ASRock H61M-GE with DDR1333 RAM

[ajs410]

I have tried searching this forum, but I could not find an answer.

I have an ASRock H61M-GE. I bought G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL, which is 2x2GB DDR1600 9-9-9-24-2N. (I think they're double-sided DIMMs, but it's hard to tell with the heat spreader) I know I said 1333 in the title and the sticks are 1600, but the plan was to run this with tight timing at 1333.

The documentation in the owner's manual as well as the ASRock website ( ASRock > Products > H61M-GE ) indicate that the motherboard supports DDR 1333.

Reviewing the options in the BIOS, I do not see 1333. I see Auto, 800, and 1066. With BIOS 1.10, I was able to load the Extreme Memory Profile, but for this RAM it is 1600, which this board does not support. Confused by the elusive search for the 1333 setting, I flashed to the latest BIOS, 1.30.

Now, the Extreme Memory Profile option is gone! And I still only see Auto, 800, and 1066.

How do I make the RAM operate at 1333?

[wazza300]

Re: ASRock H61M-GE with DDR1333 RAM

you need to raise or overclock your cpu slightly by raising the cpu multiplier,unless you have a non k chip in which case you wont be able to

you can always flash back to your previous bios,

[ajs410]

Re: ASRock H61M-GE with DDR1333 RAM

Hi wazza, thank you for the reply.

My CPU is a G620, which is locked. I used SiSoft Sandra last night to test my memory and it's definitely running at 1066 MHz.

The feedback on newegg includes a verified owner who says he "had to manually up it to 1333". It is advertised as supporting DDR3 1333. It's also in the owner's manual. On the Memory Support List page for the motherboard ( ASRock > Products > H61M-GE > Memory Support List ) it says "Note4: For 4pcs (SS), will downgrade to DDR3 1066" (emphasis mine) [EDIT: it also says "Note1: Due to the configuration of chipset, the H61 default speed is 1333 MHz even with K series CPU."]

I think it's pretty definitive that this motherboard is supposed to run at 1333. I would just like to find out how to use this with 1333. The old BIOS that used the Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) embedded in the RAM was reading 1600 (which is what it's rated for), and I have seen nothing that indicates this motherboard would support that speed, so I have my doubts that it would work if at all.

I suppose I have no choice but to try flashing old BIOS and see if the options are any different. I will probably also file a support ticket with ASRock via their web site. Hopefully this is a minor oversight that would be easily corrected. I could even try to load the XMP and see what Sandra reports.

[wazza300]

Re: ASRock H61M-GE with DDR1333 RAM

im not too hot on sandybridge mb's,on mine you can raise lower the system memory spd multiplier to give you the ram speed you need,it will be 8x 10x 12x ect,each multi will set a specific ram speed without touching the cpu multi,but i dont know if its the same on your mb due to a locked cpu multiplier

look for system spd multiplier

1066mhz is the defaults setting for ram speed so that it has the best chance of booting up/compatibility ect,its up to the user then to set it to rated speed or use xmp

[ajs410]

Re: ASRock H61M-GE with DDR1333 RAM

I flashed back to the old BIOS and loaded the XMP. Despite suggesting that it was running at 1600, it actually ran at 1066 again. I couldn't find an SPD setting, either.

However, I did some more research and it appears that the G620's integrated memory controller only supports up to 1066. AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Buyer suggests it's the entire Sandy Bridge Pentium line, but if you compare the Intel datasheets for the and the it looks like only the G620 doesn't support 1333.

On the bright side, the motherboard automatically loaded appropriately lower timings. With those timings, Sandra suggests I'm still getting an aggregate transfer rate of 13000 MB/s, which is consistent with DDR3-1600 being PC3-12800 and about 50% more than DDR3-1066 = PC3-8533.

So in summary, it's my fault for picking a CPU that doesn't support 1333, there is no problem with the motherboard. But the available timings can be tightened to take advantage of the faster memory anyway.