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My 3200 MHz RAM only runs at 2133 MHz....

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  • My 3200 MHz RAM only runs at 2133 MHz....

    I've got GSkill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200-CL16-18-18-38 or F4-3200C16D-32GVK or something.. runs at 1.35v I believe... Anyway, in Windows Task Manager performance it says it's only running at 2133 MHz.

    I know I saw it here a month or so ago (I even got a message in my inbox or something from someone representing GSkill telling me what to do), but apparently this ram ships 'governed' for "compatibility sake" to run in as many mobos as possible. I stumbled across this all when I tried overclocking for the first time ever (successfully got my CPU from 4.2 to 4.9, so that's good enough for me)... but I was HOPING to get my ram going faster. NOW though, who cares I just want it to run as advertised....

    I wonder how much this throttling has impacted performance?

    I also wonder why GSkill never though to include a giant sticker on the box with a pamphlet inside saying, "YOU'VE GOT TO CHANGE BIOS SETTINGS FOR THIS TO ACTUALLY GET YOU WHAT YOU PAID FOR!!!"

    Odd.

    I think I recall reading that you have to change a bios setting to... well I don't remember now. Can anyone help me out? And can I change the setting whilst not affecting my CPU OC profile? That works fine (I'd love to know what frequencies to change to for these ram sticks... At this point though I'm fine with the 'default' but I think I recall reading this ram could safely run at 3600 MHz... but I haven't looked into this for a while now so I forget).

    Thanks for any help even just pointing me to the sticky or thread I've missed.

  • #2
    The setting you need to enable is XMP - for the Intel Extreme Memory Profile that holds the kits specifications. It always has to be enabled manually on all platforms, regardless if Intel or AMD, by design. Also make sure to use the memory slots that are recommended in the manual of your MB (usually A2+B2).

    You can check the current memory frequency with CPU-Z, in the memory tab it should show 1600MHz which equals DDR4-3200 (because of the double data rate) and the primary timings 16-18-18-38.
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    • #3
      Well it says each stick is at 1066 MHz, 15-15-15-36... so i take it after i enable XMP i need to change those settings to 16-18-18-38 as you've said. thanks. Do i need to change voltage? if so to what? any other bios settings i should know about or should i keep it simple and not touch anything.

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      • #4
        The voltage should be adujusted automatically with enabling the XMP, in this case to 1.35V.

        Some programs might only show the default SPD speed (2133) instead of the current memory frequency. Just double check it with CPU-Z (memory tab) or Aida64 (CPUID/Summary/Overclock), HWinfo64 (Summary), that actually show the current memory frequency.
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        • #5
          Thanks for the info; I went in, select XMP, it asked if I wanted to change all my CPU settings as well (or somethign like that) so I said 'NO', and it changed the frequency, voltages, etc, and everything seems to be working now. I haven't stress tested.... But we'll see how things go.

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          • #6
            Hmm... here we are nearly 36 hours later... it booted fine, ran great for a LONG time (over 12 hours). Today I went to boot up..... nothing. No boot loop, nothing. Couldn't even use a Windows 10 USB OR DVD to go into safe mode. After a lot of humming and hawing (didn't think it could be the ram and XMP setting as it'd worked so long, and a quick review after recalling last nights "Shut down and Update Windows?" showed many posts and articles about the latest windows update causing boot loops and hanging boot ups ad infinitum I figured this must be the issue - I was also scared i'd lose my CPU OC settings if I erased the CMOS by removing the battery... not remembering that my profile would still be saved).

            Anyway, cleared the CMOS by pulling the battery out for a few seconds and restarted, autoloaded to BIOS warning, refreshed my CPU OC setting and I'm back. Obvioulsy it wasn't windows update, it was the RAM....

            Questions: Why if the ram setting was the issue did my PC work so well for so long and even reboot after initially changing it if it was going to cause this boot up issue today?

            And why did this happen if this is SUPPOSED TO BE the setting I run my ripjaws sticks at???? Thanks again.

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            • #7
              Try each module with XMP enabled to see if both have same results. If there is any problem, send them in for RMA exchange:

              https://www.gskill.com/rma

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              • #8
                Thanks for the response. Can you define "Try each module with XMP enabled"? Not sure exactly what that means.

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                • #9
                  I'm very interested to see what the results are on this thread. I have 2x8gb sticks of FlareX 3200Mhz modules and with the aid of XMP can only use profile 1 which is 2933 Mhz. If I try to use profile 2 (3200Mhz) my machine just black screens and I have to reboot the entire system. I updated the BIOS on the MoBo so that is up to date. Unsure where to go from here!

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                  • #10
                    HotelCharliHill Test one stick at a time and see if both can reach same performance, or if both are stable on their own. If the modules are normal, they should have same results.

                    huskereurocat What motherboard and CPU do you have? May need to boost CPU SoC Voltage to stabilize a higher frequency. In some cases the CPU internal memory controller struggles to reach a higher frequency so increasing SoC Voltage can provide great support. With the proper value the system should be stable.

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                    • #11
                      X370 Gaming Plus for MSI and a R7 1700 CPU. The SoC Voltage is part of the CPU boost, not the RAM boost correct?

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by GSKILL TECH View Post
                        HotelCharliHill Test one stick at a time and see if both can reach same performance, or if both are stable on their own. If the modules are normal, they should have same results.
                        I thought ram only worked in pairs... So I leave them in the slots they're in? or do they have to tried alone in a specific slot? and then I try to run the xmp profile on them each individually?

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                        • #13
                          You remove one module, leave the other in DIMM A2 and test if XMP works at 3200/3100/3066/3000/2933. Then rinse and repeat with the second module. That way one can ascertain if there is a problem with either module or it is the system itself (CPU/MB), that cannot handle the higher memory frequencies.

                          Sometimes raising Vsoc and/or Vdimm a little bit can help to reach a higher ratio, but don't go overboard with it.
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                          • #14
                            Okay, I finally took the time to do this (for some reason I couldn't find my "saved specs" location in the BIOS... but whatever. Does this look right? Do I multiply the MHz by two to account for two sticks?

                            It's running in any case.

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                            • #15
                              1600 MHZ equals DDR4-3200 because of the Double Data Rate.
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