I added extra memory to my desktop, but performance has slowed down.
I added extra memory to my desktop, but performance has slowed down.
I have a Lenovo Legion T5 28IMB05. The original specifications are listed below. I ran an i5 10400 with 16GB RAM, 2666mt/s GTX 1650 Super, and 512GB M.2 storage. All the upgrades I made so far include two additional drives, one SSD and one HDD, plus an extra 16GB of RAM. Before the upgrades, I used two 8GB sticks in two of the four slots, and the Task Manager showed a speed of 2666mt/s. After installing the new RAM in the remaining slots, Task Manager now reports 2133mt/s. All slots are recognized and showing 32GB correctly, with sticks placed in duel channels 1-3 and 2-4.
I’m wondering why the performance dropped despite getting the same RAM speed. I’ve attached a screenshot from CPU-Z after the upgrade. The two RAM sets are visible—two new sticks and two old ones. Lenovo’s BIOS seems to lack XMP or similar settings. Can someone assist? I recently tried the new RAM in duel channel and it’s running at 2133mt/s. I also installed a BIOS unlocked version that allows XMP usage. Now the new RAM is hitting its rated speed of 2666mt/s, but when I reinsert the old RAM, the XMP profile vanishes. The old RAM still shows 2666mt/s in default mode without XMP and doesn’t have an active profile. How can I enable XMP for channels 1 and 3 while keeping it off for channels 2 and 4? Also, is there a way to safely maintain the 2666mt/s speed?
You just reviewed the updated post with the BIOS and memory screenshots. You'll need to tweak the frequency and timings yourself, as applying them this way can limit performance without using XMP. A 5-10% adjustment should be a safe starting point.
I checked the BIOS settings and noticed no direct option for adjusting DRAM frequency. I increased the memory ratio from 8 to 9 and raised the voltage from 1.2V to 1.25V. The reference clock remains at 133MHz, and the current speed is now 2400MT/s. This seems to be a coincidental change, as I attempted setting the ratio to 10 for 2666MHz but it caused instability and crashes.
IT also relies on the motherboard you're using. Affordable boards sometimes fail to support higher base DRAM speeds when more than two slots are filled. Back in the day, I noticed some very inexpensive Gigabyte and Asus cards would stop working entirely, locking out memory settings in the BIOS once all slots were full. This happened because they couldn't deliver sufficient power to all four slots beyond the minimum frequency and voltage requirements.
I don’t have access to your system details, but I can help you troubleshoot. For the Lenovo T5 26AMR5, you can try checking BIOS settings manually or using a tool like HWMonitor to verify RAM speed. If your BIOS doesn’t support changing the speed, you might need to contact Lenovo support or consider a compatible BIOS update. Let me know if you need guidance on any of these steps!