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Memory Setup Guide For Maximus VI Motherboards

Chino
Level 15
Memory Setup Guide For Maximus VI Motherboards


Maybe you’re putting together your first build but and you have no idea how to setup your RAM. Or perhaps you just made a major memory upgrade but you’re not experiencing any boost in performance whatsoever. Your RAM probably isn’t running at its full speed. So don’t start pulling your hair out! We’ll guide you step by step to configure them in no time!


So, what do you need to setup your RAM?
First, you’ll need a Maximus VI series motherboard, of course. For this guide, we’ll be using our Maximus VI Hero motherboard to illustrate the whole setup process. But the steps are universal for the other motherboards in the series as well!

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And, last but not least, you’ll need a kit of RAM. We’ll be using our favorite TridentX 2400MHz 8GB kit from our friends at G.Skill.

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Which slots should you use?
The appropriate slots to use depend on how many sticks of RAM you’re going to put in your system. We have listed the possible combinations and the optimal slots that you should be using.

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How many methods are there to setup your RAM?
The first method consists in using Intel's X.M.P. profile which automatically inputs the frequency, timings and voltage. On the other hand, the second methods involves you manually navigating to different parts of the BIOS and inputting them yourself.

In some cases, you might run into compatibility issues between the CPU and the X.M.P. profiles. As a result, you will experience the lack of stabilty when trying to use your system. So we'll be covering both methods in this simple guide.



Method 1. Using X.M.P. Profile

Step 1. Hit the Del key as soon as you see the Asus logo to enter the BIOS. The option that interests us most is the Target DRAM Speed. As you can see, it’s running at its default 1333MHz frequency. Time to take these babies to 2400MHz!

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Step 2. Navigate to the Ai Overclock Tuner and change it to XMP.

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Step 3. Most, if not all, high performance memory kits like our TridentX 2400MHz kit will have more than one profile. In this situation we choose the one that matches the advertised frequency.

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Step 4. Press F10 and a window will appear with a summary of all the changes that the XMP profile has changed. Click Yes to save and exit.

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Method 2. Manual Setup

Step 1. Start by setting Ai Overclock Tuner to the Manual.

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Step 2. Scroll down to find the DRAM Frequency option. Choose the advertised frequency that your memory kit is specified to run at.

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Step 3. Scroll down even farther and click DRAM Timing Control. The fun is about to start.

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Step 4. In order to configure your RAM properly, you need to input the the frequency the RAM was tested to run at, the correct primary timings and the voltage it needs to run properly. You can find the timings and voltage for your specific kit on the sticker that all manufacturers put on their sticks. Here you can see an example of the timings on our G.Skill TridentX 2400MHz stick.

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Here’s a quick crash course on memory timings. The primary timings consist of 4 numbers in this order: CL (CAS Latency), tRCD (RAS to CAS Delay), tRP (RAS Precharge) and tRAS (Active to Precharge Delay).

Now, let’s deduce the timings for our specific kit of TridentX RAM.
CL – 10, tRCD – 12, tRP – 12, tRAS – 31


But what if you've already finished your build and you don't want to pop off the case cover to look at the sticker? No problem. First you need to situate yourself in the Boot tab then press the right arrow to reveal the Tools tab. Now, choose the Asus SPD Information option.

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As you can see, all the X.M.P. profiles that are available for your RAM will be listed here. You can see the frequency of each profile, the voltage to run at this frequency and the primary timings that we will be changing further on.


Step 5. What we will do no is type each timing into the corresponding section. Hit ESC when you’re done to return to the Extreme Tweaker section.

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Step 6. Navigate down to the DRAM Voltage option and input the voltage that was on the sticker.

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Step 7. Press F10 and a window will appear with a summary of all the changes that we’ve made. Make sure to recheck every option that you’ve changed and make sure it matches your RAM’s specifications. Click Yes to save and exit.

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60 REPLIES 60

Xanoid
Level 7
Wow thanks for this quick and simple guide man.
Cheers Chino
Maximus VII Formula
Asus Titan X
Intel 4790k
Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB 2133Mhz
Win 8.1 Pro
Intel 730SSD 240GB, Samsung 840Pro 512GB,Samsung 840Pro 512GB
Coolermaster V1200 Platinum PSU
Nzxt Phantom 820,Logitech G710+(Keyboard),G502(Mouse).

Zanto501
Level 7
Hello, I have followed this guide with my G.Skill tridents 16gb kit and tried to run them at 2400mhz, CPU-Z still shows that they run at 1200mhz.
Both RAM sticks are in the red slots, I have an i7 4770k CPU. What is wrong?

Zanto501 wrote:
Hello, I have followed this guide with my G.Skill tridents 16gb kit and tried to run them at 2400mhz, CPU-Z still shows that they run at 1200mhz.
Both RAM sticks are in the red slots, I have an i7 4770k CPU. What is wrong?


Nothing wrong here. DDR stands for double data rate. 1200 x 2 = 2400. Your ram is running at 2400MHz.

Oh, i did not know that. Thanks for that fast reply and information. ^^

clefclef
Level 7
Hello everyone!

I'm playing with the bios reading various guides.

I noticed that spd reported values, but do not change when I select the two profiles, is this normal?
xmp # 1 and # 2 xmp are different, but Ai Overclocked Tune shows the same timings:

10, 12, 12, 31, and do not change in 8, 9, 9, 24.



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1150 ASUS Maximus VI Extreme 90MB0DS0-M0EAY5 bios 1603
Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5Ghz BX80646I74770K (running @4.4Ghz)
DDR3 2400Mhz PC19200 16GB G. Skill TridentX CL10 1.5V (2x8GB) (F3-2400C10D-16GTX)

Faizy450
Level 7
Sorry to revive an old thread guys.

I decided to use the XMP profiles when setting up my DRAM. I only have one profile.

The profile has 1867 in the title and it successfully changes everything in the DRAM Timing section, but it fails to change the frequency. To change the frequency I had to change the DRAM Frequency setting from auto to 1866, which wasn't mentioned in the first part of the guide.

Is this normal?

Thanks

mikey_m
Level 7
Hi
I’ve had this mmmmm Mobo since 2013 which is the vi extreme 1150 with an i7 4790k at 4.7ghz
I’ve had 2x 8gb 1600mhz redline mushkin ram , Ive sold them recently.
And now have the Corsair vengeance 2x 8gb 2400 MHz *but *pc fails to boot at rated 2400*MHz *xmp
But when I switch to 2200mhz xmp it boots fine.
Any suggestions to make it run at 2400??
I’ve tried manually adding ram timings dram voltage *and speed to no avail, any other voltages to play with?

Any help is appreciated
Thanks
Mike *