How far can I push this DDR4 memory?
How far can I push this DDR4 memory?
I have a basic understanding of DRAM functionality. I couldn’t find a more suitable setting than the default that the board uses. Anything else either fails or crashes sooner. Yes, I experimented with voltages from 1.1v to 1.45v, including 1.25v, 1.30v, 1.35v, etc. Stability actually got worse. (Hint?) You’re probably thinking about VTT? I saw a discussion on Reddit about DDR4 Micron B-die and a daily VTT range of 0.75v to 0.8v, noting a negative relationship. The BIOS default seems to be around 0.6v, according to the option prompt. I tried values between 0.5v and 0.8v, but stability only declined further. So I went back to the preset I saved before adjusting VDDQ, SA, or VTT. It basically stopped working with DDR4-3600 either—BSOD during startup or TestMem5 failure within three seconds. I performed a CMOS reset and reloaded the profile. Still, it didn’t work at 3600. It looks like something has worn out. Before I could run more than a few minutes of testing before an error, I switched back to the preset for DDR4-3466, which had passed MemTest5 Extreme at anta777’s settings. It failed in seconds. I reset CMOS again and tried the DDR4-3200 baseline, which I’d used for about a year. That seemed okay. Then I loaded the DDR4-3466 preset once more—tested without issues. I attempted to push it to 3600 again, but it crashed immediately. I had to reset CMOS once more. Now I’m checking if it can even run DDR4-3466. Of course, this comes with risk, but I haven’t pushed extreme voltages yet, and I don’t believe I did so.
The memory termination settings involve around 20 configurations, often labeled such as RSQ TX. Most are resistance values that appear near the bottom of the timing menu, below all other parameters. Adjusting them helps reduce signal reflections within the memory system, making higher frequencies easier for the controller to manage. I haven’t received specific guidance on how to fine-tune these if you’re interested. My attempts were limited to AMD and Intel; only on the AMD configuration did I achieve noticeable improvement—from a 3800MT/s 1T GDM off blue screen to stable benchmarking, albeit not fully consistent. On Intel, the process is slower and offers more options, which adds complexity. VTT settings differ too; they can assist manually but mainly work when memory voltages exceed 1.5V. I’m unsure which factor is more likely causing issues, as I haven’t encountered 13th-gen problems at that frequency yet. It seems safer to revert the frequency back to 3200 and leave it unchanged, since neither instability nor degradation appears to be a concern with current settings.
I believe I have got the same ICs in my shitty old 2133 kit. I have taken those up to 4000mhz with CL22 on a Zen2 CPU. Voltage needed past 3600mhz is not worth it, it also does not tighten timings that nicely. So far, 3 years later of OCing later, they are still working fine for me at 1.38v at 3600C18. I dont remember what I had rest of the timings set at though.
It used to complete laps in TestMem5... Now it crashes after 20 seconds and keeps failing. It doesn't perform like it did earlier this week. I moved from 3200, hitting TestMem5 at 3333, 3400, and 3466 while saving presets. 3500 didn't work at all. 3600 ran for two days—once a day—and wasn't crashing with a BSOD. Now it triggers a BSOD after just 3 seconds instead of minutes, though it sometimes boots up. I'm back to the saved 3400 preset, hoping for a successful run again.