OC stability has dropped after the third stick was added.
OC stability has dropped after the third stick was added.
Good morning, I'll begin with the system configuration. The CPU is a Ryzen 5 1600 with stock clocks set to Mobo: MSI B350M. The RAM is two old, discarded sticks from a Skylake build (2015) — 2x DDR4 HyperX 4GB units, serial KHX2133C14D4, clocked at 2133Hz. The new RAM stick is a single DDR4 HyperX 4GB unit, serial KHX3200C16D4/4GX, max speed 3200Hz. The PSU supports up to 550W, and the GPU is an RX 580 with 8GB memory.
I overclocked the two older 4GB sticks to 2667Hz using BIOS settings, and they performed stably for a long time. I kept the original voltages (1.2V) as they were rated. However, after installing the new RAM stick, both Linux and Windows began behaving oddly — frequent crashes, BSODs, random reboots. The Windows Memory Diagnostic reported hardware issues immediately when the clock was set to 2667Hz from the BIOS.
I attempted several fixes: swapping RAM slots (four tried, none worked), rearranging dual-channel configuration, updating BIOS, and overclocking only two sticks at a time. The issue appeared only when three or more DIMMs were installed, regardless of order or channel.
Could this be related to voltage settings or power delivery?
RAM pairing should be straightforward. Using an odd number of sticks can complicate things, as it may cause one channel to have double the RAM and timing issues.
I had already considered this, yet it's odd they function properly with just the two installed. I attempted to run dual-channel mode using only the new and old units without the third old one. The setup was 1x4GB new + 1x4GB old, and I experienced no problems. Further checks revealed some issues—possibly the board behaves strangely with stock BIOS settings. Without overclocking, DRAM voltage stays at 1.36V. When OC is set to 2667 without changes, it locks at 1.21V. Could adjusting the voltage slightly higher help? Even though both sticks support 1.2V, trying 1.25V might work?
I think I found the solution... My board's auto settings are definitely off. Here are the voltages for my sticks: Single 4GB (old): 1.214V, Stock clock 2133Hz; Dual 4GB (old): 1.316V, Stock clock 2133Hz; Single 4GB (old) at 2667Hz: 1.360V; Dual 4GB (old): 1.210V, 2667Hz; Single 4GB (new): 1.210V, 2333Hz (no oc, auto mode); Single 4GB (new): 1.360V, 2667Hz; Three 4GB sticks: 1.360V, stock clocks 2133Hz; 1.210V at 2667Hz? Is 1.316V safe? Anyway, I'll attempt to force 1.250V first and observe the results.