okay to push 2.21 vram on Crucial Ballistix?

[LOUISSSSS]

wanted to set my ram to its specs for Crucial Ballistix DDS2 800 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v

so i went to my DS3P bios and set +0.40 to my vram (default is 1.8v) and now in speedfan it reads 2.21vram.

is this okay? never OC'd ram before... lol

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
wanted to set my ram to its specs for Crucial Ballistix DDS2 800 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v

so i went to my DS3P bios and set +0.40 to my vram (default is 1.8v) and now in speedfan it reads 2.21vram.

is this okay? never OC'd ram before... lol

I would find where the memory becomes stable... 2.2 is on the high end 2.0-2.1 would be more ideal @stock if it will run it...

also check the temp with your hand... if you get allot of heat that tells you there is electron leakage going on.

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: Mr Fox

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
wanted to set my ram to its specs for Crucial Ballistix DDS2 800 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v

so i went to my DS3P bios and set +0.40 to my vram (default is 1.8v) and now in speedfan it reads 2.21vram.

is this okay? never OC'd ram before... lol

I would find where the memory becomes stable... 2.2 is on the high end 2.0-2.1 would be more ideal @stock if it will run it...

also check the temp with your hand... if you get allot of heat that tells you there is electron leakage going on.

Side note - make sure you've grounded yourself prior to checking the temp with your hand

Ballistix are funny things and some will run just fine with far less voltage than the rated 2.2v but like Mr. Fox said I would try lower first and make sure temps are on par. No matter what I'm an advocate of actively cooling my memory and suggest your do the same. Its easier on the pocket now to replace memory than it was when a good DDR2 kit was $200++ but all in all if the memory needs it that extra 0.01v shouldn't be an issue - likely its not even that as software voltage readings aren't 100% generally.

I have the same kit as you underclocked to 667 running at just a smudge over 2.0v at very tight CAS 3-3-3-3 T1 tRC 7. So far these are the best underclockers I've got and still have 2 more unopened Ballistix kits to play with.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

That is way off topic and untrue IMO. Please give me direct proof to support your claims or at least state everything your saying is opinion. We don't need to get into a pissing contest about memory... Especially when all this guy wanted to know was if 2.21v was too much

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

That is way off topic and untrue IMO. Please give me direct proof to support your claims or at least state everything your saying is opinion. We don't need to get into a pissing contest about memory... Especially when all this guy wanted to know was if 2.21v was too much

You can call the Crucial toll free number to confirm. Post this question...do all Crucial B DDR2 800 or 1066 sticks come with D9 ICs? Post back if you get a "YES" response from a level 2 tech.

I have come across one "weak" Crucial B module. The owner allowed me to remove the heat spreader. No D9. Is this an isolated incident? Probably not if you believe in cockroach.

 

[The-Noid]

Serpent: Please post pictures. You realize when you take the spreader off crucials the D9GMH/D9GCT/D9GKX is taken off and all it says is Crucial right?

All your lies and unsubstantiated rumors.

Do you spend all day calling tech support, nope, you just lie about it.

To OP: In the end if it requires 2.21v to be stable, I would run 2.21v. Could be the motherboard is undervolting. I had a P5N32-E that 2.34v == 2.20 via DMM. That is what warranties are for...

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

That is way off topic and untrue IMO. Please give me direct proof to support your claims or at least state everything your saying is opinion. We don't need to get into a pissing contest about memory... Especially when all this guy wanted to know was if 2.21v was too much

You can call the Crucial toll free number to confirm. Post this question...do all Crucial B DDR2 800 or 1066 sticks come with D9 ICs? Post back if you get a "YES" response from a level 2 tech.

I have come across one "weak" Crucial B module. The owner allowed me to remove the heat spreader. No D9. Is this an isolated incident? Probably not if you believe in cockroach.

Once again this wasn't to turn into a pissing contest but as you stated above "Older modules will always do 1.8v/+400MHz/4-4-4-12" - I don't know what older modules you're referring to but if you are claiming all D9's would do as such I find that hard to believe. Certainly "older" Fatbody D9 IC's wouldn't even come close to doing that on low voltage nor would earlier runs of D9 GMH (Anniversary Series ERA) I had 3 kits from that period and they didn't like less than 2.0v.

But I had some Micron branded ECC memory (D9 but can't recall the sub numbers...not GMH) and those would run as you suggested (1.8v / 400mhz+) but claiming an always for computer equipment is a hard thing to do.

I'm inclined to say your basis of "earlier" Crucial Ballistix are modules made in 07. I'm not saying crucial is always using D9's now or in the future but you're putting a hard line on whats fact for overclocking. The only "certain" thing is that modules will run at rated specs - as was the OP's question regarding this.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

That is way off topic and untrue IMO. Please give me direct proof to support your claims or at least state everything your saying is opinion. We don't need to get into a pissing contest about memory... Especially when all this guy wanted to know was if 2.21v was too much

You can call the Crucial toll free number to confirm. Post this question...do all Crucial B DDR2 800 or 1066 sticks come with D9 ICs? Post back if you get a "YES" response from a level 2 tech.

I have come across one "weak" Crucial B module. The owner allowed me to remove the heat spreader. No D9. Is this an isolated incident? Probably not if you believe in cockroach.

this is completely irrelevant to my question. please make your own thread for your own topics and dont ramble in other peoples' thread

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

That is way off topic and untrue IMO. Please give me direct proof to support your claims or at least state everything your saying is opinion. We don't need to get into a pissing contest about memory... Especially when all this guy wanted to know was if 2.21v was too much

You can call the Crucial toll free number to confirm. Post this question...do all Crucial B DDR2 800 or 1066 sticks come with D9 ICs? Post back if you get a "YES" response from a level 2 tech.

I have come across one "weak" Crucial B module. The owner allowed me to remove the heat spreader. No D9. Is this an isolated incident? Probably not if you believe in cockroach.

Once again this wasn't to turn into a pissing contest but as you stated above "Older modules will always do 1.8v/+400MHz/4-4-4-12" - I don't know what older modules you're referring to but if you are claiming all D9's would do as such I find that hard to believe. Certainly "older" Fatbody D9 IC's wouldn't even come close to doing that on low voltage nor would earlier runs of D9 GMH (Anniversary Series ERA) I had 3 kits from that period and they didn't like less than 2.0v.

But I had some Micron branded ECC memory (D9 but can't recall the sub numbers...not GMH) and those would run as you suggested (1.8v / 400mhz+) but claiming an always for computer equipment is a hard thing to do.

I'm inclined to say your basis of "earlier" Crucial Ballistix are modules made in 07. I'm not saying crucial is always using D9's now or in the future but you're putting a hard line on whats fact for overclocking. The only "certain" thing is that modules will run at rated specs - as was the OP's question regarding this.

All the Crucial Bs that crossed my test bench performed very well before the price drop. No reason to pop the hood to ID the chip. A buddy purchased a pair when the price dipped below $60. These modules had no stability problem @ the rated speed, but the overclocking head-room was lower than previous modules.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

All the Crucial Bs that crossed my test bench performed very well before the price drop. No reason to pop the hood to ID the chip. A buddy purchased a pair when the price dipped below $60. These modules had no stability problem @ the rated speed, but the overclocking head-room was lower than previous modules.

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS


this is completely irrelevant to my question. please make your own thread for your own topics and dont ramble in other peoples' thread

What He Said !!

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

Like what? Even if other ICs cost less, in the end, after all the manufacturing, shipping, overhead, whatever other costs there might be - it'll be cheaper for Crucial to use their own stuff. Not to mention time is money is as well.

There's a reason you don't see other companies with D9GMH memory rival the price of Crucial Ballistix.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: njdevilsfan87

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Crucial can and will substitute less stellar ICs in the Crucial B line. Why? Intense pricing pressure. Older modules will always do 1.8V/+400MHz/4-4-4-12. Buying Crucial B today does not guarantee low working voltage and high core speed.

Like what? Even if other ICs cost less, in the end, after all the manufacturing, shipping, overhead, whatever other costs there might be - it'll be cheaper for Crucial to use their own stuff. Not to mention time is money is as well.

There's a reason you don't see other companies with D9GMH memory rival the price of Crucial Ballistix.

It's your $ to blow. I no longer touch Crucrial B unless I can bench them before purchase.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I was running mine at 2.2v and it didnt seem hot to me, but I wanted to try 2.1 to see if it would still run and so far it is.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
wanted to set my ram to its specs for Crucial Ballistix DDS2 800 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v

so i went to my DS3P bios and set +0.40 to my vram (default is 1.8v) and now in speedfan it reads 2.21vram.

is this okay? never OC'd ram before... lol

They should run fine at 2.1-2.2V if they're rated to do so but.....

Sticks that run at 2.1-2.2V tend to run really hot and even when underclocked typically need more voltage than other sticks rated at that speed. For instance, I still needed 2.0V to run my Ballistix at DDR2 800 compared to many DDR2 800 that run stock at 1.8-1.9V. Also, fluctuations in voltage can be a potential hazard when running voltage so high to begin with. I had 3 kits of 2.1-2.2V die on me (2 kits of Ballistix DDR2 1000 and 1 kit of Buffalo DDR2 800). At first I was convinced it was the board spiking voltage and killing them but after seeing how hot they run (burning to the touch) and reading similar stories here with the same problem I'm not so sure now.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
wanted to set my ram to its specs for Crucial Ballistix DDS2 800 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2v

so i went to my DS3P bios and set +0.40 to my vram (default is 1.8v) and now in speedfan it reads 2.21vram.

is this okay? never OC'd ram before... lol

They should run fine at 2.1-2.2V if they're rated to do so but.....

Sticks that run at 2.1-2.2V tend to run really hot and even when underclocked typically need more voltage than other sticks rated at that speed. For instance, I still needed 2.0V to run my Ballistix at DDR2 800 compared to many DDR2 800 that run stock at 1.8-1.9V. Also, fluctuations in voltage can be a potential hazard when running voltage so high to begin with. I had 3 kits of 2.1-2.2V die on me (2 kits of Ballistix DDR2 1000 and 1 kit of Buffalo DDR2 800). At first I was convinced it was the board spiking voltage and killing them but after seeing how hot they run (burning to the touch) and reading similar stories here with the same problem I'm not so sure now.

I would more opt with your original hypothesis, as that has been one of the issues that 680i is kinda famous for... especially the Striker, and reference boards.

If your memory is running that hot you are not moving enough air.... My CPU Coolers draw directly across my DIMM Slots so I get fresh cool air moving across.

HardOCP has many with the same issues .. Dan the Motherboard Editor has a breakdown of the issues he has run into. In their Motherboard Forum.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

are the ballistix infamouse for failing early if they're volted at 2.20-2.21?

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
are the ballistix infamouse for failing early if they're volted at 2.20-2.21?

not so much as the voltage IMO but many people don't bother cooling memory period and there are a growing number out there that sacrifice cooling for silence

add that to numerous people buying low budget power supplies that adds to the mix - memory is a volatile substance that we attempt to push to the edge often. I've had a few kits fail on me sure but! I over clocked them and asked them to do numerous things they shouldn't have done - ie run 1200mhz at 2.4v

honestly I don't think anyone here has had a kit long enough to really claim DDR2 lasts a long time period - we're talking about computers and DDR2 is 4-5 years old tops.

Most of the people I know have a PC for 1-3 years. I'd be hard pressed to find a single kit from the 2003-4 days still working and if it was I'd bet it was a 256mb or 512mb stick. 2 gig kits didn't become very common until the later part of DDR and 2 gigs of memory allow for that much more error to take place.

1.8v is the "base" standard just as 2.5v was back in DDR days - we're looking at running memory at .04v higher than standard - thats a huge increase - close to putting 2.9-3.0v+ on some DDR and most of those kits that worked well at insane voltage were of the 512mb variety and required active cooling.

I've kinda ranted on but your sticks are "rated" to take *up to* 2.2v - try under volting them and see if you can boot / pass memtest

Look for the sweet spot on voltage if you just want stock speed / timings - don't worry too much about your Ballistix failing as Crucial Customer service is also top notch, they'll replace your sticks no questions asked...so long as you don't tell them you put 2.4v to them

just ignore us memory junkies here on your thread and go back to using your computer

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
are the ballistix infamouse for failing early if they're volted at 2.20-2.21?

not so much as the voltage IMO but many people don't bother cooling memory period and there are a growing number out there that sacrifice cooling for silence

add that to numerous people buying low budget power supplies that adds to the mix - memory is a volatile substance that we attempt to push to the edge often. I've had a few kits fail on me sure but! I over clocked them and asked them to do numerous things they shouldn't have done - ie run 1200mhz at 2.4v

honestly I don't think anyone here has had a kit long enough to really claim DDR2 lasts a long time period - we're talking about computers and DDR2 is 4-5 years old tops.

Most of the people I know have a PC for 1-3 years. I'd be hard pressed to find a single kit from the 2003-4 days still working and if it was I'd bet it was a 256mb or 512mb stick. 2 gig kits didn't become very common until the later part of DDR and 2 gigs of memory allow for that much more error to take place.

1.8v is the "base" standard just as 2.5v was back in DDR days - we're looking at running memory at .04v higher than standard - thats a huge increase - close to putting 2.9-3.0v+ on some DDR and most of those kits that worked well at insane voltage were of the 512mb variety and required active cooling.

I've kinda ranted on but your sticks are "rated" to take *up to* 2.2v - try under volting them and see if you can boot / pass memtest

Look for the sweet spot on voltage if you just want stock speed / timings - don't worry too much about your Ballistix failing as Crucial Customer service is also top notch, they'll replace your sticks no questions asked...so long as you don't tell them you put 2.4v to them

just ignore us memory junkies here on your thread and go back to using your computer

haha okay thanks. i'll just leave them @ 2.21v since its only 0.01 over spec. i'm still trying to maximize my OC without bumping my vcore up anymore

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
are the ballistix infamouse for failing early if they're volted at 2.20-2.21?

not so much as the voltage IMO but many people don't bother cooling memory period and there are a growing number out there that sacrifice cooling for silence

add that to numerous people buying low budget power supplies that adds to the mix - memory is a volatile substance that we attempt to push to the edge often. I've had a few kits fail on me sure but! I over clocked them and asked them to do numerous things they shouldn't have done - ie run 1200mhz at 2.4v

honestly I don't think anyone here has had a kit long enough to really claim DDR2 lasts a long time period - we're talking about computers and DDR2 is 4-5 years old tops.

Most of the people I know have a PC for 1-3 years. I'd be hard pressed to find a single kit from the 2003-4 days still working and if it was I'd bet it was a 256mb or 512mb stick. 2 gig kits didn't become very common until the later part of DDR and 2 gigs of memory allow for that much more error to take place.

1.8v is the "base" standard just as 2.5v was back in DDR days - we're looking at running memory at .04v higher than standard - thats a huge increase - close to putting 2.9-3.0v+ on some DDR and most of those kits that worked well at insane voltage were of the 512mb variety and required active cooling.

I've kinda ranted on but your sticks are "rated" to take *up to* 2.2v - try under volting them and see if you can boot / pass memtest

Look for the sweet spot on voltage if you just want stock speed / timings - don't worry too much about your Ballistix failing as Crucial Customer service is also top notch, they'll replace your sticks no questions asked...so long as you don't tell them you put 2.4v to them

just ignore us memory junkies here on your thread and go back to using your computer

haha okay thanks. i'll just leave them @ 2.21v since its only 0.01 over spec. i'm still trying to maximize my OC without bumping my vcore up anymore

We dont have the same CPU but you can see in my sig I got a good OC using 2.1 and 4-4-4-12.

 

[James01]

I'm in a similar situation. My A-Data RAM is rated at 2~2.1v. I've set it to +0.3v in the BIOS, but SpeedFan reports it as 2.13 or 2.14v.

Does it matter if my RAM is overvolted by 0.04 volts? Don't want to damage it.

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: James01
I'm in a similar situation. My A-Data RAM is rated at 2~2.1v. I've set it to +0.3v in the BIOS, but SpeedFan reports it as 2.13 or 2.14v.

Does it matter if my RAM is overvolted by 0.04 volts? Don't want to damage it.

Once again as I stated above software isn't 100% on that if you want a good reading you gotta find the proper contact points and use a DMM (Digital Multi Meter) to get a reading.

And for you and the OP I would first try to under volt to see if it runs - in your case if it indeed is getting "overvolted" by the mobo a lower setting might work just fine.

I'd suggest getting memtest and creating a bootable CD with it on there so you can test for memory errors prior to getting into your OS - even if the voltage is too low for 100% stable use chances are you can still post boot for a memtest run