Your RAM speed exceeds what your motherboard supports.
Your RAM speed exceeds what your motherboard supports.
I received a B450 tomahawk motherboard but its maximum memory speed is DDR4-3466. My RAM is DDR4-3600. Is it safe to install it? Will the performance drop to DDR4-3466, or can I still use it as is? The RAM I purchased is here: https://www.newegg.com/oloy-16gb-288-pin...OdMrDYDkOA
CPU usage is probably higher than the motherboard can handle. Most Ryzen 3rd generation processors work well at 3200-3466 MHz, while 3600 may need some adjustments.
The restriction never stemmed from the board itself; it arose from the 2nd Gen Ryzen architecture since the Memory Controller resides on the CPU. Performance hinges on the specific CPU used—2nd Gen struggles beyond 3200MHz, though it can reach 3466MHz under certain conditions, but that’s rarely achieved and isn’t advised. In contrast, 3rd Gen Ryzen supports stable speeds up to 3600MHz. The issue doesn’t damage the board, just prevents booting if incompatible.
My friend handled a 3600Mhz CL16 with a Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 3000Mhz 2x8GB setup on a B450 board featuring a 2600 Ryzen processor. Later, he tried the same RAM sticks with another second-generation CPU: 2700Mhz, and it failed beyond 3200Mhz. It seems possible to try 3600, but it's risky.
It could happen, though it would be far less common than 3466mhz—extremely rare in practice.