DDR3 10700 (667 MHz) RAM only running at 800 MHz/DRAM:399.0MHz

Katylar

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Nov 20, 2011
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Hi!

I just got an old-ish PC, so I can't verify if the previous user did any overclocking or anything. But the point is that I checked the installed RAM modules, found that one is dead, and installed my own. Currently, I have 4GB (2GBx2) installed.

Both sticks are rated for 1333MHz. From what I know, that should mean I should be seeing a frequency of 667MHz, correct?

But I noticed that on my BIOS, the frequency is set to 800MHz (the only options available are 800MHz and 1066MHz). I haven't tried manually changing the timings yet.

On CPU-Z, the Rated FSB for my Pentium E5800 is around 800MHz, with an FSB😀RAM Ratio of 1:2. But when I check the memory DRAM, I see 399.0MHz. On SPD, I get 4 JEDEC profiles, for 457, 533 609 and 685 MHz respectively (with timings).

Is my system bottlenecking? If so, would you recommend that I configure (via BIOS) to use 1066MHz (and use the automatic Timings) instead to get the most of the over-specced ram? If the system can support the 1333MHz, would manually changing the timings on BIOS give me the 1333MHz yield (and if so, which timings should I use?)

Thanks!
 
What motherboard are you using?

From what you have told us so far, your memory is not running as fast as it can. If you can adjust the CPU to FSB ratio, you may be able to get closer to your memory's rated speed without overclocking your processor by adjusting the FSB speed.

Casey
 
My motherboard is an Intel DG41WV. Upon checking, it apparently only has "Support for DDR3 1066/800 MHz DIMMs".

So my question is, should I set to 1066? Leave it at 800MHz?
 
May need to adjust the frequencies manually and hopefully leave the timings on auto unless you can put them in as well then try it.

Try resetting bios by removing cmos battery. The motherboard should detect them automatically but it may need a push in the right direction.

399Mhz memory is like the stone age, DDR was released in 2000 and upto 400Mhz single channel speeds, bit over a decade ago.

Like the above poster, whats the motherboard and how old is it?

 
May need to force the voltages in order to achieve 1066 with the memory you bought depending on the board. The 1333Mhz memory will have requirement voltage to run at those frequencies. See if you can input them, might not need to adjust voltage as high described for the memory to run at 1333Mhz.

Hopefully, clearing cmos will adjust automatically.
 
I'm a bit leery about doing a hard CMOS reset, so I'll try other solutions first.

You mentioned forcing the voltages to achieve the 1333MHz. Which voltages should I use? The one labeled for JEDEC#4 (685MHz)?

 
Not sure, cant find any references, should be called Dram voltage or similar. The bios might not be able to adjust voltages at all.

Clearing cmos does nothing else except reset and restore bios to defaults. Usually diagnosing hardware, this is the first step, so it will be worthwhile trying it.
 
I just removed and reset the CMOS Battery... no luck. Memory is still running at 800MHz (400x2).

I've tried manually entering the JEDEC#4 values on my BIOS, but I'm not really sure which value is which. And the numbers maxed out at 24, while the JEDEC values give a 25 and a 34. For voltages, everything I've found sets it at 1.5v.

 
Was hoping the cmos battery would do the trick. Beyond this I'm not sure to be honest. If the system was compatible with the memory or at least 1066 speeds it would show it without any bios settings/tweaks.

Try running with just one stick and see what the system reads it as.

 
Hi guys.

Turns out I really can't force the MOBO to go highter than 800MHz. And I don't know how to step it up to 1066 (or if it's even advisable). Any final thoughts?