RAM voltage worries

[Attila the Bun]

I currently have 2 x 2gb Corsair Dominator 8-8-8-24 in my rig which are specced to run at 1.65 volts.

The setting in the BIOS is set to [AUTO] which appears to be sending 1.8 volts through the RAM.

Will this extra voltage cause any damage to the RAM? Will it cause instability? Should I go and change the BIOS setting to 1.65 volts.

Thanks as always

[watercooled]

1.8v does seem pretty high for standard RAM, what speed is it running at? Higher frequency (overclocked) RAM sometimes uses a higher stock voltage and the quoted voltage may be for a standard clock speed.

[Attila the Bun]

1.8v does seem pretty high for standard RAM, what speed is it running at? Higher frequency (overclocked) RAM sometimes uses a higher stock voltage and the quoted voltage may be for a standard clock speed.

1600mhz...I'm not trying to speed it up at all I just want to have it running as spec.

[watercooled]

Try updating the motherboard BIOS, it may not be detecting the SPD data properly.

[Attila the Bun]

Try updating the motherboard BIOS, it may not be detecting the SPD data properly.

I've already updated the BIOS, it's running the latest version. I did keep a copy of the BIOS version it was shipped with so I suppose I could try re-installing that and see if it makes any difference.

[kalniel]

Download CPUZ and see what it reports for the SPD table of the RAM.

[Attila the Bun]

Download CPUZ and see what it reports for the SPD table of the RAM.

If I remember correctly the 1.8 volts showed in the BIOS display, on ASUS's OCing application and in CPUZ.

[Sputnik]

Just set it correctly in the BIOS. That is what I would do.

[Uriel]

I spoke to Crucial support about this the other day, as my board was automatically applying 1.95v to DDR2 rated at 1.8v by Crucial.

They stated that they would always recommend manually setting to the correct value.

[Attila the Bun]

That was my gut instinct so I shall go and do just that once I have confirmed with Corsair that 1.65 is the correct voltage

[kalniel]

If I remember correctly the 1.8 volts showed in the BIOS display, on ASUS's OCing application and in CPUZ.

Not the volts you're actually giving it, the SPD will show the volts it's supposed to be getting at a given speed/timing set. You can then set it to this in BIOS.

[Attila the Bun]

Not the volts you're actually giving it, the SPD will show the volts it's supposed to be getting at a given speed/timing set. You can then set it to this in BIOS.

Is this what you are talking about kalniel



I have to admit that I have not really understood what this page eplains and have never got around to finding out.

edit: hold on where's the piccy gone

[Pob255]

giving the ram to 1.8v will not damage it almost all ddr3 is capable of up to 1.8v without issue, the problem is that intel core i cpu memory controller is not capable of it, long term use at 1.8v will result in burning out the memory controller in the cpu.
AMD cpu's can handle higher voltages as they where designed to cope with the original ddr3 which ran at 1.8v default voltage, mainly as part of the legacy amd cpu's also having a ddr2 controller, which is why you can still find some ddr3 which runs at 1.8v to 1.9v

So all told, I'd not worry as you're on an amd system then even if you are running it at 1.8v then both the memory and cpu can cope.

EDIT: that tab shows the different official JEDEC setting the memory can run at (remember to double the speed for the final speed number)
So that stick (note that shows the data per stick) can run at 888mhz cas6, 1036mhz cas7, 1184mhz cas8 and 1333mhz cas9 all at 1.5v
The only problem with cpu-z is that if the ram has 4 jedec settings and an xmp profile then the xmp will not be shown, the xmp will only be shown if the ram has 3 or less default jedec settings

[Attila the Bun]

giving the ram to 1.8v will not damage it almost all ddr3 is capable of up to 1.8v without issue, the problem is that intel core i cpu memory controller is not capable of it, long term use at 1.8v will result in burning out the memory controller in the cpu.
AMD cpu's can handle higher voltages as they where designed to cope with the original ddr3 which ran at 1.8v default voltage, mainly as part of the legacy amd cpu's also having a ddr2 controller, which is why you can still find some ddr3 which runs at 1.8v to 1.9v

So all told, I'd not worry as you're on an amd system then even if you are running it at 1.8v then both the memory and cpu can cope.

Ta for that

EDIT: that tab shows the different official JEDEC setting the memory can run at (remember to double the speed for the final speed number)
So that stick (note that shows the data per stick) can run at 888mhz cas6, 1036mhz cas7, 1184mhz cas8 and 1333mhz cas9 all at 1.5v
The only problem with cpu-z is that if the ram has 4 jedec settings and an xmp profile then the xmp will not be shown, the xmp will only be shown if the ram has 3 or less default jedec settings

So why does the max bandwidth show as PC3-10700 when I purchased PC3-12800? And I thought it would show the JEDEC 4 as 800mhz as that is it's specified speed? Is tis anything to do with the BEMP profile?

[kalniel]

And I thought it would show the JEDEC 4 as 800mhz as that is it's specified speed? Is tis anything to do with the BEMP profile?

It might not for a couple of reasons - the simplest was already mentioned - cpuz ran out of columns. Another is that to run at 800mhz it might have to be using non-JEDEC specified voltage, which is why things like XMP or BEMP exists. So, sorry, cpu-z wasn't as helpful as I was hoping.

[Pob255]

Yes there is no JEDEC standard for 1600mhz, it's always via a non-standard/different standard eg XMP