The cpu might need a bump in memory controller voltage. 3200MHz is quite a jump from the default 2133 and if the memory controller is on the weak side, it might be having issues and failing the OC. If system agent is less than 1.1v, I believe with DDR4 it'll handle upto 1.2v
I've honestly never gotten a straight answer on (OC) when it comes to ram. For some ppl, it means the cpu will probably need a slight OC to get the rated ram stable speed, for some its because it's a factory overclock above and beyond cpu 1:1 default tested speeds, for some it simply means you'll need a mobo that is OC capable. So it can be any of the three, in any combination.
Well, the RAM OC (aka XMP) isn't that complex when you tear it down.
Here's how it's on the Intel side (since OP has Intel build). I'll also cover consumer grade chipsets, leaving enterprise grade chipsets out for now (e.g X99, Q170, C236), except most popular business grade chipset (e.g B150). Leaving us B- H- and Z-series MoBos (the most common in consumer PCs running Intel CPU). I'll also cover only DDR4 RAM chipsets, leaving DDR3 RAM chipsets (e.g B75, H81, Z97) out for now.
With B- and H- series MoBos, the RAM can't be OCd above JEDEC standard, which is:
100-series MoBos (e.g B150, H170): 2133 Mhz
200-series MoBos (e.g B250, H270): 2133 Mhz and 2400 Mhz
300-series MoBos (e.g B360, H370): 2133 Mhz, 2400 Mhz and 2666 Mhz
Only Z-series MoBos, across all series support faster RAM speed than JEDEC standard (e.g Z170, Z270, Z370).
To make sure that the RAM you pick for your Z-series MoBo does operate at 3000/3200/3600 etc speeds, one should look MoBo memory QVL list to confirm which RAM sets MoBo manufacturer was able to get running at given speeds.
Once you get the RAM listed in memory QVL, getting it running at 3000/3200/3600 etc speeds is as simple as enabling only XMP from BIOS, without any additional fiddle. At least that's what i've seen so far.
However, when you pick a RAM that isn't listed in memory QVL or is listed but running at slower speeds and the XMP doesn't stick, then the manual RAM OC begins.
- Try entering the rated frequency and timings manually.
- If that fails, you might need to loosen the timings to get the RAM to work at it's rated speed.
- Some people have increased RAM voltage to get the RAM frequency to stay stable.
- Others have put a slight OC on CPU which can help stabilize RAM frequency. *
* That only works if you're running K-series CPU. If you're running non-K series CPU with Z-series MoBo, you can't OC your CPU since it has locked multiplier.
Of course, those "one click OC" features in BIOS (OC Genie, Gaming Boost etc) usually overwrite the RAM XMP or manual RAM OC. Same is with MoBo utility software. For MSI that one is MSI Command Center.
When i 1st got my Skylake build, i did install that MSI Command Center as well. Sure, it has fancy GUI but it also completely failed to detect my RAM (which is listed in memory QVL). No matter how i tried to set my RAM to run at 3000 Mhz from BIOS (which remained stable), once i booted into OS and MSI Command Center started, it overwrote my BIOS settings and set my RAM running at 2133 Mhz.
Only fix was completely uninstalling MSI Command Center, which i did. Without MSI Command Center, my RAM speed stays at 3000 Mhz without issues. So, there's that as well.
Thanks for this. I do use XMP so I will try disabling that and doing it manually. I will also try the RAM at 3000, though if I can't get 3200 like the product says, I will probably still return it.
If you can't get 3200 Mhz out of your RAM without too much fiddle and when you do return it, check the MoBo memory QVL list and pick a RAM set from there, where MSI has tested and confirmed that the RAM does operate at given speed. This way, you have more assurance that the RAM will run with it's rated speeds.
MSI Z170A SLI memory QVL, link:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/Z170A-SLI#support-mem-4
That's what i also did with my MSI Z170A Gaming M5 MoBo. I checked the memory QVL and specifically picked my Kingston HyperX Savage 3000 Mhz [HX430C15SB2K2/8] since according to MSI, that RAM does run at 3000 Mhz and even when all 4x RAM slots are populated, which i ended up doing to get 16GB in total (since the set is 2x 4GB and i'm running 2x sets).