Crosshair V Formula-Z + AMD FX 8350 Black Edition 4.0 GH/Z and RAM Compatibility

[Huniity]

Hi guys, I'm new with ROG and I got some question.
Well in some days I gona buy the ASUS ROG SERIES CROSSHAIR V FORMULA-Z and I will also buy an AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHZ BULLDOZER 8-COREBLACK EDITION SKT AM3+.
I will also buy some RAMS, CORSAIR PC3-16000 2000MHZ 12GB DOMINATOR GT WITH DHX CL9 (3X4GB) DDR3.
I've seen that the AMD FX 8350 have 1866 mh/z limitation for the RAMS.
I've seen plenty of videos on internet about people that make this config and also buy RAMS with 2000 mh/z or higher (2400mh/z).

My questions are:

• Will I have problems running my gaming computer with 2000 mh/z RAMS? Like blue screens or something else?
  
• Is it really a problem or I will only have the RAMS running at 1866 mh/z instead of 2000mh/z? (speed waste)
  
• Do I need to do something to 2000 mh/z work with that processor?
  
• Should I buy 1866 mh/z RAMS?
  

Thanks for future answer guys.
With my best regards, Adrien.

[proudpiper]

Welcome to the forums Huniity.

It is possible to run 2000 MHz RAM with an AMD FX 8350, however in order to do so you are going to have to overclock the integrated memory controller (IMC) on the North Bridge located inside the CPU to the speed at which you want your RAM to run. Keep in mind that this will cause a slight increase in your CPU temps, however it shouldn't cause any issues if done correctly.

Also, you may not notice much a performance difference from this overclock if you are simply gaming. However, if you are editing pictures, encoding/editing video, or some other CPU heavy task then you will likely notice a performance boost.

[Chino]

Huniity wrote:


Will I have problems running my gaming computer with 2000 mh/z RAMS? Like blue screens or something else?

ost, if not all, FX8350 should be able to handle 2000MHz. However you might run into some compatibility issues because the kit you mentioned was manufacturered for X58 platforms. If I were you, I would choose another set.

Huniity wrote:

Is it really a problem or I will only have the RAMS running at 1866 mh/z instead of 2000mh/z? (speed waste)

Gaming wise, anything over 1600MHz is a overkill. Even if you run your RAM at 1866MHz or 2000MHz, you won't see any visible difference.

Huniity wrote:

Do I need to do something to 2000 mh/z work with that processor?

Your RAM will probably default to 1333MHz speed. You'll need to manually setup it up to run it at its advertised speed or you can use the Crosshair V Formula-Z's D.C.O.P. feature which automatically does all the work for you.

Huniity wrote:

Should I buy 1866 mh/z RAMS?

Buy the one that's within your budget.

[HiVizMan]

Nice looking gaming set up my friend. Ram frequency is a marketing persons wet dream. As Chino has said frequency is no where near as important as most people think. For gaming these days it is better to have a nice amount of ram, so for me capacity is way more important than raw frequency. 16GB is the sweet spot right now. I would get some nice 1866 or 2133 MHz ram which ever is the most cost effective. That way you will have head room to overclock and all the capacity you could want for games and work stuff.