Question MSI B450-A Pro Max compatibility with RAM PATRIOT PVE2416G400C0K DDR4-4000Mhz

[abkingbird]

Hello everyone, how are you?

I am having a simple issue. I am building a new PC and I ordered the parts a few days back. In summary, I will have in my hands:

CPU: Ryzen 7 1800x (given to me by a friend)
Motherboard: MSI B450-A PRO MAX
GPU: GeForce RTX 2060 (given to me by a friend)
Ram: Patriot PVE2416G400C0K VIPER ELITE II DDR4 4000MHZ Dual Kit

I kind of hastily selected some parts and now that I look back into it, I saw that the motherboard is not compatible with so high speed ram kits unless you have a 3rd gen processor (like 5600x).
My processor though is 1st Gen.

The ram kits have already arrived in my local store, so my question is: Can I make the ram kits run in slower speeds in order to be compatible?
The above ram kits do not appear in compatibility page of said motherboard. (MSI B450-A PRO MAX Memory Compatibility)

Thank you in advance

 

[abkingbird]

By using this site and selecting the Summit Ridge AMD family, I found the exact ram kits on the table (PVE2416G400C0K) but I would appreciate one more layer of confirmation

 

[logainofhades]

In general 1st gen ryzen didn't work well beyond DDR4 3200. You will most likely have to lower the speed, of that ram, in order for it to work properly. It is doable via the bios. Consult your motherboard manual, on where it is, in your bios, and how to do it.

 

[abkingbird]

In general 1st gen ryzen didn't work well beyond DDR4 3200. You will most likely have to lower the speed, of that ram, in order for it to work properly. It is doable via the bios. Consult your motherboard manual, on where it is, in your bios, and how to do it.

Thanks for the answer. To be more specific, the ram I bought is dual kit, so it is 2x8 GB but I don't think that it makes any difference.

I am fine with working the rams in lower speeds than 4000 MHz since I am planning to buy a Ryzen 5 5600x in the future and the above combination supports speeds up to 4133 MHz.

Thank you a lot

 

[drea.drechsler]

...
I am fine with working the rams in lower speeds than 4000 MHz since I am planning to buy a Ryzen 5 5600x in the future and the above combination supports speeds up to 4133 MHz.
...

Even getting 3200 is difficult for 1st gen and will be a challenge. I would not expect it to work by just setting XMP, then manually setting the RAM clock for 3200.

I'd suggest starting out at 2600, which is the maximum rated for 1st gen. If it boots and runs Windows well (it should) then raise it a bit at a time until it crashes then go back. It's better to work from a low clock up than a high clock down because if it ever fails to train memory you'll have to reset CMOS since it won't even boot to BIOS.

Once you get to a memory speed you like and runs Windows well be sure to run a thorough memory test. Win10 has one built-in, just type "memory diagnostic" in the search box. It will restart to run the test in a UEFI command session. Don't be surprised if you can't get beyond 3000 or even 2933 without failing.

You probably can get higher but you'll have to wade into the sub-timings to do so. That's where the challenge is since there are a lot of them to tweak. But the thing is: since this is a 4000 rated kit it may have many of the sub-timings super "relaxed" for 3200 operation. What that means is running at a low clock (to be stable with a 1st gen) will introduce very high memory latency and hurt performance. That means going into sub-timings in order to fix that anyway.

BTW, getting even a Zen 3 CPU to 4000 is pretty difficult and will likely entail de-linking the IF clock. If you do that then you actually lose performance. Most people find 3600-3700 to be the optimum clock speed with a linked IF.

 

[logainofhades]

Having built at least 3, R5 1600 builds, for others, I have never had issues setting the ram to 3200, on a B450 board. I have done it on an Asrock B450/m pro4, and B450 fatality itx. I would consider their board to be superior to what I used at the time.

 

[abkingbird]

Even getting 3200 is difficult for 1st gen and will be a challenge. I would not expect it to work by just setting XMP, then manually setting the RAM clock for 3200.

I'd suggest starting out at 2600, which is the maximum rated for 1st gen. If it boots and runs Windows well (it should) then raise it a bit at a time until it crashes then go back. It's better to work from a low clock up than a high clock down because if it ever fails to train memory you'll have to reset CMOS since it won't even boot to BIOS.

Once you get to a memory speed you like and runs Windows well be sure to run a thorough memory test. Win10 has one built-in, just type "memory diagnostic" in the search box. It will restart to run the test in a UEFI command session. Don't be surprised if you can't get beyond 3000 or even 2933 without failing.

You probably can get higher but you'll have to wade into the sub-timings to do so. That's where the challenge is since there are a lot of them to tweak. But the thing is: since this is a 4000 rated kit it may have many of the sub-timings super "relaxed" for 3200 operation. What that means is running at a low clock (to be stable with a 1st gen) will introduce very high memory latency and hurt performance. That means going into sub-timings in order to fix that anyway.

BTW, getting even a Zen 3 CPU to 4000 is pretty difficult and will likely entail de-linking the IF clock. If you do that then you actually lose performance. Most people find 3600-3700 to be the optimum clock speed with a linked IF.

I see, thanks for the reply. Once I have my PC up and running I will start testing various speeds. At least I know now that it will work

Having built at least 3, R5 1600 builds, for others, I have never had issues setting the ram to 3200, on a B450 board. I have done it on an Asrock B450/m pro4, and B450 fatality itx. I would consider their board to be superior to what I used at the time.

That's comforting, thanks!