Motherboard RAM Speeds

[Kelly170]

Hello there.

I have a HP EliteDesk 800 G1 SFF that came with 8 Gigabytes of RAM. Over some time, I realized 8GB is simply not enough for what I need. Keep in mind the original 8GB stick was a Samsung 12800U (1600MHZ) stick. I had come into some other sticks salvaged from other old computers, but they ran at a slower 1333MHZ. Since then, I have bought new sticks of 8GB apiece, and now planning to install them along with the original 8GB Samsung stick. I do know that if there are multiple different speeds of RAM in a system, the system will run at the slowest speed of the different sticks. Currently, I have one of the new 8GB sticks in my computer, one that runs at 1600MHZ, but in task manager, it says the one stick inserted is running at 1333MHZ. Is my HP 1998 motherboard limiting the speed of my RAM to 1333MHZ? Must I re-configure a setting in the BIOS to accept the new 1600MHZ speed rather than the old 1333MHZ?
Please reply post-haste, as if my new RAM does not indeed work as intended, I only have so long to return it back to the retailer.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Your PC's motherboard should be running DDR3-1600 memory at the full speed.

There are no settings to change.

I have a Dell Optiplex 7020 MT with the same chipset as the 800 G1 and it runs the four Crucial DDR3L-1600 memory chips I bought at 1600 MHz.

My PC has the i5-4590 processor.

Now if your PC has an Intel® Pentium G3220 Processor, that is the only processor in the model series that runs the memory at 1333 MHz, according to the specs below.

Microsoft Word - HP_EliteDesk_800_G1_Business_PC_Series_QuickSpecs_12.03.13.docx

[Kelly170]

Odd, because in Task Manager it says the RAM "Speed" is 1333 MHZ, although the only RAM currently inserted is a 1600MHZ stick. Could you provide me some more information? I'd also like to point out that my computer is the "HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Series Business Desktop" from the document you provided.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

If your PC has any other processor than the Intel® Pentium G3220, the 1600 MHz memory should be running at the full 1600 MHz speed.

That's the only information I can provide.

[Kelly170 · Accepted solution]

Ok then. I don't necessarily care about RAM speed, just capacity. Thanks for your help. Just in case, I'll poke around the BIOS for a little while, and see if that fixes things. By the way, my processor is an Intel i7 4790.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

That processor definitely runs the memory at 1600 MHz.

The PC supports 4 x 8 GB of memory.

If you only install one of the new DDR3-1600 MHz memory chips you bought, does it run the memory at 1600 MHz.

I'm thinking that there is a 1333 MHz chip in the mix.

[Kelly170]

I don't think there is a slower chip on the module, but I bought the RAM from Ebay, so who really knows. The seller was indeed trustworthy, though, and I can verify all of the RAM, even in different configurations, works fine.
Thanks for your help over this afternoon!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

There is one other thing you can do...

Run the free utility that I zipped up and attached below.

It will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about each memory chip installed.

Maybe by some fluke an incorrect label was placed on a 1333 MHz memory chip?