RAM issues

So, I picked up a new rig about two months ago, and after wrestling with a dozen different headaches, I’ve managed to stumble upon yet another one.
I went into the BIOS and set the Intel XMP to profile 2 (that would be DDR3 2133 with timings of 11-12-11-30 at 1.60V). According to the BIOS itself, the speed is sitting right at 2133MHz, just like you see here:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2463o1y&s=5

But then, when I dig into the more detailed settings, it claims my max bandwidth is only 1333MHz:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=33xtzsg&s=5

And wouldn't you know it, the Control Panel is also reporting that lower number under the speed section:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=v8o4gh&s=5

If anyone could point out what I'm missing here, I'd really appreciate the help. Thanks in advance for any insight.

What processor are you running?
Just caught this 😁
I had the same issue on an i3, where it wouldn't go past 1333, but looks like you aren't dealing with that.

CPU: AMD 6800K
So, here we are. I'm looking at this kit: 2400 MHz Kingmax HyperX, running in a 2x4 GB configuration. Just sitting there. Is it enough? Does anyone actually care anymore? Probably not. But here we are.
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A85XMA-E35

kingston*

I suspect it might be due to the memory controller on the Richland platform—it supports up to 2133MHz, I guess. I'm not entirely certain, though I doubt the motherboard would be the limiting factor here.

EDIT: Heh, I haven't really messed around with RAM or studied it much, so I don't know for sure. 🙂

Richland can hit up to 2400 MHz:

https://teksyndicate.com/videos/amd-...hz-vs-1600-mhz

My BIOS clearly shows the speed sitting at 2133 MHz (with the potential to go up to 2400MHz), but I’m hitting a wall once I actually boot into Windows (W7-64b). For some reason, the speed drops down to 1333 MHz. Is it possible there's a compatibility issue where the RAM or the Richland processor doesn't play nice with Intel XMP? Or did I just botch the setup somewhere along the line?

When I was configuring the RAM, should I have manually attempted an overclock, or is simply enabling the XMP profile the correct way to handle this?

Take a look at what CPU-Z is actually reporting. I honestly can't make heads or tails of what you were trying to tweak in the BIOS or why. You might have accidentally adjusted a setting that's throwing things off. Try resetting your BIOS to the factory defaults first, then check those readings again.

Right now, the BIOS is sitting at the default 1333 MHz.
CPU-Z:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=244whoj&s=5

Ethan Davis said:Right now, the BIOS is sitting at the default 1333 MHz.
CPU-Z:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=244whoj&s=5

In my opinion, what you're seeing in CPU-Z is perfectly fine. You just need to take that DRAM frequency value and double it—that brings you right to 2133 MHz.

Alright then, I won't touch a single thing. Thanks for all the input, everyone.

Greetings, everyone. I have a question regarding my RAM configuration. My system reports having 4.00 GB of RAM installed, yet only 2.98 GB is listed as usable. I am currently running Windows 8 on a machine equipped with an Intel Pentium CPU B950 clocked at 2.10 GHz.

It’s probably because you’re running integrated graphics—those usually hog a chunk of your RAM for themselves. If that isn't the case, then you're just stuck with the limits of a 32-bit version of Windows, but honestly, it's 99% likely the first thing. You really should have mentioned which laptop model you're working with, though.

It’s likely a combination of both—the integrated graphics paired with a 32-bit version of Windows.

graniteharbor85 said:It’s probably because you’re running integrated graphics—those usually hog a chunk of your RAM for themselves. If that isn't the case, then you're just stuck with the limits of a 32-bit version of Windows, but honestly, it's 99% likely the first thing. You really should have mentioned which laptop model you're working with, though.

My laptop is an ASUS, and I'm currently running a 32-bit version of Windows. Would switching over to a 64-bit version of Windows actually improve performance?😁>

Yeah, you'll probably be able to squeeze a bit more use out of your RAM.