# Bought DDR3 1600mhz, running at 1333mhz???



## SpitfirePilot

I just built my new rig. You can see any details in my signature. My ram is *G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory F3-1600C9D-16GXM*

So it comes as 1600mhz and I'm only getting 1333mhz. Do I need t udpate my BIOS? Overclock my ram? I have no idea what should be done to mediate this issue. I'm kinda frusturated because I could have easily bought way better ram.


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## Omicron

You'll need to go into the BIOS and hunt for the memory section. There should be an option for selecting an XMP profile for your RAM in there (The higher speed setting). It's essentially overclocking made easy by a preprogrammed profile.

By default, RAM runs at the highest speed possible by the system in the SPD table. XMP, which is what this memory has, gives the table an extra area for running faster but requires a manual selection.


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## huzzug

In your bios, browse to the AI Tweaker tab, there you should find an option for ram speed which would be set on auto. change it to 1600Mhz out of the listed options. Do not go higher, for you'd have to manually change setting after that


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## SpitfirePilot

I will try this now and see how it goes. Should I run some kind of system test afterwards to see if I'm stable?


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## Kinaesthetic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SpitfirePilot*
> 
> I will try this now and see how it goes. Should I run some kind of system test afterwards to see if I'm stable?


XMP profiles are almost 99% of the time stable. You won't have any problems. You can, however, run stuff like Memtest in order to figure out if your entire stick is bad and needs to be RMA'd. But if there is a selectable XMP in your BIOS, and your CPU has a memory controller (IMC) capable of running it, it'll be fine.


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## Nexo

You've got to turn on XMP. Its 100% stable.


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## SpitfirePilot

I went into the memory section and changed the memory frequency I believe it said to 1600mhz. Rebooted and ram now says ddr3 1600Mhz. I did not see anything in there that said XMP. Should I go back and make sure I turn XMP on?


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## Nexo

Yes because you probably set the frequency to that instead of letting XMP do its thing.


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## Kinaesthetic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SpitfirePilot*
> 
> I went into the memory section and changed the memory frequency I believe it said to 1600mhz. Rebooted and ram now says ddr3 1600Mhz. I did not see anything in there that said XMP. Should I go back and make sure I turn XMP on?


Here is a Youtube guide to visually show you how to change it. He goes over the XMP settings in Asus's UEFI Bios @ *1:55*


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## SpitfirePilot

Thanks I was looking through the manual right now for mobo and found the Ai Tweaker, but nothing about XMP. I'll check the youtube vid.


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## Nexo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SpitfirePilot*
> 
> Thanks I was looking through the manual right now for mobo and found the Ai Tweaker, but nothing about XMP. I'll check the youtube vid.


All modern motherboards should have a setting called XMP.


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## splinterize

You dont buy 800mhz memory. DDR3 will always be 667mhz (1.33ghz) by default. When a company claim that they are selling 800mhz (or faster) memory, they are only selling you binned 667mhz chips that are guaranteed to be stable at the specified speed.

Now if you want to reach said speed you need to manually overclock it, which is fairly easy to do.


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## SpitfirePilot

I followed the youtube vide. Although I have a different cpu a i5 3570k, and the p877-I Deluxe mobo.

I enabled XMP, and set the ram frequency back to auto, saved and rebooted. After reboot my ram went back to 1333Mhz?? I checked the XMP profile and it says "DDR3 1600Mhz", but it reverted my ram back down to 1333.

So what I did was leave XMP on, selected RAM Frequency and changed it to 1600Mhz, rebooted and now its saying 1600 again and xmp is still on. Now that I manually changed Frequency again is XMP still doing its job?


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## SpitfirePilot

Anyone have an answer regarding my last question? XMP is still on, but it didn't automatically set my ram to 1600mhz. So I set RAM Frequency and changed it to 1600Mhz, rebooted and now its saying 1600 again and xmp is still on. *Now that I manually changed Frequency again is XMP still doing its job?*


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## 54M54R4

First download the latest BIOS from ASUS website, if you haven't already. Once you have entered the BIOS and set it to XMP and desired profile, you don't have to change anything else. Save these settings and reboot.

The way to check your RAM speed in windows is to download CPU-Z, open it, Memory tab > Timings > DRAM Frequency. If it is running 1600Mhz like you want it to, it will show as 800Mzh. 1333Mhz will show as 666Mhz or 667Mhz.

Here is an example.


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