16GB DDR3 1866 installed. (7.97GB usable) 7 Ultimate

[levelchaser]

So, i'm using 7 ultimate, and I've recently installed16GB of G.skill DDR 1866 mhz memory (2 8GB sticks). I've gone into the BIOS and manually set the speed to 1866, and the system is only showing about half of it as "usable" So the first thing I checked was of course the ram itself. I've reseatted the memory several times and made sure they're in the correct color coded slots. I've also tried checking and unchecking the advanced boot option in msconfig to use maximum memory. Here is a screenshot. Oh and yes I have the latest version of my BIOS. eeeeeeeeverything on my system is up to date.

 

[Anthony]

Look in bios for memory hole and enable it

 

[levelchaser]

I haven't found that option anywhere, still looking.

Yeah, I don't see it. However I've been surfing forums and I guess once you change the DRAM timing mode from auto to link or unlinked it opens up a couple more options. I'm assuming linked means it all runs at the same speed,(SDRAM,) and unlinked makes it unsynched? I don't want to play with it until I understand what I'm doing first so I'm just researching a bit.

 

[levelchaser]

Okay, it seems as though when I turn my frequency down to 1333, it recognized/uses all the ram?

but I want it to run at max speed D:

it clearly states in my mobo manual it supports 1333/1600/1866/21xx(OC)

edit: it also uses all 16GB at 1600 mhz. So how do I get it to recognize it all at 1866?

 

[DeaconFrost]

I don't have a specific answer, but in the meantime, if you have a need for that much memory, run it at the slower speeds. People get way too hung up on memory speeds, and they have very little actual affect. You would need to run memory benchmark programs to even tell a difference. You wouldn't notice from actual usage.

 

[levelchaser]

I don't have a specific answer, but in the meantime, if you have a need for that much memory, run it at the slower speeds. People get way too hung up on memory speeds, and they have very little actual affect. You would need to run memory benchmark programs to even tell a difference. You wouldn't notice from actual usage.

Yeah, I guess i'll just be running it at 1600...although i'm kind of disappointed. I paid $95 for a reason lol

 

[DeaconFrost]

I used to chase specs and pay extra for "features", but after doing that for a while, I realized it only mattered when comparing benchmarks. I couldn't tell you what speed my memory is running currently in my tower. For anything other than benchmarking, you won't see any kind of difference in performance. If you have some huge memory intensive task that warrants 16 GB, then I would rather have full usage of my memory, then a few extra ticks in speed.

 

[bobkn]

I don't have a specific answer, but in the meantime, if you have a need for that much memory, run it at the slower speeds. People get way too hung up on memory speeds, and they have very little actual affect. You would need to run memory benchmark programs to even tell a difference. You wouldn't notice from actual usage.

Yeah, I guess i'll just be running it at 1600...although i'm kind of disappointed. I paid $95 for a reason lol

You've already set the RAM frequency manually.

Make sure that the RAM is set to G.Skill's recommended voltage. (I'm running some G.Skill DDR3-2133 on an Asus Intel-based board. It needs 1.65V.)

Make sure that the timings are set to the recommended values as well. If all else fails, back off a little.

 

[EETGUY]

I am having the same problem.

I have the same problem with my new build. I am using Windows 7 Home Premium, so that casts doubt on the OS being the issue. I am also using an MSI mobo - 990FXAGD80-v2 with the AMD FX-8150 CPU and 16GB (2 x 8GB)of DDR 1866 G.SKill memory. Previously, I had DDR 1600 G.Skill memory and that did the same thing (recognized only 7.97GB usable), so I upgraded to the 1866 thinking a new pair of memory modules would do the trick. No such luck. I agree with you though; I think you should be able to run the memory at the rate advertised, because you paid for it. Could this be a defect issue with the MSI motherboards? Or maybe an incompatibility issue between the MSI board and G.SKill memory? What do you think?