PC Hacks

Hack #38. Speed Up Your RAM

Get higher performance by optimizing the timing parameters for the faster memory in BIOS.

CPUs are not the only part of your system that can be overclocked. Memory timing settings have just as big an impact on RAM performance as the bus and CPU frequency. By hacking memory timing, you may be able to obtain as much as a 10-20% performance enhancement.

System board BIOS implementations may offer numerous settings to optimize your memory. These settings modify RAM functions that, while basic in nature, are often given widely different names.

Warning

This hack is purely trial and error and is intended for those with a real sense of technical adventure. Hacking RAM speed settings can yield unpredictable results, such as the inability to boot, crashes, or data loss.

It is unlikely but possible that changing any of these parameters will damage your RAM. Some BIOS may provide an automatic fall-back setting recovery mode so you can restart without the hassle of wiping out the CMOS memory [Hack #2] .

The first step to tweaking your memory is to turn off the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) function in your system's BIOS, as shown in Figure 4-4.

Figure 4-4. Memory timing controls in Award BIOS

The SPD function reads your RAM modules to determine what timing parameters to use; when it's off, you're in control of the clock speeds for your memory.

Warning

Once you take control of ...