BIOS RAM frequency not matching (2132MHz vs 3200MHz)

[Gontxu]

Hello,

I upgraded my RAM capacity to 64GB with the following modules [Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200MHz PC4-25600 64GB (2x32GB) CL16]. Right after plugging them, I fell into a boot loop which I managed to solve by changing the SMBIOS Clover configuration so that the OS identifies the 2x32GB as 4x16GB:




Issue:
The BIOS displays a memory frequency of 2132MHz, even though the RAM modules support 3200MHz. Also, I don’t see a real performance improvement and it makes me think that maybe both things are somehow related.




Question:
How can I change the BIOS settings so that it operates at 3200MHz for RAM modules?

P.S. If I missed some file or screenshot that may help to diagnose the issue, please let me know so that I can upload it.

Thanks for your help.
Gon

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Hello,

I upgraded my RAM capacity to 64GB with the following modules [Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200MHz PC4-25600 64GB (2x32GB) CL16]. Right after plugging them, I fell into a boot loop which I managed to solve by changing the SMBIOS Clover configuration so that the OS identifies the 2x32GB as 4x16GB:

View attachment 575846


Issue:
The BIOS displays a memory frequency of 2132MHz, even though the RAM modules support 3200MHz. Also, I don’t see a real performance improvement and it makes me think that maybe both things are somehow related.

View attachment 575847


Question:
How can I change the BIOS settings so that it operates at 3200MHz for RAM modules?

P.S. If I missed some file or screenshot that may help to diagnose the issue, please let me know so that I can upload it.

Thanks for your help.
Gon

Hi there.

The default memory setting for most PC BIOSs is 2133MHz. To change this to match your new RAM is technically Overclocking and you do this through the Advanced Memory Settings:



You probably need to go back one step to see the root menu.

 

[jaymonkey]

How can I change the BIOS settings so that it operates at 3200MHz for RAM modules?

@Gontxu,

As @UtterDisbelief states above, when you install new RAM in a PC it will usually default to 2133 Mhz.

To enable the faster memory speeds enter the BIOS and select the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) that is stored within the SPD chips mounted on the RAM modules.

On Gigabyte mother boards this option is usually available by default in the Favourites section of the BIOS.
If it's not marked as a Favourite then you'll find it in the Tweaker section.



Cheers
Jay

 

[Gontxu]

Hi @UtterDisbelief, @jaymonkey:

Thanks for your kind help. These overclocking topics seem a black box to me.

I enabled the X.M.P with Profile1 (the only one available in my BIOS) and it applies a multiplier that apparently sets the frequency to 3200MHz. However, after saving the configuration and rebooting, the current status falls back again to 2133MHz:

In the Clover Boot section I see an attribute called XMPDetection which I have currently disabled. Do you know if this is required to properly enable the X.M.P. profile?

Cheers
Gon

 

[jaymonkey]

I enabled the X.M.P with Profile1 (the only one available in my BIOS) and it applies a multiplier that apparently sets the frequency to 3200MHz. However, after saving the configuration and rebooting, the current status falls back again to 2133MHz:

@Gontxu,

That is strange, once XMP is enabled in the BIOS and the new settings saved, the new memory speed should work.
When the RAM speed falls back to 2133Mhz after a reboot is the XMP option disabled again in the BIOS ?

If so this could indicate a compatibility issue between the new RAM and your Motherboard / BIOS.

Did you check on Gigabytes website that the RAM you bought is compatible with your Motherboard ?
If not then you need to download the supported Memory Document from the website :-

GA-Z170-HD3P (rev. 1.0) Support | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

If the memory your bought is not on the list then it may not be compatible as it has not been qualified by Gigabyte.
You could try updating your BIOS, version F5 has specific fixes to "Improve DDR XMP compatibility"

GA-Z170-HD3P (rev. 1.0) Support | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

However it's also possible that later (more recent versions) may also improve compatibility.

After you enable XMP in the BIOS and save/reboot does the system perform Memory Training ?

Are you sure you have installed the RAM in the correct slots ?

In the Clover Boot section I see an attribute called XMPDetection which I have currently disabled. Do you know if this is required to properly enable the X.M.P. profile?

Sorry, long time OpenCore user and have not used Clover in a very long time, so i am not familiar with the XMPDetection setting which appears to be a Clover specific setting as OpenCore has no such setting.

A quick search of the Clover documentation reveals the following

<key> XMPDetection</key>
<string> -1 </string>

The parameter specifies whether to detect XMP at boot. It depends on the BIOS,
and mainly affects the correct detection of the installed memory.

In addition, numeric values 1 or 2 are possible which XMP profile should be used.
Perhaps in the future this profile will be used for other purposes as well.

The way I read the above is that the feature should be enabled on certain systems if problems with correct memory detection. You could try enabling the option and see if it helps but i think your issue is happening pre-boot as the XMP memmory timings are not sticking in the BIOS.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Gontxu]

Hi @jaymonkey,

Many thanks for all your inputs.

As you suggested, it looks like a compatibility issue because the RAM modules are not included in the list of supported modules for my Gigabyte motherboard.

When the RAM speed falls back to 2133Mhz after a reboot is the XMP option disabled again in the BIOS ?

XMP appears always as enabled. I tried with/without the Clover XMPDetection as well and the result is the same.

Are you sure you have installed the RAM in the correct slots ?

They seem to be in the right slots. I tested it in slots 1+2 and 3+4, just in case any of them could be damaged, but the RAM modules are recognized in both cases. At least in terms of capacity.

After you enable XMP in the BIOS and save/reboot does the system perform Memory Training ?

Sorry, I don't know what Memory Training is. Is this something automatically launched by the system or should I trigger it manually?

If the memory your bought is not on the list then it may not be compatible as it has not been qualified by Gigabyte.
You could try updating your BIOS, version F5 has specific fixes to "Improve DDR XMP compatibility"

This could be an alternative. I'm not sure if it's worthy because the modules are not really supported by the motherboard according to the list you kindly referred. Actually, I never updated my BIOS so the chances to break it all are quite high. Before trying it, I will try to replace my physical 2x32GB modules by 4x16GB and see if it works better; I'll update my findings here just in case that it can be helpful for somebody in the future.

Cheers
Gon

 

[jaymonkey]

Sorry, I don't know what Memory Training is. Is this something automatically launched by the system or should I trigger it manually?

@Gontxu,

Almost all recent (within the last 10 years) PC motherboards will perform automatically memory training after changing any BIOS parameters that can effect memory stability, enabling XMP is one of them but there are others such as CPU/RAM clock timings .. etc.

You can tell that the system is performing memory training by noting the following :-

After making changes to some BIOS settings, then saving and exiting the BIOS - the system will reboot and then automatically power down for a few seconds, then it will automatically power back on again.

Tthere will then be a pause before you see anything on the boot screen, the more RAM installed the longer this pause will take (usually between 5 - 20 seconds), during this time the system performs memory training.

The training is between the integrated DDR controller of the CPU and the DDR RAM installed in the RAM slots on your motherboard. The training determines if the settings in the BIOS are optimal for speed and stability, if it detects any problems it will fall back to the systems default memory settings.

Memory training only usually happens once, unless you change something else in the BIOS that will re-trigger it, memory training will also usually be re-run after a BIOS update.

I would seriously consider updating the BIOS to at least version F5 which has specific fixes to "Improve DDR XMP compatibility".

Cheers
Jay

 

[Gontxu]

Hello Jay,

This sounds interesting. I had noticed the behavior you describe, but during all these years I always thought that it was related with some wrong configuration that was causing the system to boot, power off and then power on again after a few seconds. Now I know that this is the so called Memory Training and not a wrong setting from my Clover or BIOS setup.

I have to admit that the idea of updating the BIOS sounds a little scary to me, because I never did it. When I make a mess with Clover I can always boot from a boot USB and revert the changes, but if a mess up the BIOS... It seems way more difficult to have it properly running again. However, I will read in detail about the procedure to update (and backup) it, and then give it a try with the F5 version at least.

No pain, no gain