Is 1.80v too high?

[KGARDINER]

Hey,
I built my PC about 9 months ago, and at the time, i didnt pay much attention to the memory voltages. My motherboard is a Gigabyte p55a-ud3 and my processor is an i7-860. The memory i bought was Corsair XMS1600, and the voltage is 1.80v. Now ive been reading, and everyone says lower voltage is better, closer to 1.50v. Is this memory gonna affect the rest of my system in anyway, since its such high voltage? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Blain]

Disclaimer: I do not work in the PC memory field.

The JEDEC voltage standard for DDR3 is 1.5v, high quality DDR3 memory can even be volted down to 1.35v
Memory manufacturers don't want to hit modules with high voltage, but more voltage can compensate somewhat for average or lower quality chips.
The higher voltage sends a stronger signal through the DIMM helping to the memory run stable.
Higher voltage can shorten the lifespan of memory.

With all that being said...
None of the Corsair XMS DDR3 memory is rated for 1.8v operation, only (1.5-1.65v).
It sounds like you or your MB BIOS has overvolted the Corsair memory.

 

[KGARDINER]

No, it is definitely rated at 1.80v. Here is the memory that i got.

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1600C9DHX

It is discontinued on Newegg, but the Newegg spec sheet shows 1.80v and the label on the memory itself says 1.80v. I'm guessing that i cant really lower that voltage myself without lowering the performance of the memory. Is that correct?
​

 

[bryanl]

Look up "absolute maximum" on the manufacturer's data sheets, the real manufacturer's, not the company whose name appears on the heatsinks:

http://download.micron.com/pdf/datasheets/modules/ddr3/jtf8c128_256x64ay.pdf

http://www.samsung.com/global/system...x46e_rev10.pdf

It's 1.975V for those DDR3 chips with a nominal rating of 1.50V, meaning 1.80V is safe, but the chips will dissipate 44% more power than normal at 1.80V. Chip manufacturers recommend avoiding prolonged operation near absolute maximums.

 

[TemjinGold]

Are you sure you're not using DDR2? That's the JEDEC standard for DDR2...

 

[JustStarting]

There's a safety margin built into all compoments for reliability. Where your memory's stands is questionable as with everything mass produced. All you can try is to back the voltage down and see where its still stable and reliable. It's obviously stable at this point but how long it will last there is the question.... I've got no problem with 10% on about all my stuff, but beyond that I'm not comfortable in the long run. You're just beyond the 10% where you are now, so try to back it down to 1.65v and see how stable it is there. If it's stable there knock it down again untill you don't pass memtest or some other stability memory testing program. I like memtest because you can run it prior to booting to the OS where you may corrupt something if it's not stable. If you have a heat sensor place it between the heatsink and the memory and see how much the temps drop as you decrease the voltage. You may be surprised how much the temps drop. I have a dual temp sensor unit like this.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998066&cm_re=temperature_display_5.25-_-11-998-066-_-Product

Heat is the enemy and thats what voltage creates.

 

[KGARDINER]

It is definitely ddr3. And it is marked clearly on the label that it is 1.80v. When i bought it, Newegg was actually advertising it as "optimized for use with i7 processors". Now im reading where some people are saying that running at that voltage can actually damage the processor. I thought i built it 9 months ago, but its actually been more like a year, and so far i havent had any issues whatsoever, but now im worried that i may have shortened the life of my processor or something.

 

[fffblackmage]

Intel warns that DDR3 ram voltages greater than 1.65V may cause damage to their Core i7 CPUs. (Actually, was it just Core i7 using the Nehalem architecture? Or did it apply to Lynnfield and Clarkfield too?)

 

[theAnimal]

Intel warns that DDR3 ram voltages greater than 1.65V may cause damage to their Core i7 CPUs. (Actually, was it just Core i7 using the Nehalem architecture? Or did it apply to Lynnfield and Clarkfield too?)

AFAIK it is OK to exceed 1.65V as long as the RAM is no more than 0.5V higher than VTT.

 

[tweakboy]

What about me

If you can keep it cool with a intake fan then no 1.8v is fine for DDR3.

 

[Absolution75]

tweakboy, that's not correct - Intel specifically recommends against it. Not because of any heat issue, but because the internal memory controller is on the die of the CPU. Meaning that if you overvolt your memory, you're overvolting your CPU. This is not a good thing and will likely reduce the lifespan of the CPU.

Intel warns that DDR3 ram voltages greater than 1.65V may cause damage to their Core i7 CPUs. (Actually, was it just Core i7 using the Nehalem architecture? Or did it apply to Lynnfield and Clarkfield too?)

I believe it applies to 1366 and 1156.


To the OP: You can probably run the ram at 1033Mhz at 1.5v - as per the DDR3 standard.