Member Avatar for will.i.am

Hi, please answer this quistion its urgant :), i have a msi nf980-G65 nforce 980a SLI DDR3 Motherboard and it says, supports Dual DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600/1800/2133 (OC) i have got Corsair 4GB 2x 2GB 1600MHz BEMP Dominator DDR3 Memory - Intel Core i5 & AMD AM3 - CMD4GX3M2B1600C8 CAN I JUST STICK THIS RAM ONTO THE MOTHAERBOARD AND IT WILL BE FINE OR DO I HAVE TO ADJUST ANYTHING IN THE BIOS :) i have a amd phenom ii x4 965 3.4ghz cpu

Edited by will.i.am because: n/a
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Quick practical checklist for and anyone using a high‑speed DDR3 kit on an older nForce/AM3 board. already flagged slot population and BIOS checking, and ’s experience shows the board may choose a conservative JEDEC speed at POST. Follow these safe steps to reach the advertised speed and recover if it doesn’t boot.

  • Install the matched pair into the motherboard’s recommended dual‑channel slots (the manual shows which pair). Confirm firm seating and correct latches.
  • Enter the BIOS on first boot. If the memory is running at a conservative speed, look for the board’s performance/profile options (automatic high‑speed profile or manual memory multiplier/divider). If a profile exists, enable it; otherwise enter the kit’s target frequency, the DRAM voltage, and the advertised timings exactly as shown on the modules/packaging.
  • If the system won’t POST after changes: clear CMOS, try one module at a time to isolate a bad stick/slot, revert to SPD/default speed, then reapply settings more conservatively (lower frequency or raise voltage in small steps only within manufacturer specs).
  • After it boots, run an extended memory test (bootable test or stress tool) to confirm stability before full use. If instability persists, check for a BIOS update from the board vendor and follow their update instructions carefully.

Caution: don’t exceed the voltage the RAM vendor specifies. If you prefer minimal fuss, running the sticks at the motherboard’s default JEDEC speed is safe; manual tuning is common with 1600MHz kits on older AMD platforms and gives the best balance of performance and reliability.

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Member Avatar for The New Normal

It should be fine. If you've got more than 2 sockets, check you're using the correct 2 for dual channel.

Personally I would go into the BIOS after installing them and check the timings, speed and volts are correct, but that shouldn't be necessary. Maybe check them in CPU-Z once installed; see how the 'memory' tab compares with the 'SPD' tab.

The packet will tell you the timings if you want to check against the BIOS. It'll be something like 5/5/5/15 or 8/8/8/24.

Member Avatar for crunchie

Based on a lot of results so far (myself included), you may have to manually set the RAM.
I have 1066 RAM but they defaulted to 800 on post.

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