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2400Mhz DDR3 with i5-4690

D

Dward

Member
Hi Guys,

Quick question, I am currently running my new i5-4690 with my old DDR3 ram which is 8GB's of 1600Mhz (8-8-8-24).

I was thinking of upgrading to 16GB and was looking at 2400Mhz.

Would my system be able to run it at that speed with XMP?

My motherboard is a MSI Z97 Gaming 3.

Thanks
 
Dward said:
Hi Guys,

Quick question, I am currently running my new i5-4690 with my old DDR3 ram which is 8GB's of 1600Mhz (8-8-8-24).

I was thinking of upgrading to 16GB and was looking at 2400Mhz.

Would my system be able to run it at that speed with XMP?

My motherboard is a MSI Z97 Gaming 3.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm still a full generation behind Haswell, and running one IB and an SB-K. I have a 2x8GB 1866Mhz kit with the latter, and anything faster than that offers little benefit that I know of.

Haswell is likely different, and so the first thing to do as I see it involves researching the specs of the processor to see which conditions are either best or tolerable for the processor and its integrated memory controller or IMC. In other words, does the Intel spec allow for running DDR3 at 1.6 or 1.65V?

I looked at the 2400Mhz kits sold by my favorite choice among the RAM-makers, or G.SKILL. There are Trident, Sniper and RipJaws kits spec'd at 1.65V. Those spec'd at 1.60V may be kits guaranteed for 2133 Mhz, and there are 1866Mhz kits running at 1.5V.

If you buy the expensive 2400Mhz kits, you could also be inclined to try them at tighter latencies, lower speeds and a lower voltage. But if you can safely run all your parts within specs with RAM at 2133 or 2400, that, too, would be a good thing.

And of course some folks will tell you that RAM voltage limits in conjunction with the IMC of this or that processor aren't critical to anything.
 
How much of a risk is it to run memory at 1.6v when the spec of the CPU is 1.5v (for 4790k for instance)? Does it matter at all?
 
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Freddy1765 said:
How much of a risk is it to run memory at 1.6v when the spec of the CPU is 1.5v (for 4790k for instance)? Does it matter at all?
Click to expand...

Is that spec you cite correct? I personally wouldn't know, but I'm planning a Haswell build (of sorts), and it's useful information. I think the spec for my SB-K processor was between 1.57 and 1.58V. Some folks are very cautious; others do what they want.

There is also a limit on the VCCIO voltage, which I wager is adjustable in Haswell chipsets, whatever the BIOS calls it.

With either the latter or both, I think excessive voltage can damage the IMC. Personally, I just stay within the specs that seem critical for component life.
 
Well, I wouldn't want to disseminate incorrect information and I can't provide a source, but I'm sure I read on various forums that 1.5v was the rated voltage for memory on HW (and SB, which I use myself).
That being said, I can't be sure, and I really have no experience OC'ing memory at all, so I don't know how sensitive it is to higher voltages in the 1.5-1.65 range.
 
I've also been considering upgrading to something like 2133 CL9 for a 4790k build I'm toying with, but it really seems like it brings with it no benefits at all. If I were making a brand new build, I'd probably go with some higher frequency memory sticks, but replacing existing 1600 8-8-8-24 sticks does not at all appear to be worth it (in terms of gaming at least).
 
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Freddy1765 said:
I've also been considering upgrading to something like 2133 CL9 for a 4790k build I'm toying with, but it really seems like it brings with it no benefits at all. If I were making a brand new build, I'd probably go with some higher frequency memory sticks, but replacing existing 1600 8-8-8-24 sticks does not at all appear to be worth it (in terms of gaming at least).
Click to expand...

I might agree there. I think this thread explores the prospects for a range between 1600 and 2400. An ASUS Z97-A mobo allows for up to 3200 Mhz, which the specs note is another "OC" setting, and anything over 1600 is marked as "OC."

I can only speak from my socket-1155 SB experience and what seemed like a consensus: beyond 1866 Mhz, there aren't significant gains. This may shift upward with Haswell and Socket-1150.

But a "reconnaissance" web-search shows me that there hasn't been that much change between the Intel generations. It DOES appear that Intel recommends a vDIMM voltage of 1.5V. With SB and maybe IB cores, the VCCIO voltage needed to fall within 0.5V below the RAM voltage, and with Haswell it seems to be 0.6V.

I would think that a kit spec'd at 2133 Mhz and 1.5V might be worth the outlay if it is the initial purchase for a DIY build project. But it's the enthusiast's choice as to whether upgrading from DDR3-1600 is really worth it.
 
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