Popular forum discussions about the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX motherboard for RAM upgrades.
Popular forum discussions about the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX motherboard for RAM upgrades.
I possess a secondary setup featuring a Ryzen 3600 and a Tomahawk B450 Max. Initially it ran with 8GB sticks at 3200 MHz without any problems. I installed Kingston RAM from two distinct brands and manufacturers. Despite this, the specific model wasn't clarified. There seems to be a method if you use different RAM types—place the lower-performing one in the main slots so its XMP settings are applied, and ensure it matches in the paired slots. Edit: avoid manually adjusting frequency without XMP, as this preserves the JEDEC specifications (like 2133 for your case). Frequencies above 2400 or 2666 are too strict for stable operation. If RAM is correctly seated in the right slots and your 3600 stays stable, switch to XMP 3200 or lower the frequency to 3200 manually.
Hello, You mentioned having 3600 Cl18 but your link shows 3200 Cl16. I own the same motherboard with an Rx3600 and four CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 sticks using Samsung memory (CPUZ shows the exact memory type). In my setup everything works perfectly, and I’m now looking forward to getting a Rx5900X. Since it shares the same memory controller, I hope it will perform just as well. My BIOS is 7C02v3H.
After upgrading to a Ryzen 9 5900x with 32 GB RAM, the CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 (two sets) is running smoothly using XMP1 at 3200 MHz. However, I discovered that the PBO setting needs to be either enabled or disabled, or one of the eco options. If you select auto, stability isn’t achieved. My air cooler is a Noctua NhU12A, and under full load it reaches 71.2°C (max). During a Cinebench R23 test, it hit 21047 with PBO off, dropping to 69.6°C when PBO was on according to OCCT. Your thoughts welcome!
I experienced a major issue while using four sticks with this motherboard. On every boot, I encountered a black screen with no progress. Eventually, I had to insert just one stick to get into the BIOS, and then I was limited to running only two sticks (16GB total). I had to give up my other 2x8GB stick since it wasn’t worth it anymore. I’m curious about the problem—dual channel is ideal for stability, especially when running RAM-intensive applications. I plan to upgrade to a 32GB configuration in the future instead of struggling with four sticks. Peace!