 800 MHz but that only gets a rating of 5.5. It's still unclear to me why. I can't really notice a significant difference so I'll probably keep what I have.
WazzaUK, I didn't mix different speeds, I mixed different manufacturers. I used 800 MHz for all the cards but when using two different manufacturers BIOS read the speed at 667 MHz. When using the same identical manufacturer cards in all 4 slots, BIOS read the speed at 800 MHz.
And a word about the voltage: I didn't mix voltages either. Both the Patriot and Nanya cards are listed as 1.8V but mixing them still shows a BIOS speed of 667 MHz. It was only when I used all 4 Patriot cards in the 4 slots did it finally read 800 MHz.
By the way, CPU-Z read the memory speed at only 400 MHz. Not sure why that is. I'm guessing it would probably read around the same amount for any other card. Again, I'll probably keep what I have unless anyone has a better rcommendation.
WazzaUK, I didn't mix different speeds, I mixed different manufacturers. I used 800 MHz for all the cards but when using two different manufacturers BIOS read the speed at 667 MHz. When using the same identical manufacturer cards in all 4 slots, BIOS read the speed at 800 MHz.
And a word about the voltage: I didn't mix voltages either. Both the Patriot and Nanya cards are listed as 1.8V but mixing them still shows a BIOS speed of 667 MHz. It was only when I used all 4 Patriot cards in the 4 slots did it finally read 800 MHz.
By the way, CPU-Z read the memory speed at only 400 MHz. Not sure why that is. I'm guessing it would probably read around the same amount for any other card. Again, I'll probably keep what I have unless anyone has a better rcommendation.
RetiredChief
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400 MHz is correct.
For My system: Cpuz shows 400 Mhz and a 1 to 1 ratio. Multiply ddr freq by 2 for ddr2 ( FSB = 4 X bus freq = 1600 FSB ) for my system, E6400 @ 3.2 GHz.
Not sure what your problem is. You've verified that your runing at 400 and infact is running in dual channel mode.
For My system: Cpuz shows 400 Mhz and a 1 to 1 ratio. Multiply ddr freq by 2 for ddr2 ( FSB = 4 X bus freq = 1600 FSB ) for my system, E6400 @ 3.2 GHz.
Not sure what your problem is. You've verified that your runing at 400 and infact is running in dual channel mode.
On my new computer, these are my CPU-Z settings: Type= DDR2, Channels= Dual, Size= 4096 MB, DC Mode= Symmetric
DRAM frequency = 399.0 MHz
FSB : DRAM = 2:3
and then 5,5,5,12 with a command rate of 2T. I have quad core Q6600@2.4 GHz. And this computer is getting the Vista RAM rating of 5.5.
On my old computer, the CPU-Z settings are getting the same readings but with the following differences: Size = 3072 MB, DRAM frequency = 332.5 MHz, and FSB : DRAM ratio = 1:1. This old computer is a duo core E6750. It gets a Vista RAM rating of 5.9. So I'm guessing that 1:1 ratio vs 2:3 ratio is significant?
Anyway, I'm new to CPU-Z, do my readings appear normal? Or could they be faster with a different brand of RAM cards (ie/ 1:1 RAM cards)?
DRAM frequency = 399.0 MHz
FSB : DRAM = 2:3
and then 5,5,5,12 with a command rate of 2T. I have quad core Q6600@2.4 GHz. And this computer is getting the Vista RAM rating of 5.5.
On my old computer, the CPU-Z settings are getting the same readings but with the following differences: Size = 3072 MB, DRAM frequency = 332.5 MHz, and FSB : DRAM ratio = 1:1. This old computer is a duo core E6750. It gets a Vista RAM rating of 5.9. So I'm guessing that 1:1 ratio vs 2:3 ratio is significant?
Anyway, I'm new to CPU-Z, do my readings appear normal? Or could they be faster with a different brand of RAM cards (ie/ 1:1 RAM cards)?
Guys, thanks for this info on semantics. A few weeks ago I put an ad on eBay selling a 512 MB RAM card which was worth $50+ in stores. The winning sale price? $2! Plus $2.95 shipping. So the bidder got a 512 MB memory card for $4.95! For the ad title I put the words "RAM memory card" in it. So when most people did an eBay search, they probably didn't find my ad because they were searching under the words "sticks" or "modules" or "DIMM". No wonder! Most people probably didn't see the ad!
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