Author Topic: max memory speeds  (Read 3052 times)

pocock

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max memory speeds
« on: July 31, 2020, 03:46:40 pm »

AbstractConcept made this edit in the wiki

I read somewhere that RAM operates at different speeds:

1 channel filled: 2666MHz

2 channels filled: 2400MHz

4 channels filled: 2133MHz

but the edit by AbstractConcept implies that RAM is always clocked at 2666MHz

Can anybody clarify?
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Borley

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Re: max memory speeds
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2021, 05:40:12 pm »
A recent personal catastrophe has had me scouring the wiki, and I've discovered that the firmware version may be a limiting factor. I cannot confirm this at the moment, as my system is currently in the dry dock.

EDIT: Found the same to be true for the Talos firmware.
Quote
Enable 2666MHz DDR4 memory DIMMs
« Last Edit: July 01, 2021, 10:18:16 pm by Borley »
Blackbird C1P9S01, CPU 02CY650, 2x 8GB 2666 RAM, 1024GB M.2 SSD, AMD RX 560X, 2U heatsink, 500W SFX PSU, Debian 11

ClassicHasClass

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Re: max memory speeds
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2021, 04:39:02 pm »
My understanding (perhaps Raptor can clarify) is that both are right, in a manner of speaking. You get the full 2666MHz with a single DIMM per channel, 2400 for 2, 2133 for 4. However, the controller for each processor has 8 channels and no Raptor system has more than 8 DIMM slots per CPU, so it's physically impossible to get multiple DIMMs on one channel. On a large system with more than 8 DIMM slots per CPU socket, however, it's possible.

chatcannon

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Re: max memory speeds
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2021, 01:51:10 pm »
I have a related question: I have noticed that sometimes 3200 MHz RAM is cheaper than the corresponding 2666 MHz DIMM. What happens if you use a 3200 MHz DIMM with a Talos / POWER9 board? Will every 3200 MHz chip support 2666 MHz operation or will it end up running at some slower speed like 2400 MHz or even 1600 MHz?

ClassicHasClass

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Re: max memory speeds
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2021, 07:10:29 pm »
As a general rule 3200MHz should run fine at 2666MHz, but I don't see any 3200MHz RAM on https://wiki.raptorcs.com/wiki/POWER9_Hardware_Compatibility_List/Memory . That doesn't mean it doesn't work, but you'd be a pioneer.

Also, I want to correct a miscount in my prior post: each pair of DIMM slots in the T2/T2 Lite is a channel, so the T2/T2 Lite have 4 per CPU. However, the pair of DIMMs in that pair of slots counts as one, so it's still 1:1. The Blackbird, however, is indeed one channel per slot.