How to fix ram running at 1600 instead of 1866?

[TheL1GHTSiDE]

Recently i was in my BIOS after updating it and noticed that my G.Skill Sniper ram was running at 1600, not 1866 as advertised. Why isn't it running at 1866?

Secondly, should i keep it at 1600 or change it to 1866?

(My motherboard is using the latest non-beta BIOS)
Processor FX-6100 supports 1866 Ram
Motherboard GA-990FXA-UD5 AM3+ supports 1866 Ram ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128509 )
Ram supports 1866 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460 )


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monitor 1920x1080
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Cooler Master Storm Scout
FX-6100
GA-990FXA-UD5 AM3+
Cooler Master 700W Extreme Power Plus
Radeon HD 6850 1GB GV-R685OC-1GD (soon to be Vapor-X 7950)
G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866

 

[Azn Cracker]

Your motherboard probably lowered the voltage on the ram and therefore the clock speeds went down. go in you bios and check the voltage to see if they are right. Also are you mixing different ram sticks? If you are, your mobo under clocks the faster ram until all of the ram sticks run the same frequency.

For your second question, 1600 vs 1866 won't matter much. You will gain 1-2% in performance in real world applications. If you are unable to get the advertised voltage, dont fret about it.

 

[TheL1GHTSiDE]

No, i'm not mixing different ram sticks, i have two 4gb sticks running in dual channel for a total of 8gb ram.
As for the voltage i will need to check when i get home.

 

[Azn Cracker]

No, i'm not mixing different ram sticks, i have two 4gb sticks running in dual channel for a total of 8gb ram.
As for the voltage i will need to check when i get home.

Well, after taking a look at the ram. Its advertised voltage is 1.5V, which is the norm. Some companies sell overclocked ram where they raise voltage from 1.5V to 1.65V. Maybe you have to overclock it to 1.65V?

 

[TheL1GHTSiDE]

Ok, i looked and my ram is set to 1.5V. I was searching around and found out that there is some kind of memory profile that you can turn on to enable high performance memory. I think i found it but i would like your feedback as to what i should set everything at. I am very new to changing these bios settings. Below are some pictures of the default (optimized settings on left) and settings after enabling the 1866 profile on the right.

 

[TheL1GHTSiDE]

Just found this on newegg:

Other Thoughts: Most people don't understand that all RAM has boot speed, latencies and voltage programmed into the SPD of the DIMM that is read when you boot up your PC. All of the RAM makers use a safe boot frequency which is currently 1333/1600 MHz. for DDR3 RAM.

If your RAM also has an 1866 MHz. XMP rating which in the case of RAM like this G.Skill model , then 1866 MHz. can be selected by your BIOS when you boot, if the BIOS has this feature.

If the BIOS doesn't know to use the XMP setting, then you will need to go into the BIOS and manually set the frequency to 1866 MHz. Failure of your mobo to set the RAM frequency to 1866 MHz. on boot is NOT a defect or issue with the RAM. The BIOS reads what is programmed into the SPD for a safe boot frequency that will allow virtually any PC to boot without issues.

The 1866 MHz. or higher frequency is what the RAM has been tested to run at reliably. It does not mean that all PCs can run the RAM at that frequency.

As an example Deneb CPUs will typically only run RAM at about 1600 MHz. without isses. Thuban CPUs will typically run DDR3 RAM to 1800 MHz. and some times to 2000 MHz. depending on your CPU/IMC, mobo and RAM used. FX processors will run RAM at speeds in excess of 2000 MHz. - if the RAM is certified to run above 2000 MHz.

It's worth noting that extensive PC testing on both Intel and AMD desktop systems only showed a 1-2% increase in system performance going from 1600 MHz. to 2000 MHz. so don't expect big gains just by using higher frequency RAM because DDR3 RAM @ 1333 MHz. is not a system bottleneck, so there are minimal system gains to be had with faster RAM.

Manufacturer Response:
.
Dear Customer

Thank you for such a great detail review. The current JEDEC standard is DDR3-1333 CL9 and DDR3-1600 CL11, so this is the maximum value any motherboard can automatically default to without enabling the performance profile. This allows the memory to work at a lower frequency even if the CPU or motherboard may not fully support a higher DRAM frequency. It is up to the user to manually input settings in BIOS, or enable the XMP (Intel) or DOCP/EOCP (AMD) enhanced performance profiles.

CPUs are designed to use standard RAM such as DDR3-1600, so any higher DRAM frequency will be limited by the CPU. To unleash the full potential of the system and maximize throughput, it is necessary to overclock the CPU frequency and Northbridge frequency. Once you do that, the higher DRAM frequency will make a significant difference to your overall system performance. There is a drastic gain to be had with faster RAM if configured properly. For example, a video that usually takes 15 minutes to edit with DDR3-1600 memory, can be reduced to 5 minutes with DDR3-2400 RAM and an overclocked CPU. The higher DRAM, CPU, NB frequency is extremely beneficial to those that deal with large files and need maximum bandwidth. For any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Quality and customer service are our top priorities.

Tech Support Email: ustech@gskillusa.com
RMA Dept Email: rma@gskillusa.com
G.Skill Forum: http://www.gskill.us/forum/

 

[TheL1GHTSiDE]

I found the answer, under DRAM E.O.C.P i selected Profile 2. It set the ram at the 1866 speed and changed the voltage from 1.5v to 1.505v. Works great!

 

[TheL1GHTSiDE]

Best answer selected by TheL1GHTSiDE.