
The easiest way to exceed DDR4-2666 on any of this hardware is to use a Z-series (Z390, Z370, Z270) chipset with a K-series Core i5 or higher processor. We also experienced a firmware locking out ratios higher than DDR4-2400 when using a Core i3-8350K on the Z370 we used as a baseline in in our initial H370/B360 roundup. Intel’s LGA 1151 processors have memory controllers that are stable well beyond DDR4-3600, but the firm figured out a way to get non-Z-series chipsets to instruct any CPU (even a K-series) to lock out higher ratios.If you’re using a lower-model processor or anything less than an X470 motherboard, we recommend reading other user’s findings before buying anything faster than DDR4-2933. Earlier Ryzen 2000-series processors could typically accept at least DDR4-3467 without crashing, but higher frequencies induce noise (often in the form of signal cross-talk), and the pathways between the CPU socket and DIMMs of some boards weren’t up to the task.
Our initial review of G.Skill’s Trident Z RGB DDR4-3600 showed that performance dropped when setting DDR4-3733 as AMD’s default controller limitations reduced those ratios, but a retest showed that performance improved at DDR4-3733 when those limits were disabled.
#Dual cl 101 series
AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series processors can run memory faster than DDR4-3600, but the company has encoded limits into base firmware that cause the memory controller to run at half-speed and other parts of the CPU I/O to operate at a lower ratio when DDR4-3600 is exceeded. Most of today’s higher-end desktop CPUs can handle DDR4-3600, and some of the speed limits are artificially enforced to enforce market segmentation - meaning a chip company like Intel wants you to spend more on an unlocked K-series processor (and a higher-end motherboard) if you also want faster memory. It comes as no surprise that higher data rates allow more data to be transferred per unit of time, but there are limits to what a memory controller can support. From the term “DIMM” above, a rank is the collection of ICs that connects to one of the module’s two 64-bit interfaces. Rank is the term the memory industry has chosen to represent what most of us think of as either banks or sides of a memory module. IC, or integrated circuit, is a term for the things most end users call “chips.” A DRAM IC typically has an eight-bit interface, though some have 16-bit interfaces. DDR4 is the fourth generation of Double Data Rate memory, where each generation has added frequency, capacity, and a few other specifications to the basic standard. Because DDR data frequency is twice its clock frequency, it’s often referred to using the term MT/s (mega-transfers per second). Doubling the data rate in this manner allows (for example) a 1600 MHz wave to transfer data 3200 times per second. Clock signals resemble a square wave, and Double Data Rate simply means that data is transferred on both the rising and falling edge of the clock signal. Data Rate is the number of times per second (frequency) that a module sends and receives data. All memory in the system is synchronized by an external clock generator. Dynamic means that each of the cells must be continuously refreshed to prevent data loss, as opposed to static memory which is typically much slower. Random simply means that the memory controller doesn’t need to read the entire row to parse the data from the relevant column. Organized in rows and columns of cells in a similar manner to a spreadsheet (or very large table), Random Access Memory is able to access any of those cells in whatever order is instructed by the memory controller. SDRAM stands for Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory. Some compact desktop boards use SODIMMs, typically (but not exclusively) to make room for four modules on a motherboard design that might otherwise only support two. DIMM stands for dual inline memory module: Today’s DIMMs have two 64-bit interfaces, one on each side, and are generally sold as either UDIMMs (aka DIMMs, long DIMMs, etc) for desktop or SODIMMs (small outline DIMMs) for notebooks. But unless you’re working with a system that’s several years old at this point, you’ll probably be dealing with DDR4. Most of the terms we’re using today also apply to previous generations of memory. We’ll focus today on DDR4 because that’s where the industry has standardized over the last four or five years.