Aurora R10, memory upgrade

@R10bro can you post either screenshot of the Memory tab from CPU-Z or the numbers?   I'm very disappointed with my TridentZ-Neo 3200 C16 memory because the numbers I'm getting are 1596.8 MHz (which is good, since that's 3200), CL 22.0, tRCD 22 clocks, tRP 22 clocks, tRAS 53 clocks and tRC 75 clocks.   At least the CR is 1T but these timings aren't great or what I expected from "the most compatible memory for AMD chips".    I ordered the exact Corsair chips you ordered and will be trying them tomorrow sometime, but would love to see the numbers you're getting first.

@R10bro @tjgarland Can you guys confirm that the 3200 speed sticks after restarting your computers? I have heard that after the computer restarts, the 3200 speed doesn't stick and it defaults back to a lower speed.

Thanks for all the details.   I accidentally ordered the Intel XMP version of the Corsairs and then also ordered the AMD version.   Since I ended up with 3 very similar but slightly different modules, I decided to go into benchmark/testing mode for the benefit of other Alienware R10 owners who might find this thread later.  Here are the exact model numbers I tested, all DDR4-3200 speed and 2x16GB installed in the primary (white) slots.   Note that Dell said 3200 is the fastest they support.

1. TridentZ Neo DDR4-3200 16GBx2 CL 16-18-18-38 F4-3200C16D-32GTZN
2. Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro XMP CL 16-18-18-36 CMW32GX4M2C3200C16
3. Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro AMD CL 16-18-18-36 CMW32GX4M2Z3200C16

The first thing you need to do is hit F2 while booting and go into the BIOS setup.  Select Advanced...Performance, then enable RAM overclocking and pick OC1 for the overclocking mode.  As @R10bro found, Auto and OC2 settings give you incorrect timings for your memory.

Note that setting OC1 for the TridentZ Neo DID work, but only after several reboots, and sometimes when I powered the machine off and on it would sometimes reboot multiple times and then the system would automatically turn off memory overclocking.  So... while I gathered the benchmarks, I think this is unacceptable and am returning the TridentZ Neos.  While they were cheaper ($149 compared to $169) I want rock-solid reliability and the Corsair seems to be much more stable.

The only difference I noticed between the 2 Corsair chips was that the "XMP" version rebooted my R10 3 times the first time I installed it and turned off the OC1 mode.  I went into setup and turned OC1 back on, then rebooted and it seemed fine.  However I didn't have this happen at all with the AMD variant.   The OC1 mode booted the first time.   Both of the Corsairs did not have the problems the TridentZ did on subsequent boots.   I'd say the TridentZ boots up 70% of the time where the Corsairs booted up without problem every time.

CPUz screens first.   Here's the TridentZ, Corsair XMP and Corsair AMD in that order:

All the numbers look right except the tRC.  Minor note is that the Corsair AMD has a tRC of 74 clocks while the other 2 had a tRC of 75 clocks.  No idea why.

The SPD tab on the Corsairs is identical, so here is the TridentZ Neo and the Corsair, in order:

I found the SPD differences very interesting, especially the Max Bandwidth (non-OC) being rated 25% higher on the Corsair.  Since they're both rated at DDR4-3200 I don't know if this matters at all - I would guess not, but I still thought it was interesting.   It's also interesting that neither the Corsairs nor the G.Skill TridentZ were actually getting the expected tRC numbers.  That could have something to do with the speed of the AMD processor and/or the R10 BIOS.   I'm out of my depth on that number...

For fun, I ran some benchmarks to see if there was any noticeable difference.  I used Far Cry 5 New Dawn since there's a really demanding benchmark that comes with it.  I'm using a 3700x CPU and an RTX2080 Super GPU.

Since the 4k numbers are exactly the same, it's safe to assume that at this resolution in this game, the GPU is the bottleneck.  It's really interesting how much of a difference the 1080p numbers showed though - more than I would have expected since the only spec'd difference in the memory types is the tRAS 36 vs 38.

So at least to me, this is the information I was looking for.  The Corsair seems to be the most compatible memory for the R10, and although the XMP version also seems to work fine, I've had the best results with the AMD version.

I wish Dell had provided this information, but that's why we have forums like this!

thanks for writing that up! Also just noticed that @tjgarland has 2T CR vs my 1T...

Might be due to the CPU differences? I'm also on the AMD 3700X

Hi, I may be facing the same issue since I just ordered the same PC. Just to clarify, you used 32 x 2 or 16 x 4 to achieve 64gb? For some reason I was under the impression that you could only use a max of 16 gigs per slot. 

Has anyone tried the 8GB version of the Corsair DIMMs?

I don't think I can link to them, but the model number is CMW16GX4M2Z3200C16.

They look like they should be compatible from the spec, but I'd rather make sure first since not a lot of places are selling them.

Great, thanks for the info.  I would only be putting two DIMMs in there initially, but good to know there could be issues trying to upgrade that down the road.

I'm on the fence because of the price difference.  It's definitely better value to get the 16GB sticks with the current prices, so I think I'm leaning that way anyway.  But I didn't anticipate spending that much on memory when I placed the R10 order.

My guess would be that they would work, based on the "Z" in the model number prior to the 3200C16.  I assume you're going to put 2 of them in there - I would not be surprised if 4 DIMMs would not work though because it may not be able to handle the CAS 16 latency across more than 2 DIMMs.

Hey @R10bro , SO I finally got my R10 and the same memory you have. I also changed the bios to oc1 like you said. I downloaded cpu-z and Im getting the same numbers you are getting. "1333,1333,1333,1600 " 

But isnt 1333 just a 2600? and not running at 3200? 

Thanks!!

Go to the memory tab to see your current timings.

That is tell you that you need to select xmp2, to run at 3200 on the canned memory profile.  The other options are 2666.  This is not telling you what speed you are currently at.

Hi, thanks.

im new to this, what does that mean?

on Bios I choose OC1.

Windows says 3200.

CPU-z says 1333,1333,1333,1600.

Memory tab timings says:

1596.8mhz

1:16

18

18

36

74

1T

Hi there, I just received my r10 last week and I installed 64gb of the corsair model number you mentioned and they worked at 3200 without any issues by choosing OC1 in BIOS (not by choosing within AWCC). You have to make sure you get the exact same model you mentioned, with a "z" after them M in the model number, this is the AMD "optimized" version. And yes, it is an RGB model, but it is the only one (that I know of) that seems to work out of the box from what I have researched in the forums.