Will 1.65v memory work in a 1.5v motherboard straight 'out of the box'?

Hi,

First time system builder here - just finalising spec before ordering - but got a question about memory compatibility...


Probable spec:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-880GA-UD3H or GA-890GPA-UD3H
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
Memory:
Corsair TW3X4G1600C9D
- 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, DHX, 1.65v


According to Corsair's memory configurator, that memory is compatible.

According to Gigabyte's spec, the motherboard only supports:
~ 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets
~ Support for DDR3 2000(OC)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules


So my question is - will this combination of 1600Mhz 1.65v memory & motherboard just work together 'out of the box' - at (I'm guessing) some sort of default setting? Would that be at 1.5v? And then once it's up and running, I assume that I can then make any necessary tweaks in the BIOS to get the best from the memory?

Or, will this memory only work at 1.65v from the start? In which case, how would you use it?

Maybe I should just play safe, and order a 1333Mhz 1.5v memory kit?

The memory will work out of the box.

What you will see when you look in the bios is that the memory will be running at the default settings for that motherboard. That means it will run at MHz or 1066MHz at 1.5 volts based on the SPD of the memory sticks. To achieve higher memory clocks you as the user need to manually overclock your memory to the desired frequency.

For example - When or if you set your memory to one of the profiles (XMP) available to you in the bios then only will the memory run at the advertised speeds. Of course other factors also come into play when your overclock memory but that is not what you are asking here.

So baring any strange or unusual behaviour from your set up you should have no problems running those sticks with the Gigabyte board out the box.

Enjoy.

Thanks 1Day.

I kinda thought that's how it must work - but wanted to check before splashing the cash!

Had to look up what SPD was - haha you'd never guess I was a newb.

So despite the fact that Gigabyte's spec says the motherboard supports 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets, am I right in thinking that the voltage can be changed in the BIOS to 1.65v? And doing so won't risk damaging the motherboard?

inoffthepost;17380631newb. :) said:

So despite the fact that Gigabyte's spec says the motherboard supports 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets, am I right in thinking that the voltage can be changed in the BIOS to 1.65v? And doing so won't risk damaging the motherboard?

Click to expand...

Yes, you can safely change the ram voltage to 1.65V in the bios if you wish. I am running my OCZ at 1.62V to have stability at 1666MHz

Cheers.