RAM voltage support

JohnJSal · 02-23-2008, 05:37 AM

If a mobo's specs list 1.8V, does it hurt to use RAM that is listed as 2.2V? Is anything special required to be done if you do this?

PC eye · 02-23-2008, 05:44 AM

If the memory requires or recommends the higher voltage setting it wouldn't be suitable if the board you have only sees 1.8v. It would likely fail to work. For memory that sees a wider range like 1.8-2v you could use that at the lower voltage seen on the board there. 2.2v might allow downwards of 1.9v if not 2v as the lowest you can set it to.

2048Megabytes · 02-23-2008, 12:54 PM

I just installed some Patriot Extreme Performance PC2 6400 RAM in someone's Dell. The manufacturer's specified voltage was 2.0 volts. Dell BIOS has no option to increase voltage with RAM. The PC2 6400 memory is running at 1.8 volts and PC2 5300 speeds but it works.

If the specified voltage was 2.2 volts would the memory not work at 1.8 volts?

[-0MEGA-] · 02-23-2008, 02:16 PM

It depends what motherboard you are talking about, because the 965 motherboards would not work with a lot of memory which required more then 1.8-1.9v.

StrangleHold · 02-23-2008, 03:13 PM

When a board says it supports memory voltage of 1.8 it means that it supports down to 1.8 volts, doesnt mean that it going to boot the boards memory at 1.8 volts

[-0MEGA-] · 02-23-2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StrangleHold

When a board says it supports memory voltage of 1.8 it means that it supports down to 1.8 volts, doesnt mean that it going to boot the boards memory at 1.8 volts

With the 965 chipset the motherboard would only set the memory voltage to a maximum of 1.8v, however you can manually set it higher to 2.2v for instance.

Thats why a lot of people were having issues with several types of RAM with the 965 boards, because a lot of higher clocked memory runs at higher voltages, and it's simply not stable at 1.8v to boot.

JohnJSal · 02-23-2008, 05:43 PM

Good to know! I chose some Kingston ValueRAM that runs at 1.8V, so I shouldn't have an issue. I'm not really advanced enough to know how (or want) to mess with all those intricate settings yet!

PC eye · 02-24-2008, 12:08 PM

I ran 2gb of Kingston ValueRam DDR400 first late on an old Socket A case and then still now running on the last 939 I upgraded a family member with. Even the Hyper X 6400 memory now used will run between 1.8v-2v without problem.

Ocing is a different story to begin with over what the standard for any board where you then alter settings in the bios manually and hopefully very carefully as well. The 1.8v seen on the model there is the normal stock default voltage not simply that it supports turning that down from anything higher. That's simply where it starts at.

02-23-2008, 05:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
JohnJSal Platinum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hoboken, NJ Age: 28 Posts: 527	RAM voltage support If a mobo's specs list 1.8V, does it hurt to use RAM that is listed as 2.2V? Is anything special required to be done if you do this?

02-23-2008, 05:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,690	If the memory requires or recommends the higher voltage setting it wouldn't be suitable if the board you have only sees 1.8v. It would likely fail to work. For memory that sees a wider range like 1.8-2v you could use that at the lower voltage seen on the board there. 2.2v might allow downwards of 1.9v if not 2v as the lowest you can set it to. __________________ Turning the Tongue into a Device Controller http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Sma...ory?id=5647175 Is EBay going out of the Auction Business? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5626840&page=1

02-23-2008, 12:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
2048Megabytes Platinum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mainland United States Posts: 986	I just installed some Patriot Extreme Performance PC2 6400 RAM in someone's Dell. The manufacturer's specified voltage was 2.0 volts. Dell BIOS has no option to increase voltage with RAM. The PC2 6400 memory is running at 1.8 volts and PC2 5300 speeds but it works. If the specified voltage was 2.2 volts would the memory not work at 1.8 volts? __________________ "Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." -- George Washington Operating Systems: 32-bit Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Processor: AMD Athlon 4600+ Dual-Core (2.4 gigahertz) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H Memory: 2 gigabytes of Super Talent PC2-6400 Video Card: Upgrading soon to MSI Radeon HD 3650 Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600 Watt

02-23-2008, 02:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
[-0MEGA-] Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Concord, NH Age: 20 Posts: 27,082	It depends what motherboard you are talking about, because the 965 motherboards would not work with a lot of memory which required more then 1.8-1.9v. __________________ Desktop // Laptop Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0GHz // Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz Asus Rampage Formula X48 // Intel PM45 ATI 4870X2 2GB GDDR5 // 512MB GDDR3 9800M GTS 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2 940 // 4GB DDR3 800 750GB SATAII w/32MB // 200GB SATAII 7200RPM Creative SB X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty SilverStone 750W +12V@60A 3DMark06: 21391 // 9179

02-23-2008, 03:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
StrangleHold Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: In a realm of unknown Wonders Posts: 7,452	When a board says it supports memory voltage of 1.8 it means that it supports down to 1.8 volts, doesnt mean that it going to boot the boards memory at 1.8 volts __________________ NZXT Apollo Athlon 64 X2 5600-3.3ghz. Gigabyte GA MA770 DS3 G Skill DDR2 1066-944mhz. 4gbs. PNY 8800GT/VD964 Cooler W/D Sata 3.0 500gb RE2 Humans are curious creatures and by nature insane. Lock us all in a room together and within hours we're dividing into groups, creating Gods and plotting on how to kill one another.

02-23-2008, 05:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
JohnJSal Platinum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hoboken, NJ Age: 28 Posts: 527	Good to know! I chose some Kingston ValueRAM that runs at 1.8V, so I shouldn't have an issue. I'm not really advanced enough to know how (or want) to mess with all those intricate settings yet!

02-24-2008, 12:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,690	I ran 2gb of Kingston ValueRam DDR400 first late on an old Socket A case and then still now running on the last 939 I upgraded a family member with. Even the Hyper X 6400 memory now used will run between 1.8v-2v without problem. Ocing is a different story to begin with over what the standard for any board where you then alter settings in the bios manually and hopefully very carefully as well. The 1.8v seen on the model there is the normal stock default voltage not simply that it supports turning that down from anything higher. That's simply where it starts at. __________________ Turning the Tongue into a Device Controller http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Sma...ory?id=5647175 Is EBay going out of the Auction Business? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5626840&page=1

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