[SOLVED] CPU - MB - RAM compatibility problem

vulka3

Honorable
Jul 22, 2015
9
0
10,510
Hey guys,

I have a small problem with things I read on the internet and I need to be sure. I recently bought a new CPU - the 5900X. I decided to get a good MB for it so I went for the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (got the Wi-FI edition because the other one was out of stock) BUT the main problem comes with the RAM. I read that the new CPU lineup from AMD performs better with 4000MHz + RAM. Since my MB only has 4 DIMM slots I went for a double-stick GSKILL Ripjaws 4000MHz ( this one: https://www.gskill.com/product/165/184/1562837577/F4-4000C18D-16GVK ) 2x 32GB so I could upgrade in the future if I need to.

So my 2 main problems are as follows: First, After I ordered the RAM I noticed that it says that the RAM is optimized for Intel processors. Should I worry about that? Will it be a waste of money? Will I get lower performance since I'll be using it with the 5900X processor? Second, I read somewhere that after the installation my RAM will run on 3200MHz and in order to get it to run full 4000MHz I need to overclock it. Is that true? Is the RAM not OC-ed by default (like the K-series of the Intel processors for example)? I know I have everything I need to do it but I really don't want to mess with these things.

My only concern is the RAM since it's the only thing I could switch for something else. I already have all the other parts so please don't tell me to get different ones.

Thank you in advance!
 
Solution
Dont worry about the 'optimization for intel processors'.
Every ram runs on its stock speed,which for low end ddr4 modules is probably 2133mhz,for higher end ones like yours it runs 3200mhz stock,and by turning on the XMP option in the BIOS,you can select the speed that ram is listed for.
That is if your motherboard and cpu support it,and your does because its a high end one.
So you have nothing to worry about.
Oh and XMP is considered overclocking,so thats what they meant by 'overclocking'.
Dont worry about the 'optimization for intel processors'.
Every ram runs on its stock speed,which for low end ddr4 modules is probably 2133mhz,for higher end ones like yours it runs 3200mhz stock,and by turning on the XMP option in the BIOS,you can select the speed that ram is listed for.
That is if your motherboard and cpu support it,and your does because its a high end one.
So you have nothing to worry about.
Oh and XMP is considered overclocking,so thats what they meant by 'overclocking'.
 
Solution
Jan 16, 2021
4
0
10
Firstly, this "optimized for Intel/AMD" is marketing <Mod Edit> and doesn't matter, you can ignore any of that.

Any RAM will run at some default "safe" configuration out of the box. Granted that your CPU and Mobo support higher speeds, once you enable XMP in the BIOS you "enable" higher speeds for your RAM. This is basically "overclocking" your ram to run at the speed it's been tested from the manufacturer to be stable at. You can manually attempt to overclock the ram to even greater speeds, but this is not recommended if you dont know what you're doing.

So, in your case, you should just have to enable XMP profile in the bios and everything should be running smoothly and at the desired 4000MHz
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Firstly, this "optimized for Intel/AMD" is marketing <Mod Edit> and doesn't matter, you can ignore any of that.

Any RAM will run at some default "safe" configuration out of the box. Granted that your CPU and Mobo support higher speeds, once you enable XMP in the BIOS you "enable" higher speeds for your RAM. This is basically "overclocking" your ram to run at the speed it's been tested from the manufacturer to be stable at. You can manually attempt to overclock the ram to even greater speeds, but this is not recommended if you dont know what you're doing.

So, in your case, you should just have to enable XMP profile in the bios and everything should be running smoothly and at the desired 4000MHz
Yeah i dont know why they put optimized for intel/amd i mean its not gonna attract people to buy it because of that
 

vulka3

Honorable
Jul 22, 2015
9
0
10,510
That sounds great! I don't mind choosing a premade XMP profile, I just don't want to manually configure anything since I've never done it before. Thank you all for your replies! Though I keep reading something so I would like some more information if you have on this. I read about a QVL (Qualified Vendor List) that comes with every MB so I downloaded the one that comes with mine and the RAM I ordered is not in there. What is worse is that in the QVL, the highest frequency I can get with 2x32GB sticks is 3600, everything else is either 1x or 2x 8GB which is a total bummer. Exactly how strictly should I follow this list? Will I get worse results if I use RAM that's not in the QVL?

I originally went with the stated above RAM because I wanted something really fast and 4000MHz + because of what I read about these processors. So, the 4000MHz + the CL18 looked like a good choice. I want 2x32GB because the MB only has 4 slots and I wanted to have the maximum possible while still retaining the ability to upgrade in the future if I need to.
 
Jan 16, 2021
4
0
10
That sounds great! I don't mind choosing a premade XMP profile, I just don't want to manually configure anything since I've never done it before. Thank you all for your replies! Though I keep reading something so I would like some more information if you have on this. I read about a QVL (Qualified Vendor List) that comes with every MB so I downloaded the one that comes with mine and the RAM I ordered is not in there. What is worse is that in the QVL, the highest frequency I can get with 2x32GB sticks is 3600, everything else is either 1x or 2x 8GB which is a total bummer. Exactly how strictly should I follow this list? Will I get worse results if I use RAM that's not in the QVL?

I originally went with the stated above RAM because I wanted something really fast and 4000MHz + because of what I read about these processors. So, the 4000MHz + the CL18 looked like a good choice. I want 2x32GB because the MB only has 4 slots and I wanted to have the maximum possible while still retaining the ability to upgrade in the future if I need to.
The QVL doesn't list every single configuration of RAM that is compatible with your MB, only what the manufacturer has tested and can officially confirm as being supported, testing every single RAM configuration would be insane. As long as your MB can "theoretically" support your RAM (listed as "supports up to xx MHz RAM" or whatever) you should be golden.
 

TRENDING THREADS