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  • cpu / memory speed

    How do you determine what memory speed to get to match a cpu? Does it even have to match?


    Some time ago I got an Asrock 970 Extreme4 motherboard. I got a cheap Athlon II X2 250 (3ghz, dual core, no L3) and somehow determined that ddr3-1066 was the right speed for it.
    Now looking, I'm guessing to match the cpu's memory controller speed (533) and the memory's i/o bus clock. Is this necessary?


    The reason I'm asking is because I decided to upgrade to an FX 4320 (4.2ghz, quad, has L3). I put in some ddr3-1866 memory in due to the following 2 notes from Asrock's motherboard page:.


    Note5: The mainboard supports DDR3-2000 MHz DIMMs only when you install a 6-core cpu to the mainboard.
    Note7: AMD FX series CPU on this motherboard support up to DDR3 1866 MHz as its standard memory frequency.


    wth? okay.... well the cpu memory controller speed (2k) doesnt match the ddr3-1866...
    so anyways, everything ran slower. *MUCH* slower. So much that I took the cpu and memory back. So is the mismatched speed to blame?


    I'm considering OC'ing the 250 instead of an upgrade (people have gotten it to 3.9ghz). Any thoughts on this vs. actual upgrade?

  • #2
    Re: cpu / memory speed

    The memory speeds quoted in those specs is the standard maximum memory speed for the processor. You don't need to match memory speed to those specs, lower speed memory will work fine in the system.

    The FX 4320 has a max memory spec of 1866, not 2000. Plus it is a four core processor, and the ASRock spec states six core processors for 2000 speed memory.

    Why the PC ran slower is not due to a memory speed mismatch. When you installed the new CPU and memory, did you clear the BIOS/CMOS? What BIOS version do you have? The FX 4320 needs at least version 2.20 (specs say 2.10, but that does not exist now).

    Memory speed may not be automatically set in the BIOS, it usually defaults to a lower speed. Did you set it to 1866? Even at a lower speed, that would not explain why the PC ran slower. Something was very wrong besides the memory if a four core, 4000MHz processor was slower than a two core 3000MHz processor.

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    • #3
      Re: cpu / memory speed

      Originally posted by dg1972 View Post
      wth? okay.... well the cpu memory controller speed (2k) doesnt match the ddr3-1866...
      so anyways, everything ran slower. *MUCH* slower. So much that I took the cpu and memory back. So is the mismatched speed to blame?
      I'm left wondering if the BIOS the MB is/was flashed to when you had the 8320 in was above revision 2.10, and thus had proper support for the 8320. See HERE, The CPU Support List and proper BIOS revision req'd for this MB.

      The natively supported memory for the 250 is 1066(533x2) and FYI the 83200 is 1866(933x2.). That 2000 you were looking at is not where/what you needed to be looking. While related, the 2000 of the HyperTransport Link it isn't the speed of the memory installed.

      AMD FX-Series FX-4320 - FD4320WMW4MHK Supported memory: DDR3-1866

      AMD Athlon II X2 250 - ADX250OCK23GQ / ADX250OCGQBOX Supported memory: DDR2-1066, DDR3-1066
      #1 - Please, when seeking help, enter the make and model of ALL parts that your system is comprised of in your Signature, or at least the model #'s in your System Specs, then "Save' it.
      ____If you are overclocking, underclocking, or undervolting any parts, informing us of this and their values would prove beneficial in helping you.


      #2 - Consider your PSU to be the foundation from which all else is built upon. Anything built upon a weak foundation is poorly built.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: cpu / memory speed

        BIOS was at v2.4 if not 2.2
        I used PSU calculator, and it calculates 318, where mine is 430.
        I did not clear the BIOS, however.

        I initially dropped this into a working system. Speed slowed. So I tried a reinstall of XP (sp1) as my benchmark. Results w/ 4320:
        Even before you reach the blue text screen, at the black one "Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration", it hung there longer. The file copy process in the blue text part was far slower.
        XP blue screened when detecting hardware in the GUI part, but I know this was a result of not having SP3 slipstreamed in.
        I replaced the cpu once, and the memory with a different brand. Same result.

        All things given, the file copy being slower just doesn't seem right.
        Once I put my original cpu and memory in, lighting fast.

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        • #5
          Re: cpu / memory speed

          Originally posted by dg1972 View Post
          I did not clear the BIOS, however.
          There is where you should have. For without clearing the BIOS, at a minimum your 1866 memory was/maybe most likely running on incorrect timings and or speed. The "old' 1066 memory specs.

          The 8320, with no BIOS clearing may have run ok. May. It's always best to do a BIOS clear when you swap, especially, those two parts.
          #1 - Please, when seeking help, enter the make and model of ALL parts that your system is comprised of in your Signature, or at least the model #'s in your System Specs, then "Save' it.
          ____If you are overclocking, underclocking, or undervolting any parts, informing us of this and their values would prove beneficial in helping you.


          #2 - Consider your PSU to be the foundation from which all else is built upon. Anything built upon a weak foundation is poorly built.

          Comment

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