I'm looking to buy/assemble a new PC. I found some DDR4 3400MHz RAM with very good ratings, however, all the motherboards I can find (which are also suited for the processor I want to run, AMD Ryzen 5 1600), only support up to DDR4 3200MHz.
What happens if I install DDR4 3400MHz (or higher) memory on 3200MHz DDR4 motherboard, will it run at 3200MHz, or simply not work?
22 Answers
TLDR: It will just work.
Explanation: DDR4 3400MHz is not brief for 'DDR4 memeory, runs at 3400MHZ'.
Instead of should be 'runs up to an effective 3400MHz'.
The up to part is important. It will happily work at lower speeds.
if it help you can think of it as a car. I got a street with a speedc limit of 50kmph. I got a car which can go up to 200kmph. Is that car compatible with that street?
It will still run, but at a reduced frequency. Unless you have an unreal deal on the 3400 MHz RAM, don't waste your money and get a lower frequency RAM (typically cheaper).
