Can i use slower ram in my motherboard

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Tom's Hardware is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number Today at PM. Question AMD X slower and hotter for no apparent reason.

Aug 22, Question PC Suddenly running much slower. Jul 12, Question My pc run slower and games too after updating my processor. Jun 21, Mar 7, Feb 9, Feb 2, Jan 8, Jan 7, Viewed 15k times. Improve this question. Jin Jin 63 1 1 gold badge 1 1 silver badge 3 3 bronze badges. I'm still using the original MHz stick.

Is it safe to switch to the slower sticks? You do understand the Mhz stick will be downclocked, right?

My concern is whether the motherboard is compatible with the slower sticks. Show 1 more comment. Active Oldest Votes. But you can't damage the computer by trying. If memtest fails it's not going to work in the normal OS either. Improve this answer. Tonny Tonny I don't think that is accurate. My motherboard allows setting the speed of my RAM, or reading the speed from the memory's profile.

I can therefore predict with certainty that this would work on my system. ChrisInEdmonton You are maybe able to set the speed in your motherboard.

That doesn't mean it will always work on every motherboard. Even in your case it is far from certain it will work with slower or faster RAM than the rated speeds. Typically the rated speeds in the manual are the speeds for which the motherboard is designed and which are tested. You may have more leeway in the bios-settings, but you use these at your own risk, when you go over-clock or under-clock beyond the rated specifications. Thanks, Tonny! These chips are also rated in speed, which is listed in MHz.

You can use a RAM chip that's rated for less than what your motherboard can handle with little trouble, but if you try to put a faster chip in, it's not guaranteed to work properly. Because of their different pin configurations, RAM chips are not a mix and match type of thing.

Motherboard memory slots are integrated into the board itself and cannot be swapped out. Use only the RAM type and speed specified by your motherboard's manufacturer. Jane Williams began her writing career in as the writer and editor of a nationwide marketing company. Her articles have appeared on various websites.

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