F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Unable to modify CPU frequency on MSI Z170A Gaming M3; cannot run RAM at 3200MHz

Unable to modify CPU frequency on MSI Z170A Gaming M3; cannot run RAM at 3200MHz

Unable to modify CPU frequency on MSI Z170A Gaming M3; cannot run RAM at 3200MHz

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gamb1no
Member
226
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM
#1
I tried to enter overclocking but couldn't get the CPU frequency. My system stopped working if I pushed RAM speeds to 3200. It's manageable at 31oo, but I need help fixing these problems.
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gamb1no
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM #1

I tried to enter overclocking but couldn't get the CPU frequency. My system stopped working if I pushed RAM speeds to 3200. It's manageable at 31oo, but I need help fixing these problems.

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xWood4000
Junior Member
8
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM
#2
Intel has restricted overclocking on their processors for some time. If you're after that, you'd need a special CPU model—like the one with 'k' in the name. On Asus Z170 boards, baseclock overclocking is possible on non-k processors, but not on your MSI board. Regarding RAM, your motherboard supports 3200MHz, though your own RAM might not. To reach that speed, consider slightly increasing the voltage on the power supplies, though it won't make much difference since Intel CPUs generally ignored RAM speeds. Performance typically stays between 2133MHz and 3100MHz.
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xWood4000
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM #2

Intel has restricted overclocking on their processors for some time. If you're after that, you'd need a special CPU model—like the one with 'k' in the name. On Asus Z170 boards, baseclock overclocking is possible on non-k processors, but not on your MSI board. Regarding RAM, your motherboard supports 3200MHz, though your own RAM might not. To reach that speed, consider slightly increasing the voltage on the power supplies, though it won't make much difference since Intel CPUs generally ignored RAM speeds. Performance typically stays between 2133MHz and 3100MHz.

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DriveIn
Senior Member
739
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM
#3
This setup was feasible on certain MSI boards from that period. I owned an MSI Z170A Gaming Pro or possibly the Pro Gaming model. While non-K CPUs were supported in hardware, overclocking required unofficial BIOS modifications. RAM performance was inconsistent, especially at higher speeds, and older microcode versions made compatibility with modern operating systems difficult. Generally, these components struggled to work together smoothly. It might only be practical for specialized competitive testing. Reliable performance depended heavily on the specific hardware and workload. CPU memory bandwidth has always been a challenge, and RAM speed still played a role back then—depending on what you were doing.
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DriveIn
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM #3

This setup was feasible on certain MSI boards from that period. I owned an MSI Z170A Gaming Pro or possibly the Pro Gaming model. While non-K CPUs were supported in hardware, overclocking required unofficial BIOS modifications. RAM performance was inconsistent, especially at higher speeds, and older microcode versions made compatibility with modern operating systems difficult. Generally, these components struggled to work together smoothly. It might only be practical for specialized competitive testing. Reliable performance depended heavily on the specific hardware and workload. CPU memory bandwidth has always been a challenge, and RAM speed still played a role back then—depending on what you were doing.

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ZennoxyKilian
Junior Member
4
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM
#4
The system runs a Corsair Dom 32GB 2x16 RAM with an i7-6700K processor.
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ZennoxyKilian
03-09-2022, 01:19 PM #4

The system runs a Corsair Dom 32GB 2x16 RAM with an i7-6700K processor.