Unable to update RAM timings AB350 Gaming K4

charliehustlee wrote: Hello, I have a newish rig around 5-6 months now and for a while I noticed games weren't really running all that well. I played a lot of PUBG and I thought since it wasn't optimized very well I probably was getting that I should be getting FPS wise and response wise. The main issue I am seeing right now is that my ram speeds aren't what they should be and that I cant adjust timings in the bios at all. Bios has been updated as of this post - no updates avail. My current setup, ram speed via task manager and ram speed from cpuz - https://imgur.com/a/0p2bM - From what I can tell the speed (in MHZ) is low, the timings (as follows are low) and possibly the voltage is wrong. I see that I should be running 15-17-17-35 but I am currently at 15 15 15 36 via the bios and when I try and adjust this manually and save, PC reboots 4-5  times and then finally starts up with no changes to ram. I am also unable to utilize the XMP profile and change the speed of the ram to anything outside of AUTO or the same reboot scenario happens as well. Screens of bios https://imgur.com/a/InO2B Looking for any insight or thoughts/ideas on what root cause and would be preventing these adjustments from being made

What UEFI/BIOS version are you using? The latest is version 3.30.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/Fatal1ty%20AB350%20Gaming%20K4/index.asp#BIOS

First, your memory is running at its default speed of 2133 currently. That is normal if you don't enable the XMP option, or set the memory speed, timings, and voltage manually. The timings and voltage you currently see are the default values for your memory running at 2133.

Next, you can adjust memory timings, speed, and voltage in the UEFI/BIOS, but they are just not working for you.

The timings of 15 17 17 35 are not for a speed of 2133, but the timings for the over clocked XMP speed of 3000. Those timings are actually slower than the default 15 15 15 36, and do nothing to set the memory to a speed above 2133, or enhance performance. Actually, the looser 15 17 17 35 timings would normally work, which may indicate how close to incompatible your memory is.

Do you know that memory speed, such as 2133, is twice the reported frequency in CPU-Z, etc? DDR means Double Data Rate memory, the actual memory data transfer speed is twice that of the frequency.

This is Corsair's page for your memory model, given your screenshots:

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/vengeance-lpx-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-dram-3000mhz-c15-memory-kit-black-cmk16gx4m2b3000c15

Note that this model is designed for Intel X99 and 100 series chipset boards, that were available long before AM4/Ryzen. The XMP profile is designed for those Intel systems, not a Ryzen AM4 system. That does not mean it is completely incompatible with Ryzen systems, but is less likely to work at higher speeds. This memory is not included in your board's Memory QVL list:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/Fatal1ty%20AB350%20Gaming%20K4/index.asp#Memory

You tried manually setting the timings and apparently did not change the speed or DRAM voltage, and also tried using the XMP profile. You experienced the several restarts during POST and then the memory being reset to its default settings. That is the AM4 Advance Boot Training feature/option in the UEFI/BIOS, trying to get your memory to operate at those timings. That failed and the timings were reset to the defaults, which fortunately work with your memory.

Memory compatibility is the worst issue with the Ryzen/AM4 platform, from the start and still is today. AMD has provided multiple updates to the AM4 processor's microcode that is part of the UEFI/BIOS since they were released, with some improvements but DDR4 memory compatibility is still an issue. Simply choosing any DDR4 memory for use with Ryzen will produce random results.

The root cause of your memory problems is the memory model itself, and AMD's relatively poor memory support with Ryzen. AMD will be providing yet another major update to the AM4 processor microcode (called AGESA 1.0.0.7) in the near future, which will require a new UEFI/BIOS version, and a major rewrite of the rest of the UEFI code as well. As is generally acknowledged in the PC industry, Ryzen was released before it was completely ready.

You can experiment with your memory to see if it will operate above 2133, by following this procedure. Any memory speed above 2667 is a memory over clock, and not guaranteed, even with compatible memory:

Your memory should be in the A2 and B2 slots. It looks like you have it in the A1 and B1 slots. This is important, don't skip this step. You should also clear the UEFI/BIOS with the jumper on the board after you move the memory to the A2 and B2 slots.

In the DRAM Timing Configuration screen, set ALL of the timings to Auto. That does not just mean the four (actually five) basic timing settings you listed, but every option in the almost three screens worth of options. If an option does not have an Auto setting, just use the default value currently shown. Command Rate should be Auto, or 2T.

In the OC Tweaker screen, set the DRAM Voltage to 1.35V.

If you have a VDDRCR_SOC voltage option, set it to 1.1V.

Set the memory speed to 2133. Save and Exit the UEFI, and see if the PC completes POST and boots.

If it does, then go back into the UEFI and set the memory speed up a step, to 2400, and see if that works. Continue as long as possible. Given what you've told us, you may never reach a speed of 3000, but you might go above 2133. Once you hit a top memory speed, you can try setting the timings to lower values for more performance. Also, while the PC may boot/start at a higher memory speed, it may BSOD or be unstable in Windows or while gaming. That may limit the highest speed you can achieve with your memory.

Even if you had your memory running at a speed near or at 3000, you would not get big increases in FPS rates. If you got 10 FPS more that would be huge and unusual.