Running at 4400MHz with a base frequency of 2133MHz
Running at 4400MHz with a base frequency of 2133MHz
I chose to buy a new RAM (Steel Series Viper 4400mhz) but it only works at 2133mhz. The BIOS shows XMP profile 1 enabled, and it claims it should run at 4400mhz, yet when I check the task manager it says 2133mhz. I've tried updating the BIOS, but it didn't help. How can I get it to run at the correct speed? My motherboard is a Z390ASRock.
DDR supports double data rate, transferring two bits per cycle. This means 4400Mhz memory effectively equals 4400MT/s (transfers per second) and 2200Mhz. The AsRock Z390 boards typically handle up to 4300Mhz, which aligns closely with the 2133Mhz reported by Task Manager and the 2666Mhz shown in CPU-Z under Memory > DRAM frequency. Double-check using CPU-Z for accuracy.
As mentioned by @minibois, DDR operates at double data rate, meaning the actual speed is half what it claims. I’m not sure this applies here (2133 is a particular figure). Investigate what XMP is modifying and consider manually adjusting the RAM speed to 4400Mhz in BIOS. Also, since 4400Mhz is quite high, the CPU memory controller could struggle. Try starting at slower speeds like 3600Mhz or 4000Mhz and observe the limits.
DDR4 running at 2666Mhz was the setup I discussed. For accuracy, I recommended checking CPU-Z as well. The Task Manager's memory speed reporting has varied over time.
I tested it at 3000MHz and it functioned fine, but why would they push something that barely reaches 4400MHz?
What processor are you using? It's unexpected I can't reach 3600Mhz, particularly on a brand new Intel system.
Please remember to save your modifications before closing the bios.