RAM settings? Muskin 996601 with Phenom II X4 965

According to the manufacturer specs, this memory is rated for 1600 MHz with timings of 7-7-6-18 at 1.85-1.95v. I have it installed on a GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev. 6.0) motherboard with an AMD Phenom II X4 965 processor. Currently the memory is running at 1333 MHz, but I have read that it's possible to run it at 1600 by changing certain settings in the BIOS to get everything synced up. I tried just changing the Memory clock from 6.66 (1333) to 8 (1600) (red arrow in the pic below)

But after that the system wouldn't post so I had to clear CMOS and set it back to 6.66. Obviously there are some other settings that need to change, if this is even feasible, but I need some pointers. I generally just run my equipment at stock settings, but in this instance I'd kind of like to get the memory running at 1600 MHz if possible, since that is the manufacturer's spec for it. I've included a screenshot of my current DRAM settings below. Arrows indicate values that I left at default because I'm not sure what they do.

FWIW, the system won't boot with default settings using this RAM. I had to manually adjust the voltage to 1.85 and change the timings to get it working properly.

1.85 Volts is way to high for memory.

Is there no setting to just change the memory frequency to 1600 MHz ?

AddRAM said:

1.85 Volts is way to high for memory.

That is the manufacturer spec for that memory. At the default voltage (1.5) the system wouldn't even boot.

AddRAM said:

Is there no setting to just change the memory frequency to 1600 MHz ?

As I mentioned, that is what I tried first. (See 2nd screenshot) I changed the frequency multiplier from x6.66 to x8 for 1600 MHz but after that the system wouldn't POST so I had to clear CMOS. I think it might require some change to processor FSB frequency to match memory bus or something. (On the "specifications" page of Gigabyte's website for this board, it says "Support for 1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules"). But I've never really gotten into processor overclocking and such so I don't know what I'm doing here, which is why I'm asking for some advice.

Still looking for some help with this issue, if anyone could point me in the right direction. TIA.

I was unable to find the specs on Mushkin's website, but I did find the specs at Newegg:

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996601 - Newegg.ca

You could theoretically drive the RAM at 1.9V and see if you can get it up to 1600. You could also try and relax the timings and see if it boots properly at 1600. Try timings of 8-8-7-20 and see if it boots.

There should be no reason that you need to touch the FSB or overclock the processor to get your memory to run at speed. Doing that would just add more variables into the mix, and you may never get to the bottom of this.

Mushkin has a top notch support system. I've used it a number of times. You may also have gotten a bad pair of sticks. Mushkin has a lifetime warranty and really stands behind their product. I've used their products for years and have never been dissatisfied. It may be time to contact them.

Mellon Head said:

You could theoretically drive the RAM at 1.9V and see if you can get it up to 1600. You could also try and relax the timings and see if it boots properly at 1600. Try timings of 8-8-7-20 and see if it boots.

Sorry for the late response. I got slammed with a lot of work stuff (happens when you work for yourself) and didn't have a chance to tinker with it right away. I finally got a break this weekend, so I played around with the settings and finally got it stable at 7-7-8-20 @ 1.89v (my motherboard maxes out at 1.9v). I'm just wondering if the looser timings are necessary due to having 4 modules, or if it's more a matter of this memory not being a very good match for my motherboard. If it's the latter, I guess I can just buy a couple of 1333MHz 4 GB modules for this system when I upgrade my parents' machine this fall and give them the Mushkins.
In any event, thanks for the pointers... Most likely saved me a headache.

It might be the fact that you have 4 modules that requires the timings to be looser, although 7-7-8-20 is pretty respectable for 1600 MHz RAM.

Some motherboards are OK with 2 RAM sticks but require that the timings be set more loosely when using four. My wife's motherboard is like that. It works great with 2 sticks but I have to relax the timings to get it to be stable with four of them.

In any case, I'm glad you got it working. :)