AMD Ryzen has issues with high-frequency DDR4, fix expected in 1-2 months (updated)
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by Thomas De Maesschalck 
Some more details from the motherboard makers. It could be an incomplete list but the memory compatibility page of the MSI X370 XPOWER Gaming Titanium shows just one 2666MHz kit and one 3200MHz kit, everything else is 2400MHz or below. For comparison, the memory compatibility page of the Z270 XPOWER Gaming Titanium shows many modules with a marketed frequency in excess of 2400MHz.
And then there's also this nugget from the ASRock X370 Taichi manual:
Similarly, the Gigabyte/Aorus AX370-GAMING 5 motherboard that's included with the Ryzen review kit lists compatibility with modules of a speed of up to 3200MHz but if you want to use four modules the maximum seems to be just 2666MHz.
The Biostar X370GT7 memory compatibility page contradicts this as their list includes several modules with a frequency between 2400MHz and 3600MHz, but it does not provide details about two vs four DIMMs.
UPDATE: For clarification, the issues are reportedly more prevalent on the lower-end and mainstream Socket AM4 motherboards but even flagship boards have issues with OCing to DDR4-3600. As such, ASUS recommends users to start at 3200MHz and work your way up from there if you use two memory modules. If you use four DIMMs you're recommended to start at 2400MHz.
The issue is not vendor specific and the wording of the ASUS statement indicates the solution will involve a CPU microcode update from AMD so it is a fixable and relatively minor problem with the processor.
Original post:
Gibbo from OCUK received an update from ASUS that confirms AMD's Ryzen platform has issues with high-frequency DDR4 memory. There were some rumors about this and here we have the first hard confirmation that there's indeed a DDR4 memory compatibility problem.
AMD reportedly focused all its efforts on improving CPU performance and put DDR4 support on the backburner. Motherboard maker ASUS reports you can use DDR4 with a frequency of up to 3200MHz if you populate just two DIMMS on a motherboard, but if you want to use all four DIMMs you can't clock the memory higher than 2400MHz.
This issue is expected to be resolved via a BIOS microcode update for the AMD Ryzen's integrated memory controller, the ETA for this is 1-2 months.
A comment from Asus:
"
I’ve decided to provide some recommendations on DDR4 limitations concerning AM4 currently.
As it stands the AMD code has restricted RAM tuning options which means many RAM kits at launch will not be compatible. This is the same for our competitors also.
What we recommend is the following:
If fully populating a system with 4 DIMMs (2DPC), use memory up to a max of 2400MHz.
If using 1DPC (2 DIMMs) ensure they are installed in A2/B2 and use memory up to max of 3200MHz.
The indication I have received from HQ is that AMD has focused all their efforts on CPU performance so far and will release updated code in 1~2 months when we expect improved DDR4 compatibility and performance."
In short if filling all 4 DIMM's set your speed to 2400MHz and work up from there.
If using 2 DIMM's put them in the A2/B2 slots and a max of 3200MHz should be possible.
In our testing only the Crosshair board achieved 3000-3200MHz, the others were in the 2400-2666MHz range.
BIOS updates will come!
No issues here, the best compromise between frequency and latency is 3200mhz CL14 sold by Gskill, anything higher and latency climbs faster than benefits derived from higher frequency
ReplyHow about 2400Mhz - CL10, not better?
ReplyDigital Foundry showed a 25FPS difference between 2133MHZ & 3200MHZ RAM in GTA5 & The Witcher 3. In certain games, specifically those with open worlds, RAM Speed actually matters these days.
ReplyI stand corrected, But in Anandtech, " DDR4 Haswell-E Scaling Review: 2133 to 3200 with G.Skill, Corsair, ADATA and Crucial ", they have used different setup and i7 have concluded differently. They said only 2133 affected the min FPS, rest almost identical. Also, it might depends on the game and resolution, CPU bound vs GPU bound..etc.
ReplyNice clickbait misleading title, Ryzen has zero issues with DDR4 ram it supports up to 3600MHz right out of the box, it is the low end motherboards that have a problem, not the CPU as your misleading false title suggests. Fix your title. As a result of this title, the Reddit thread linking this website has been removed, and your website will now face possible blacklisting from Reddit. Again, fix your title.
ReplyHaswell-E is a quad-channel part and thus less dependent on RAM frequency. Consumer parts are dual-channel (effectively half the bandwidth) and will benefit greatly from higher frequencies.
Replyfor a tech site not knowning the difference between SR and DR and tries to create confusion is pretty pathetic then again at least we know who is paying you
ReplyNobody gives a fuck about reddit. Go back to your shit hole and stay there.
ReplyFrequency ist everything cas latency can make a 2400Mhz faster than a 3200Mhz....
ReplyThanks for sharing that you have no idea how memory overclocking works
ReplyNobody gives a fuck about your fake account. Go back to your shit hole and stay there
ReplyThanks for the rectification. Anyway, I ordered dual 16GB for my built at 2400Mhz and called it a day. Was the only available in my area at reasonable price.
ReplyThere's no problem with Ryzen. The only problem is the motherboard BIOS.... and it'll be fixed in the next 2-3 weeks. Just check the mainboard website from time to time. BTW: there are several beta BIOSes out in the wild...
ReplyAnother AMD trash.
Reply