[SOLVED] Can i overclock some of the ram that is 2400mhz and run it with real 3200mhz ram?

[bjornerik]

Can i mix 2400 mhz ram with 3200 mhz ram, and then overclock the 2400mhz too 3200 mhz so i dont have to run the 3200mhz @ 2400 mhz ?

I have a lot of 2400 ram, but just 8gb 3200

Thank you!

 

[sizzling]

Very unlikely that RAM rated for 2400mhz will reach 3200mhz.

 

[Gam3r01]

You can certainly try, but I doubt you will get stable settings.
It is possible, but not likely.

 

[bjornerik]

It is Ballistix bls8g4d24qfsc RAM, they say it is very good to overclock and that 3200mhz shouldnt be a problem, but could i run if the overclock works? And what if i overclock it and end up with 3000mhz(oir less), will then my real 3200mhz clock down to match them at 3000 mhz ?

 

[Gam3r01]

If your specific stick could run at 3200MHz they would have sold it as a 3200MHz kit, not a 2400MHz.
If you cant reach identical settings the faster kit will be limited to the slower kit.

Also, of course they say its good for OCing, its called marketing.

 

[Endre]

Can i mix 2400 mhz ram with 3200 mhz ram, and then overclock the 2400mhz too 3200 mhz so i dont have to run the 3200mhz @ 2400 mhz ?

I have a lot of 2400 ram, but just 8gb 3200

Thank you!

When mixing RAM modules, they’ll run at the speed of the slowest one, in your case 2400MT/s.
In rare cases, they don’t run together at all!

Overclock might lead to instability or unexpected errors in this case.

 

[bjornerik]

If my pc support 2400mhz ram, and i got 3200mhz ram, can i "overclock" it too 3200mhz instead of running it at 2400mhz as it will since that is what supported. Or cant i overclock more than what the computer is meant to be running at?

 

[DSzymborski]

A question that can be answered with knowledge of your exact models of RAM, CPU, and motherboard.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Usually, no. If your motherboard only supports memory up to 2400mhz, then that IS the fastest you can run it at. There are no ways to get around what speed the motherboard supports. What the CPU supports natively is a different thing altogether, so if it's just the CPU that "says" it only supports up to 2400mhz, but the product specifications page for your motherboard indicates it supports faster memory, then you can PROBABLY run it at whatever the motherboard says. The only exceptions to that are some few cases where different CPUs can only support different maximum memory speeds even on the same motherboard that supports faster memory speeds, like some 9th and 10th Gen Intel CPUs where some CPUs from that family only support 2666mhz while others support whatever the board says.

MOSTLY, it is what the specifications for the motherboard says that counts. To know anything at all, we'd need to know your exact CPU, motherboard and memory kit model numbers.

 

[Karadjgne]

When ram is manufactured, it's a bunch of blanks. Not even a heatshield, nothing but a pcb with ic's. A vendor will contract the manufacturer and say it wants X amount of 2400MHz. So the manufacturer throws a bunch of ram through the binning process, set for 2400MHz, slaps labels and heatsinks and paint on it, throws a rambios in it with the jedec tables and you end up with a bunch of 2400MHz ram. In a nutshell.

What they don't do is test that ram to see if it's 3200MHz capable. Why bother, they only need 2400MHz. Your particular ram could very well be 4000MHz capable, nobody knows, nobody tested for such.

On the flip side, it's entirely possible they are failures. Those sticks might have been tested for 3200MHz, failed and got stuck on the failed bin for testing at a lower frequency. So may end up as 2400MHz maximum or 2666MHz. Nobody knows. You will not find out until you try, nobody can give you an answer as to yes or no they will work.

Default settings will put All the ram at 2400MHz, doesn't matter if some of the sticks are higher. If you OC the 2400 to 3200, 2 of the sticks will handle that, it's their rated speeds, but whether or not the 2400 will still be stable is impossible to determine on our end. Only the ram itself can give you that. It'll either work or not.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Can i mix 2400 mhz ram with 3200 mhz ram, and then overclock the 2400mhz too 3200 mhz so i dont have to run the 3200mhz @ 2400 mhz ?

I have a lot of 2400 ram, but just 8gb 3200

Thank you!

Since this thread was merged with another, and contains different information in the OP, I'll just say this. VERY unlikely that you will have ANY success with this that doesn't result in either instability of the memory configuration when testing stability with Memtest86, which you MUST do anytime you manually change the memory settings to something other than what the JEDEC or XMP profiles are assigned to be OR that you'll be able to keep the memory cool enough to avoid problems especially if ANY of the memory lacks heatsinks, but even if they have them if they were low speed DIMMs like those 2400mhz sticks. Just going from something like 3000mhz to 3200mhz can present significant problems if it's not a VERY high end memory kit, so going from 2400mhz to 3200mhz is nearly impossible for most if not all memory kits if you plan to keep things stable. And anybody who is not concerned with stability, doesn't have a clue what they are doing.

 

[simmyx]

2400mhz RAM can reach about 3000mhz in my experience when overclocked

 

[Darkbreeze]

And in your extensive testing experience, what, exactly, does that process involve when testing for stability and thermal compliance after overclocking the memory?

What are the steps that were taken to configure the overclock, then test for thermal compliance and finally, what, exactly is your prescription for testing stability on manually altered memory configurations?

In my experience, which is somewhat more expansive than most mainstream PC enthusiasts, an average quality 2400mhz kit would be lucky to be able to be overclocked to 2800mhz, and a lot more likely to be made stable at 2666mhz. But the biggest question as to whether it's even going to be beneficial or not will really stem from whether you are able to significantly increase frequency AND NOT have to increase the timings. That's pretty unlikely for most memory kits. Only the very best memory is going to be capable of an 800mhz increase in frequency while retaining the same primary timings. And an increase in the primary or secondary timings, if necessary to retain stability in the configuration, will usually negate any gains made by overclocking the memory so you are better to take a smaller increase in frequency if you can get it, say 200-400mhz, along with keeping the memory configuration at the same timings it came with according to it's profile configuration.

Or, staying at the profile frequency of whatever the kit is and simply tightening the timings down to whatever you can tighten them down to while still maintaining stability, which of course requires a somewhat extensive stability testing process that most people simply don't have the patience or time to be bothered with. Which is why for most people if you want faster memory performance you are generally better off simply buying a faster kit.

 

[Karadjgne]

Which is why for most people if you want faster memory performance you are generally better off simply buying a faster kit.

Can we get an Amen for the brother...