[SOLVED] Patriot Viper 4x4GB (PV48G300C6K) PC Stuck at 2133MHz

[TempTop]

I recently built my friend a new PC a few weeks ago, it was my first build, he didn't have enough funds for the entire build in a single check and wanted to get it operational for a minimum of $500. So I decided to go with a Ryzen 3400G (YD3400C5FHBOX ), an ASRock B450M/AC Micro ATX, and two 4GB sticks of Patriot Viper 3000MHz RAM. Then, later on, we added two more sticks of the same RAM, and I installed a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB. We did not update the BIOS so I'm assuming it's running v1.0. There's only one XMP profile setting, and it worked on the two 4GB sticks but once I installed the additional two 4GB sticks it refused to load anything higher than 2133MHz. If you attempted to utilize the XMP profile or set it to 3000MHz it would power cycle three times then just boot using the 2133MHz standard.

I automatically know what's wrong with the PC: either the BIOS version isn't updated enough to permit additional XMP profiles/memory settings/compatibility, or I'm not utilizing the OC Tweak functionality.

So my main question(s) are:
Q: Would updating the BIOS fix this issue, or would it still require OC tweaking?

Q: Ignoring the BIOS update; what tweak settings would raise the four sticks to 3000MHz?

Bonus questions:

Q: What settings and utilization besides memory are we missing out on by not updating the BIOS?

Q: What are the potential risks involving memory overclock that I should be aware of? Infinite power-cycling a potential issue?

Thanks.

 

[VOIDEV]

To my knowledge There are few drawbacks to updating your motherboard bios and if the base frequency of your ram is 3000 then going from underclocking to your base clockspeed isnt really overclocking the ram, since it is rated at 3000mhz. Infinite power cycling shouldnt be an issue

 

[VOIDEV]

Also your motherboard is rated for 3200mhz ram to my knowledge only overclocking beyond that will you have potential issues

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

there is a good chance that the two different RAM sets, even being same make & model, are just not going to work together correctly. i have seen it multiple times and even more often now with modern AMD builds.
to run quad-channel or even double dual-channel memory setups it is always the best idea to purchase a 4 stick set to ensure compatibility.

updating the BIOS is the best first option. there is a chance that the board just needs the update(s).
the BIOS updates can improve anything or everything tied to the board; sound quality & options, CPU settings & compatibility, voltage control, disk operation, potentially everything your board has to offer can be improved.

setting the memory to it's manufacturer rated settings will not damage the board or the RAM. there is just the chance that it will not run stable or will not post at the set specs if your CPU or motherboard were not compatible.

 

[Calvin7]

PV48G300C6K is a (2x4GB) kit. You can make any combinations you want, however memory manufacturers don't guarantee multiple kits to work together or how they will work if the PC boots up.

 

[Karadjgne]

None of the above.



Depending on whether the ram is single Rank or dual Rank (not to be confused with single/dual channel which is entirely different) you may or may not see xmp setting speeds possible. If all 4 sticks are single rank, the best you might get is 2933MHz, but if all 4 are mixed or all dual rank, the best you might get is 2667MHz. Same ram on the outside is just a paint job by the vendor, the ram can be entirely different on the inside depending on the batch and OEM manufacturer, Patriot uses Micron, SkHynix or Samsung usually, depending on who has cheapest prices on chips.

To get nominal settings will probably require using Dram Calculator and doing things manually.


When doing a bios upgrade, READ every note and restriction first. There have been multiple updates and the bios chip cannot contain all the instructions for changes, plus the changes themselves. So bios updates must be done in order, as notated. Do NOT simply try to install the latest, as it may or may not apply to your cpu and will have changes to code based on prior changes. Basically you get a bios that says it's ver.5, in reality is still ver.1, with a few ver.3 updates.

 

[TempTop]

Thank you to all who responded. I've read every messaged and learned something(s) valuable from each of you.

A few months ago I watched an hour-long repair video on a BIOS issue that bricked a B450 board after updating, and how much of a slippery slope updating the BIOS is as sometimes even the manufacturer's website is misinformative; but considering that the PC is not mine and I've never done it before, I told my friend I'd feel more comfortable just leaving it at 1.0. as long as everything worked respectively.

I'll have to tinker with the OC settings using the DRAM Calculator that @Karadjgne referred to get it running at the base clock speeds; the two sets should be identical (though not guaranteed as Karadjgne mentioned) as my friend simply reordered the kit he already bought a week prior.

 

[datguydream]

Have you solve your problem, i had exacty same thing happen to me. I bought 2x4gb and year later bought 2 more sticks and forgot to look on compabillity list and it won't work past 2133mhz, motherboard support up to 3200 with OC or XMP.

 

[Karadjgne]

You have more than one issue possibly. If it's a Ryzen system, they don't like 4 sticks, so will limit speeds to 2933MHz or below, depending on what Rank the ram is. Then there's the fact you are using 2 different kits, doesn't matter if they look identical on the outside, it's the batch of silicon they are made from that's important. If the impurities are too dissimilar, it's a no-go, or may need adjustments and might work.

QVL is useless. There's only a handful of ram OEMs that make ram for every vendor. Most of the time your ram is actually on the QVL, just under a different brand. Also model numbers may change, but most of that only describes the heatsink shape or color or whether the kit had 1 stick or 2 or 4. Just because the blue, high top, 2 stick kit was tested doesn't mean that identical ram with a red, low rise 4 stick kit won't work.

 

[TempTop]

Have you solve your problem, i had exacty same thing happen to me. I bought 2x4gb and year later bought 2 more sticks and forgot to look on compabillity list and it won't work past 2133mhz, motherboard support up to 3200 with OC or XMP.

Nope, not yet. I just left his PC as-is and he's perfectly content. I built my new AMD build in May and I made sure to get a two-stick 16GB set, as per @Karadjgne's recommendation.

There are only two fixes that I know how to do: update the BIOS and hope that one of the XMP profiles obtains your designated speed, or buy a set that all comes new in the same box (after checking the compatibility listing on the MOBO website.)