3200 DDR Running at 2700.. Safe?

[Shirow]

I have a MSI MB (see below) and just upgraded my CPU and Ram. I got a Barton 2800 and Corsair DDR 512 3200 ram. Now my MB had a list of 3200 ram I could use but had a note on the bottom saying MSI does not guarantee it with 400MHz and this MB. Anyways, its boots up fine.. but the BIOS says its running at 333MHz and not 400. I tried to see if there was a place in the BIOS to increase the speed like for the CPU but everything in the RAM part was set to Auto and I didn't want to mess it up. Now my question is, is it safe to leave it like this and maybe someday when I get a new MB it will support 3200 better? Or, Should I return this Ram and just get the 2700 and save about 15 bucks?

 

[Yharn]

its fine.....won't hurt it at all

 

[Petros]

It wouldn't hurt to run the ram slower. By the time you get a new motherboard (unless you're one of those people that buys like two a year), there will be better, faster RAM anyway. You'll probably either sell the stuff you got or use it as a second rig.

 

[LeeJend]

Actually you won't see much if any improvement running at 400 mhz RAM.

1). The RAM runs optimally if you have the same speed as the CPU FSB (or an even multiple). If you go to 400 on the RAM then you will start getting wait states inserted to compensate since the RAm and FSB are not running synchronously.

2). At the 400 mhz speed you will probably have more wait states (CL 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 depending on quality = cost of the RAM) built into the RAM accesses. When you run a slower clock speed you can manually set the CL to a lower number giving faster accesses. I run my 333 RAM CL 2.5 RAM at 266 so it is synchrounous with the TBRED 266 FSB and set my CL to 2.0. Over all memory speed is better than if I ran memory at 333 with CL2.5

 

[RogerPhillis]

Yes ... Most test results show that 333 Bartons or ordinary athlons run more efficiently on most boards if the 400 Mhz memory is set to 166 x2 rather 200x2
Maybe the new socket setting Athlon 64 with new mobo will be the first processor to truly run 400FSB and memory in tandum.