Over-volted RAM will damage Core i7 CPUs

Posted at: 12:05pm 6th October 2008 by Ben Hardwidge

Limit of 1.65V recommended for DIMMs if you don’t want to permanently damage your CPU

Overclockers looking to bolster their new Nehalem CPUs with over-volted memory may soon be disappointed if they’re concerned about the health of their CPU. Intel is telling motherboard manufacturers not to encourage overclockers to push the voltage of their DIMMs beyond 1.65V, as anything higher could apparently damage the CPU.

The warning was revealed when XFastest published some photos of the retail-packaged Asus X58-based P6T Deluxe motherboard. In the photos, the DIMM slots are covered by a sticker (pictured) reading: ‘According to Intel CPU spec, DIMMs with voltage setting over 1.65V may damage the CPU permanently. We recommend you install the DIMMs with the voltage setting below 1.65V.’

Of course, this is still beyond the standard JEDEC DDR3 voltage spec of 1.5V, but it’s also a long way off the voltage required by overclockers’ enthusiast memory, such as Corsair’s Dominator TW3X2G2133C9DF, which needs 2V to run at its specified 2,133MHz maximum speed with timings of 9-9-9-24.

Asus’ PR rep, Iain Bristow, confirmed to Custom PC that the sticker had been placed on the motherboard after Intel’s recommendation, saying ‘it is recommended that you should not use voltage higher than 1.65V.’ However, he added that ‘if an end user does decide to use memory with a higher voltage, they should be aware of the risks,’ so it looks as though Asus won’t be restricting the DIMM voltage in the motherboard’s BIOS.

Intel has so far been unable to comment on the voltage recommendation or the reasons for it, but we’ll update you as soon as we have more information. Intel has already showed signs of caution with over-volting when it released its first 45nm CPUs, which it recommends not taking beyond 1.36V because of the brittle nature of the chips. Nehalem will also be produced on a 45nm process, and it will also feature an integrated memory controller.

Would this warning cause enough concern for you to avoid enthusiast memory in a Nehalem system, or would you rather take the risk of damaging your CPU for a faster overclock. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Via The Inquirer