Activate XMP for two RAM modules of identical model but with minor CL variations
Activate XMP for two RAM modules of identical model but with minor CL variations
Hey, so I recently bought a new PC for the first time, here's my CPU and Motherboard: CPU: Ryzen 5 2600 @3.4GHz Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H I need some ELI5 level help in setting up XMP for my following two RAMs: XPG Spectrix D60G 3200MHz 16GB RAM (CL 16-18-18) XPG Spectrix D60G 3200MHz 16GB RAM (CL 16-20-20) When I try to set an XMP Profile 1 (3.2GHz) or Profile 2 (3GHz), nothing happens and on CPU-Z it just says my RAM frequency is stil ~1300MHz, so it's basically still running these sticks at 2.6GHz. NOT what I paid $200 for! I'm very new to PC building. I'd known some basics, but memory timing and all the is completely new to me so I tried to understand as much as I could before i bought it, and ultimately got a single stick XPG Spectrix D60G 16GB along with the PC as I was out of cash, and I eventually wanted 32GB. The CAS Latency specified on its box was CL 16-18-18 and it runs @1.35V. A month or so later, I brought the box of this RAM to another computer store, asked them to give me the exact same model "AX4U3200316G16 A -ST60". They give it to me, I purchased it and went back home, opened it up, but right before installing it I re-verified the model number and sure enough, it's different! I screwed up! It's "AX4U3200316G16-ST60", and it has a CAS Latency of CL 16-20-20. My day was completely ruined, and when I tried to return it at the store they wouldn't agree because I had already opened it and in doing so took off the sticker on the package. Now I've ended up with this mismatched set of RAMs, they're expensive as heck for me so I can't just get a new one and I don't want to spend more money anymore. Is it even possible to run these RAMs at 3.2 or even 3GHz together? Perhaps with settings to accommodate for the slower one of the two? I'd really love to be educated about this if you can spare the time. EDIT: I've attached a screenshot of my CPU-Z. Can anyone explain what those values mean, and why it seems like my CAS latency seems to by higher than it should be?
I question XMP compatibility due to timing mismatches, but it should run smoothly at 3200-16-20-20 at 1.35v. The quicker RAM will operate slower without complications. It’s unclear if XMP will function correctly, you might need to configure it manually... The issue is that without XMP, all secondary and tertiary timings will be incorrect. Try rearranging which stick goes into each slot. I’m uncertain about the process, but it could help. Just swap the sticks and see. If that fails, manually adjust all settings—it’ll be time-consuming.
You're interpreting the situation correctly. XMP won't automatically apply, but manual setup should work without major problems. I've included a screenshot of CPU-Z with me. My attempts to adjust RAM speeds haven't succeeded, so the issue might be elsewhere. I also tried setting the speed multiplier to 32.00 in BIOS, but it's being overridden to a lower frequency during reboots. Before you ask, I saved before exiting.
When you configured the memory speed, did you also modify the latencies and voltage? You’d need to tweak numerous parameters to achieve the desired performance as XMP would suggest. The numbers shown in your screenshot represent secondary timings, but there are many more tertiary ones... This likely explains the outcome. It’s unclear exactly what all the timing values are, and simply changing the main speed without adjusting the others might lead to instability. The high latencies occur because, without XMP enabled, they revert to the standard DDR4 defaults, which are probably what you’re seeing. It might be better to use a slower stick, turn on XMP, and adjust all RAM settings in the BIOS before setting everything manually.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check if all the timing parameters are documented so I can record them. In the BIOS there were both standard and advanced timing options, but I only changed the standard ones—CAS, tRCD, tRP, and tRAS. The advanced settings had many unknowns. I’ll attempt to configure them if I determine their default values when using the slower RAM. I raised the voltage from 1.2v to 1.35v as recommended, but the clock speed stayed the same and the multiplier didn’t change, as confirmed by the BIOS and CPU-Z. Are there other methods besides XMP to tweak my RAM clock?
This setup probably won’t function well because the RAM is operating at a 1T command rate under normal speeds, suggesting many secondary timings are too low for stability at higher RAM rates. I need to clarify something—have you checked for BIOS updates? A newer version might resolve these problems.
Things quickly went wrong. I flipped the RAM positions once more to their original order, but the computer won’t even power on with the faster RAM installed. It powers up, fans spin, yet it doesn’t boot into BIOS. I’ve already tried seating and re-seating both RAMs repeatedly, swapping positions again and again. It looks like one of them is preventing the system from starting. This seems odd given they’re brand new and I only removed and reinstalled them. I made sure the cables were unplugged and there was no power supply connected before I did anything else. It seems unbelievable that something like this could happen just by taking it out. I’m hoping the warranty will cover this issue. With the single stick inside, XMP is still functional—worth mentioning. Thanks for your help.