Overclock losing stability
Overclock losing stability
You seem to handle your system well, adjusting the CPU voltage even when set to manual in BIOS. If that's the case, you might be puzzling over something else. These devices offer two ways to regulate voltage: Adaptive Voltage, which changes based on clock speed, and C-states, which save power during idle. I think leaving the voltage on manual and focusing on C-states could resolve your issue.
EpIckFa1LJoN :
TheFluffyDog :
When you switch back to stock settings, what RAM speed are you using? You mentioned keeping the RAM OC active, which worries me. XMP is a fixed setting for your RAM, but you're heavily overclocking the CPU, which can impact RAM clock stability or the other way around.
I’d reset and re-configure your core first, as you’ve been doing, then test it with standard RAM speeds.
The only adjustment I made to the RAM was the target frequency, which matches its rated speed of 3200MHz. The base is 2133MHz, so it’s running at default clocking. The voltages remain set to auto, and XMP is manual, so it shouldn’t be causing issues.
You’re adjusting the RAM clock manually to 3200?
TheFluffyDog : When you switch back to stock settings, what RAM clock speed are you using? You mentioned keeping the RAM OC active, which worries me. XMP is a fixed setting for your RAM, but you’re heavily overclocking the CPU, which can affect RAM stability or vice versa. I’d reset and re-configure your core first, then test with stock speeds.
The only changes I made to the RAM were adjusting the target frequency to match its rated speed—3200MHz for my 2133MHz base. The voltage settings remain auto, and XMP is manual, so it shouldn’t interfere.
You’re manually setting the RAM clock to 3200?
Target DRAM Frequency - Auto → 3200MHz
I could adjust it, but I notice a significant speed drop from 2133MHz to 3200MHz. Isn’t it worth considering the cost difference if you’re only using about two-thirds of its rated speed?
Stock RAM is 2133MHz at 1.2v, mine is 3200MHz at 1.5v—that’s a big drop.
EpIckFa1LJoN:
TheFluffyDog:
When you switch back to stock settings, what speed does your RAM run at? You mentioned keeping the RAM overclocked, which worries me. XMP is a fixed setting for your RAM, but you’re heavily overclocking the CPU, which can affect RAM stability or vice versa.
I’d reset and re-configure your core first, as you’ve been doing, then test it with standard RAM speeds.
The only change I made to the RAM was the target frequency, which matches its rated speed of 3200MHz. The base is 2133MHz, so it’s running at the default clock. Voltages remain set to auto. XMP is also in manual mode, so it shouldn’t be causing issues.
If you increased the RAM clock to 3200MHz without updating the timings to match the correct XMP profile, that could definitely cause instability. XMP adjusts both frequency and timings according to their rated values. As you might have observed, there’s a series of kits with frequencies ranging from 2133 to 3200, all using XMP and voltages between 1.2 and 1.35V. These units come from the same production line, and XMP simply boosts speeds while increasing latency to help stabilize them.
If you’re raising the speed without also increasing the latencies, it will become unstable without additional voltage support. Also, XMP raises the voltage from the standard DDR$ level of 1.2V to the kit’s rated voltage of 1.35V.
From what you said, it seems you’re likely running at 3200MHz with a CL12 setting and 1.2V if XMP isn’t enabled.
EpIckFa1LJoN:
TheFluffyDog:
EpIckFa1LJoN:
So when you switch back to stock settings, what speed does your RAM run at? You mentioned leaving the RAM OC enabled, which is concerning for me. XMP is a fixed setting for your RAM, but you’re heavily overclocking the CPU, which can affect RAM clock stability or vice versa.
I’d reset and re-configure your core first as you’ve been doing, then test it with stock RAM speeds.
The only change I made to the RAM was the target frequency, which matches its rating at 3200MHz. The base is 2133MHz, meaning it’s clocked at default. Voltages are still set to auto. XMP is manual, so it shouldn’t be causing issues.
You’ve manually adjusted the RAM clock to 3200?
Target DRAM Frequency - Auto -> 3200MHz
I could adjust it, but I notice a significant speed drop from 2133MHz to 3200MHz. What’s the point of paying extra $50 for RAM if you’re only using about 2/3 of its rated speed?
Stock speeds are 2133MHz at 1.2v, mine is 3200MHz at 1.5v—that’s a big difference?
There’s no way you can notice the difference between 2133DDR4 and 3200 unless you’re a pro overclocker using liquid nitrogen for benchmarks. Games won’t benefit from that. Also, you haven’t adjusted the timings, so I assume that’s another problem. Try setting the RAM to stock speeds again and re-overclock. If it’s stable, enable XMP, don’t OC the RAM yourself—it’s a separate step in overclocking and requires longer stability testing.
I really think the RAM might be the issue, so let’s try this next.
TheFluffyDog :
EpIckFa1LJoN :
TheFluffyDog :
When you switch back to stock settings, what was your RAM clock speed? You mentioned leaving the RAM OC active, which concerns me. XMP is a fixed OC setting for your RAM, but you’re heavily overclocking the CPU, which can affect RAM stability or vice versa.
I’d reset and re-configure your core first as you’ve been doing, then test it with stock RAM speeds.
The only change I made to the RAM was the target frequency, which matches its rated speed of 3200MHz. The base is 2133MHz, meaning it’s clocked at default. Voltages remain set to auto. XMP is also in manual mode, so it shouldn’t interfere.
If you increased the RAM clock to 3200MHz without adjusting the timings to match the proper XMP profile, that could definitely cause instability. XMP adjusts frequency and timings to their rated values. As you may have observed, there’s a series of kits with frequencies ranging from 2133 to 3200 and XMP paired with voltages between 1.2 and 1.35V. All these units come from the same production line; XMP only boosts speed while increasing latency to stabilize performance. If you raise the speed without raising the latencies, it will become unstable without additional voltage. Also, XMP raises the voltage from the standard DDR$ level of 1.2V to the kit’s rated voltage of 1.35V.
Based on your comments, it seems you’re running at 3200MHz with a CL12 and 1.2V if XMP isn’t enabled.
I’ll give it a try. I found the technical specifications for my RAM. XMP 2.0 includes SPD ratings and test results... Should I use the tested figures?
Have I been using the RAM in this manner for a while? Is it possible this is the cause of my problems, rather than the CPU?
Also, could it be that I’ve damaged my RAM by doing what I’ve been doing? It appears to be .15V above its rated value.
Told you I had no idea about what I was doing
😀
So essentially, you’re suggesting reverting everything to default and starting fresh with just the CPU, then the RAM?
I’m aware that RAM plays a significant role in FO4 (it’s pretty straightforward). However, having faster and larger RAM has a much bigger impact in that game. So the speed of your RAM is important to me.
Additionally, increasing RAM frequencies makes cycles occur more quickly. Raising latency lengthens the number of cycles needed for a command to complete. Together they offset some of the gains from faster speeds. That’s why XMP is enabled by default—it boosts one aspect while reducing another. High RAM speeds help with tasks like 3D modeling, where large files dominate read cycles. In games, commands often have smaller file sizes and higher latencies negate the speed improvements.
EpIckFa1LJoN:
TheFluffyDog:
EpIckFa1LJoN:
TheFluffyDog:
When you switch back to stock settings, what is your RAM clocked at? You mentioned leaving the RAM OC, which concerns me. XMP is a preset OC for your RAM, but you're heavily overclocking the CPU, which can affect RAM clock stability or vice versa. I’d reset and overclock your core first as you’ve been doing, then test it with stock RAM speeds.
The only change I made to the RAM was the target frequency, which matches its rated speed of 3200MHz. The base is 2133MHz, so it’s running at default clocking. Voltages are still set to auto, and XMP is manual, so they shouldn’t interfere.
If you increased the RAM clock to 3200MHz without adjusting the timings to match the proper XMP profile, that could definitely cause instability. XMP adjusts frequency and timings to their rated values. As you may have observed, there’s a dominator series with frequencies from 2133-3200 using XMP and voltages between 1.2-1.35V. All these units come from the same assembly line; XMP only boosts speeds while increasing latency to stabilize performance. If you raise the speed without raising latencies, it will become unstable without additional voltage. Also, XMP raises the voltage from the standard DDR$ level of 1.2V to the kit’s rated voltage of 1.35V.
Based on what you said, you’re likely running at 3200MHz with a CL12 of 1.2V if XMP isn’t enabled.
I’ll give it a try. I found the technical specs for my RAM. XMP 2.0 has SPD ratings and test results... Should I use the tested stats?
Have I been running the RAM this way for a while? Is it possible this is the cause of my issues, not the CPU? Also, could it be that I’ve damaged my RAM by doing what I’ve been doing? It seems like it’s 0.15V over its rated value.
Told you I had no idea about what I was doing.
😀
Also worth mentioning, boosting RAM frequencies makes cycles faster, but raising latency means more cycles are needed for commands. Pairing them reduces some gains. That’s why XMP is enabled by default—it speeds one aspect while slowing another. High-speed RAM helps with tasks like 3D modeling where large files dominate read time, but in games with smaller files, higher latencies offset those benefits.
So regarding the RAM latency, the timings are 15-15-15-36 at 2133MHz with 1.2v. At XMP 2 with 16-18-18-36 at 3200MHz and 1.35v, will there be any noticeable difference? Or is it not worth considering?