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AMD FM2 (Trinity) build with G.Skill DDR3-2400

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  • AMD FM2 (Trinity) build with G.Skill DDR3-2400

    First off, I would like to thank G.Skill for providing the best RAM I have ever bought. This is my second system using G.Skill memory, and I could not be more pleased with the value and rock-stable performance of their product.

    Let's cut to the chase:

    System Build

    RAM
    G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 Model F3-2400C10D-16GTX

    CPU
    AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket FM2

    Motherboard
    ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 FM2 AMD A85X

    HDD
    OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB SATA III SSD

    CPU Heatsink
    COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" 120mm

    PSU
    COOLMAX ZX Series ZX-500 500W 80 PLUS Active PFC

    Case
    XCLIO 320 ATX Mid Tower

    Fans
    2x 140 mm
    2x 120mm

    This is a budget build with a target of $500. It ended up costing $600 because I splurged on the SSD and upgraded the PSU instead of using my old one. But I digress...

    I have been running the system at stock core speed and voltage. RAM speed is OC'd (by AMD's standards) to 2133MHz at 1.65V with timings of 10-12-12-31 (Intel XMS Profile, 3.1 I believe; supported by this motherboard). GPU clock is increased from 800MHz to 1.13 GHz. "AMD Cool 'n' Quiet" is active, and CPU speeds can go as low as 1400 MHz at about 0.9V. I have had total stability at these settings while watching HD1080p video, playing Fallout New Vegas at Ultra settings, etc., for hours and days.

    The only thing that I want to do now is run the RAM at 2400, and the GPU at 1100MHz or so. The APU doesn't seem to want to clock higher than the Turbo Boost speed of 4.2GHz at stock (Auto) voltages, and I'm OK with that. I am more than satisfied with the CPU at this point. My ultimate goal is to see how much performance I can get out of the on-die GPU, by using faster RAM and raising the clock as high as I reasonably can, with as little voltage as possible.

    G.Skill, I can tell from experience that you have Great Skill (In Memory World). Please help me determine the best settings to run this RAM in this system. I can adjust voltage and timings all day long, in tiny increments, thanks to the powerful BIOS ASRock provided. So, first of all, how much NB voltage do I need?

  • #2
    It depends on the CPU, each CPu can slightly vary, so you need to trial and error test to see what is most stable for DDR3-2400. You already know the guaranteed specifications of the memory, so make sure those are input, then tweak voltages to get it stable.

    Keep us posted

    Thank you
    GSKILL TECH

    Comment


    • #3
      GSKILL,
      Thanks for the response. Of course not all CPUs are created equal, and it may be possible that mine will simply not achieve DDR-2400 on the memory controller. I get it; it's a standard disclaimer.

      I know this RAM is designed for Intel XMP memory profile, so I know you've tested it on Intel boards. Since the new AMD FM2 platform can support Intel XMP, have you achieved those speeds on a FM2 board yet? I would love to know which board/chipset/voltages were used...

      I will continue to increase voltage, but I don't know how much is "safe." Of course, neither AMD or ASRock officially endorse raising any voltages above stock, so they are pretty silent on the subject. I hoped that you would have some insight, or at least one example, using one particular APU sample with one particular motherboard sample, etc.

      Really any input on this would be appreciated. I'll definitely post results! Thanks!

      Comment


      • #4
        With your hardware combination, we can achieve DDR3-2133 / 8GB x 4 with XMP enabled. But DDR3-2400 still needs some work, 4GB nor 8GB modules were working at DDR3-2400.

        Thank you
        GSKILL TECH

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks for the reply. Since the 1.50 BIOS update to the ASRock FM2A85X motherboard, this GSkill Trident X is functional at DDR-2400 speed at stock (Auto) voltages and XMP timings. ASRock determined that a Northbridge voltage of 1.38-1.44 volts was required to achieve these memory clock speeds on the Trinity APUs. You may find this information useful when advertising this product for the FM2 platform. Thank you again, and I hope you're pleased to find out that your RAM works beautifully.
          Last edited by invisiblegorilla; 11-16-2012, 07:37 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Glad to hear all is well and thanks for the info update - it will definitely come in handy, Thanx again !


            Pls offer comments on support I provide, HERE, in order to help me do a better job here:

            Tman

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by invisiblegorilla View Post
              ASRock determined that a Northbridge voltage of 1.38-1.44 volts was required to achieve these memory clock speeds on the Trinity APUs.
              Damn, is missed this one

              I strongly recommend against going over 1.39V for the northbridge on Trinity & Richland.

              It is way more voltage than needed and i personally have badly degraded several 5800K with voltages over 1.40V on the CPU-NB (was going for DDR3-2800+). All of my 5800K could do DDR3-2400 at or below 1.300V CPU-NB voltage. Some could even do it at stock voltages of 1.200V - 1.275V. However the success with high memory speeds on FM2 seems to vary a lot from motherboard to motherboard. I was using Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 and G.SKILL TridentX F3-2400C10D-8GTX / F3-2400C9D-8GTXD amongst other kits. The ASUS F2A85-V Pro also did very well with higher speed memory.
              Team HardwareLUXX | Show off your G.SKILL products!

              Comment


              • #8
                I've been running 1.45V to the NB for a year and a half now. It was necessary for stability when running RAM at 2400 and GPU at 1100-1200. Anything less than 1.43 would crash within minutes of gaming. It is true that 1.3V or so is all that's needed for the IMC to run at 2400 but the graphics chip needs more juice. You need good power phasing and the Asrock board when well cooled has it.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Most A10 don't need more than 1.3-1.35V for 1169MHz @ iGPU on ASUS, Gigabyte or MSI. Only very few chips can do 1266MHz or 1381MHz at reasonable voltages. However it seems the ASRock motherboards need more voltage for anything CPU_NB related, be it memory or iGPU overclocking, and most of their boards don't have a powerful enough voltage regulation for that (the prime example being the FM2A75M-ITX).

                  Wish you the best of luck with your APU @ 1.45V CPU_NB. Hopefully it lasts until you're upgrading.
                  Team HardwareLUXX | Show off your G.SKILL products!

                  Comment

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