DDR2-800 RAM showing up as 667 in BIOS

[frankbo]

I've finally got my new PC set up and I was prepared to do some light OC'ing with the following:

Gigabyte P35-DS3R
Intel E4500 2.2Ghz (200x11)
Kingston HyperX DDR2-800 2x2GB

I had completed my reading and was going along just fine when I noticed that the Memory Frequency line in the BIOS lists my supposedly DDR2-800MHz RAM as having a normal operating frequency of 667MHz. I specifically went after this model RAM because it was on Gigabyte's "plays nice with our mobo" list.

What are some checks I can do to determine if I've got bad sticks of RAM or if there's something else going on? I'm planning on moving the two sticks from sockets 1 & 3 to sockets 2 & 4. Outside of that I'm too inexperienced to figure this out. Any help is appreciated.

 

[PolymerTim]

Sometimes the sticks just aren't detected properly. Have you tried manually setting your RAM divider in the BIOS to give you 800MHz?

 

[frankbo]

I haven't tuned RAM speed/multiplier in the BIOS to force the RAM to 800 as my concern is that the RAM might be faulty. I didn't want to ramp the FSB speed up and damage the RAM if they're 667 sticks instead of 800.

So is this something I should just ignore, and should I go about my OC'ing as though the BIOS sees my RAM as operating normally at 800MHz? Or are there diagnostics I can run to confirm any of this?

 

[manimal]

set voltage and speeds to what the ram is rated for. Then run memtest and see if all is good. If any errors pop up you will know what to do then.

 

[frankbo]

Sounds good, I'll give memtest a try. In CPU-z both slots are listed as having Kingston PC2-5300 sticks. I have a feeling newegg or Kingston tried to pull the ol' switcheroo on me.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: frankbo
Sounds good, I'll give memtest a try. In CPU-z both slots are listed as having Kingston PC2-5300 sticks. I have a feeling newegg or Kingston tried to pull the ol' switcheroo on me.

Yeah I'd be very suspicious too.

If you do approach Newegg be as polite and non-aggressive as possible as you are basically expecting them to take you for your word that you didn't actually do the switcheroo yourself hoping to defraud them of some PC2-6400 sticks.

It helps you got them from a reputable place like Newegg where you know if it was mistake it was truly a completely innocent mistake on their part. But do be kind as ultimately it will be a human being on their end who makes the call whether or not they think you are the one doing some funny business.

 

[Markfw]

Is there a sticker on the outside of the ram ? All of my memory has that. What does IT say they are ????

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: frankbo
In CPU-z both slots are listed as having Kingston PC2-5300 sticks.

It is known for manufacturers to use lower speed ICs and rate them higher. Any RAM which is specified to run at over 1.8v under normal timings (such as DDR2-800 CAS 5 1.9v) is likely DDR2-667 that has been "factory overclocked."

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: frankbo
In CPU-z both slots are listed as having Kingston PC2-5300 sticks.

It is known for manufacturers to use lower speed ICs and rate them higher. Any RAM which is specified to run at over 1.8v under normal timings (such as DDR2-800 CAS 5 1.9v) is likely DDR2-667 that has been "factory overclocked."

Yes, but the SPD is programmed (should be) with PC2-6400, in that case. Something is up here.

 

[djplayer]

tons of ram aren't set correctly. I have corsair xm2 that "states" it's clocked @ 4-4-4-12 800mhz.. Of course every person who's ever bought it has default settings of 5-5-5-18 800mhz using a completely different voltage.. Just something that needs to be played w/ when dealing w/ certain companies.

 

[frankbo]

To follow up, I checked with the manufacturer, and this is DDR2-667 RAM being passed off as DDR2-800. It may be a common practice, but I think it's crooked as nowhere in the product listing is there a mention of the need to overclock to get to 800. Most consumers are probably buying this, popping it in, and telling everyone they've got DDR2-800. Oops.

Newegg was really cool about this and will refund the sticks without assessing a restock fee.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

To follow up on what Zap & djplayer said, just look at all the differently rated RAM out there that is based on the Micron D9 ICs, esp. the D9GMH. Crucial (Micron) themselves use this same IC in their Ballistix PC2-6400, 8000, & 8500, albeit with different timings. And the SPD's are purposely programmed on the safe/conservative side to aid in initial installation.

A really good reference is here.