PC3200 DDR400 - running at 333Mhz???

bassplayer769

Geek Trainee
i've noticed that when i turn on my pc and u see the bootup mem test screen, it clocks my memory speed at 333mhz and not 400Mhz???

i have 2 x 1gb dimms running in dual channel.

heres sum info i pulled from PC-Wizard06 on one of the chips.

if other info will help then ask. i have pc wizard and Astra32, just not as understanding of the system info than i'd like to be...

Information SPD EEPROM (A0) :
Manufacturer : Nanya Technology
Part Number : M2Y1G64DS8HB1G-5T
Serial Number : DEC41812
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC-3200 (200 MHz) - [DDR-400]
Size : 1024 MB (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Module EPP : No
Width : 64-bit
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5v
Prefetch Buffer : 2-bit
Manufacture : Week 71 of 2006
Supported Frequencies : 166 MHz, 200 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2.5 clocks @166 MHz, 3 clocks @200 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @166 MHz, 3 clocks @200 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @166 MHz, 3 clocks @200 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 7 clocks @166 MHz, 8 clocks @200 MHz
 
Most motherboards run the RAM speed synchronously with the CPU's FSB. If the FSB is faster than that, it will run it slower. It sounds like you have a 333MHz FSB with your CPU, and the motherboard is matching it to that. The other possibility that I can think of is that the chipset doesn't support (officially) past 333MHz, so it won't run the RAM at that speed.

You may be able to run the RAM at the full 400MHz by going into BIOS and adjusting the CPU FSB:RAM ratio from 1:1 to 4:5 if that's an option. The only time you don't want to do this is if your motherboard runs an nForce 1 or 2 chipset, because the performance goes down when running asynchronous FSB:RAM ratios, even if the memory is faster. No other chipsets that I'm aware of have this caveat.
 
Okay, you may just have to manually set the RAM speed in BIOS then. It sounds like the BIOS went with a 'safe' option and ran the RAM at a slower speed. The 430 is an nForce 4 series budget chipset, alongside a few others, but you'll be able to run in at 400MHz. You'll need to go into BIOS and make the adjustment and then save your settings. Without knowing the motherboard, I'm not sure exactly where to look, but you can check the Frequency and Voltage Controls section in most BIOSes for that info. Also, your motherboard manual should give that information.
Now, if you have another stick of RAM that's PC2700 (DDR333), then you won't be able to run it at PC3200, unless you have some really high-end stuff.
 
i've looked through the bios and dont see any options to change to voltage...

heres sum mobo info...

Manufacturer : WinFast
Product : C51MCP51
Version : FAB1.0
Serial Number : Unspecified
Support MP : Yes, 1 CPU(s)
Version MPS : 1.4

Bios...

Manufacturer : Phoenix Technologies, LTD
Version : 6.00 PG
Date : 19 January 2006
Address : 0xE000 on 512 KB
Copyright : Copyright (C) 2005, Phoenix Technologies, LTD
Motherboard ID : 01/19/2006-C51MCP51-6A61HFKDC-00
OEM Signature : C51GK8MA series 54AW1P34 011906
DMI Version : 2.2


hope this helps
 
Back
Top