Windows 7: is my ram running at the right speed?

nice! thanks for the explanation prof! i think i get it now

Also, and I don't have a link, AMD stated that running ram faster than specs can damage the memory controller. Now, before this rig I had a Phenom II X6 and ran the ram at 1600 and it didn't damage anything and there are millions of people who do the same thing. I am sure that out of those millions, a few have damaged the memory controller, but I suspect very few. But, it should be obvious that anytime you run anything faster than it was designed to run, it is putting extra wear and strain on that and other components. Perhaps the best advice I ever got on the subject came from these forums. If you are not willing to replace it, don't overclock it. Now, do I overclock my ram, yes and the CPU too. I just think you should realize that there is a risk involved. If you are willing to take that risk and know/ and understand the techniques to do it, go for it.

Very good explanation prof., I'd rep you if I could.

I'd rep you for your words of caution, too. It is quite important to understand that with the benefits there is some risk involved as well.

I need to correct a misstatement in one of my earlier posts, where I said that the only Phenom IIs capable of running RAM at 1600MHz+ were those with C3 steppings. The IMCs on C3 steppings provided 1333MHz support when all four DIMM slots were populated. The C2 steppings would throttle the RAM frequency back to 1066MHz when all four slots were populated.

The C3 is definitely the better overclocker.

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Rev. C3: Taking Power Down a Notch | PC Perspective

Hi all.
Thanks for finaly shedding some light into this "somewhat" confusing subject.
I had the same doubt until reading this thread.

ASUS Sabertooth X79
i7 3970X
4x8 GB Kingston PC 12800

Jo