Timings in overclocked DDR4 relate to performance considerations.
Timings in overclocked DDR4 relate to performance considerations.
A few days ago I upgraded to the 9th generation and chose to overclock. Everything worked with the CPU, but the RAM has been worrying me. I have an 8GB DDR4 2133Mhz with timings-15. At first I increased it to 3200Mhz and V1.3. The system crashed when I started it. I lowered it to 2400Mhz and it loaded properly, with CAS at 17. Then I raised it again to 2800Mhz, which also worked, and now CAS is at 20. I think I might be doing something incorrect or missing something.
XMP settings aren’t available in the BIOS.
My build details:
Gigabyte Z390 UD with BIOS version F3,
9700k currently OC to 5.0Ghz & V1.275.
Bios version F6 is already out for my area, but I often experience blackouts nearby and have never updated the BIOS, so I’m avoiding any updates.
Novice at overclocking
Edit:
Is it safe to manually set it to factory timings when overclocked if the system puts it at 20 on auto? Any advice would be appreciated.
I intend to upgrade to two memory sticks soon. In the meantime, I’d like to enhance what I currently have. Regarding the factory-set clock speeds, as I noted it’s 15, the main issue is that it increases to 20 when I overclock. That’s my worry. Would it be safe to manually adjust it to factory settings during overclocking if the system automatically sets it to 20?
It's "Safe" because it won't explode or anything similar; the only possible issues are not starting up or instability, allowing you to experiment freely while ensuring easy CMOS resets.
XMP location: M.I.T. page -> Advanced Frequency Settings -> Scroll a bit to locate: "Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.)" -- This appears on page 25/48 in the manual.
It is also available at: M.I.T. page -> Advanced Memory Settings -> "Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.)" -- Manual page 26/48
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z39...ort-manual
Regarding your suggestion, it is acceptable to use factory timings, provided you also configure the correct voltage (possibly higher due to overclocking). The X.M.P. for the kit includes more details than just the basic CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-CR values. These profiles specify the required frequency, voltage, and sometimes additional timing settings. You can adjust them manually, but it makes sense to let them be programmed in the system if you have compatible RAM with EEPROM support for these profiles.
Thaiphoon Burner (Freeware) is trying to check if there are any profiles available. If not, it asks for the make and model of your RAM. The chart mentioned relates to latency, but it's not the complete picture. I realized earlier it actually displays the speed-to-latency ratio. Generally, having faster RAM with slightly higher latency is better, though it varies by platform. For Ryzen, low latency is more important than high speed, while Intel shows less difference. I prefer a 2400C17 but I'm unsure about the voltages you're using—typically 1.35V for DDR4 gives extra flexibility for overclocking. I increased my 2400C15 to 2666C13 by raising the voltage, which allowed higher frequency (2800C18), though performance dropped afterward.
Thaiphoon Burner didn’t detect any XMP profiles available.
Spoiler:
Ram Report
GeIL-branded Micron A-Die chips are dual rank. From what I've seen, they don't overclock very well (Ryzens).
These units lack any XMP settings in the EEPROM, which likely explains why XMP isn't present in the BIOS. Examining the datasheet for the Micron part and its SPD profile—values automatically set by BIOS—it seems to read "DDR4-2133 15-15-15" with no additional timings. The readings we get show tRAS at 36, or you can try 35 or as low as 2xCL, and... I'm not sure what the 51 stands for. That usually represents CR/Command Rate and is written as 1T/1N or 2T/2N.
Voltage details:
1.2v ± 0.060v (for minor fluctuations) with a maximum of 1.5v. After adjusting for the fluctuation range, the safe upper limit becomes 1.44v for the chips to handle reliably within the limits. These guidelines are only relevant if you're exploring advanced timing parameters: "VDD and VDDQ should stay within 300mV of each other constantly, and VREF must not exceed 0.6 × VDDQ. When VDD and VDDQ are under 500mV, VREF can drop to 300mV." VDDQ equals VDIMM and is the RAM voltage.
https://www.micron.com/~/media/documents..._sdram.pdf
Page 265/383
If you're aiming to push the RAM to its limits, you could reach up to 1.44v. Intel's limits are 1.5v, but I'd prefer not to exceed 1.45v unless you were doing extreme overclocking and didn't mind risking CPU/IMC and/or RAM damage.
If you opted for a 4GB module, it would enable the motherboard to use Flex Mode, allowing the RAM to operate in Dual+Single channel mode. As long as the modules match the CPU's IMC, this should work. I always advise prioritizing capacity over speed when choosing RAM.