Hey everyone! I'm upgrading my PC and need some advice. Here's my current setup:
- **CPU:** i9-12900K with MSI MAG CoreLiquid 240R V2
- **GPU:** Aorus 3090ti Xtreme Waterforce
- **Motherboard:** ASUS Rog Maximus Z690 Hero
- **RAM:** G.Skill Ripjaws S5 2x16GB (specifically F5-6000J3636F16GX2-RS5K)
- **PSU:** Corsair AX1200i 80+ Platinum
I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about PC builds, but I feel like a total newbie right now!
First off, I'm thinking about upgrading to either a 7800X3D or 7900X3D, but I'm unsure if they will be compatible with my current setup. I'd like to buy just the CPU and continue using my existing RAM for now. How can I confirm compatibility? Any tips would be appreciated!
Secondly, I noticed that my RAM is only showing 4000 MHz in Task Manager. I did some digging and found that CPU-Z shows the DRAM Frequency as 2000 MHz, which makes me think Task Manager isn't accurate. I attempted to enable XMP in my BIOS, but my PC wouldn't boot, so I reverted changes. I recently updated my BIOS, and now it's stable at 5000 MHz, but I can't seem to push it higher. Any help here would also be fantastic!
1 Answer
You’ll need a new AM5 motherboard to make the jump to those CPUs. If your RAM is DDR5, just ensure the new motherboard and CPU can support the RAM speeds. Don’t worry if it doesn’t hit those speeds – it will run at the best compatibility level available. That’s likely what’s causing the discrepancy in the speeds you're seeing!
Got it! I just did a BIOS update and enabled XMP, but when I pushed the speeds to 5600 MHz, it crashed on boot. I dialed it back to 5000 MHz, and it’s stable now. Should I try 5200 or 5400 without messing with the voltage?