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Intel DDR4 RAM Timing Calculator

Optimize memory performance for Intel Skylake through Raptor Lake architectures. Calculate primary, secondary, and tertiary timings for Samsung B-Die, Micron E-Die, and Hynix chips.

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About

Memory subsystem performance on Intel platforms relies heavily on the efficiency of the Integrated Memory Controller (IMC). While enabling XMP profiles provides a baseline, it rarely exploits the full potential of high-quality integrated circuits (ICs) like Samsung B-die or Micron Rev. E. Manual tuning can reduce latency by 10-15% and increase read/write bandwidth significantly. This is critical for CPU-bound gaming scenarios and high-throughput computational tasks where the CPU spends cycles waiting for data from system memory.

This tool addresses the complexity of calculating nanosecond-accurate delays. Unlike generic calculators, this engine considers the specific electrical characteristics of the memory die and the frequency limitations of Intel's Gear 1 (synchronous) versus Gear 2 (asynchronous) controller modes. It ensures that derived timings such as tRFC and tREFI maintain data integrity while maximizing refresh efficiency.

overclocking ram intel ddr4 timing calculator

Formulas

The calculation of Absolute Latency determines the true speed of a memory operation. The relationship between clock cycles and time is defined as:

Latency=CL × 2000Frequency ns

Secondary timings often follow derived logic for stability. For example, the relationship between Row Active Time (tRAS) and Cas Latency (tCL) plus Row-to-Column Delay (tRCD) is roughly:

tRAS ≥ tCL + tRCD + 2

Reference Data

ArchitectureRec. Gear ModeSweet Spot FreqMax Safe Voltage (Daily)IMC Limit (Avg)
Skylake (6th Gen)Gear 13200-3466 MHz1.40V~3600 MHz
Kaby Lake (7th Gen)Gear 13600-3800 MHz1.45V~4000 MHz
Coffee Lake (8th/9th Gen)Gear 14000-4266 MHz1.50V~4400 MHz
Comet Lake (10th Gen)Gear 14266-4400 MHz1.55V (B-Die)~4600 MHz
Rocket Lake (11th Gen)Gear 1 / Gear 23733 (G1) / 4800 (G2)1.55V~3866 (G1)
Alder/Raptor Lake (12/13th)Gear 1 / Gear 24000-4133 (G1)1.55V~4200 (G1)
JEDEC StandardN/A2133-3200 MHz1.20VN/A
XMP 2.0N/A3000-4600 MHz1.35V - 1.50VN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

Gear 1 runs the memory controller (IMC) at the same frequency as the DRAM (1:1 ratio), offering the lowest latency. Gear 2 runs the IMC at half the DRAM frequency (1:2 ratio), allowing for much higher memory frequencies (e.g., 5000MHz+) but at the cost of higher latency penalty. For daily use, Gear 1 is preferred up to roughly 4000MHz.
Samsung B-die scales exceptionally well with voltage and can handle 1.50V+ safely with cooling. Micron E-die does not scale linearly with high voltage and often hits a "roll-over" point where stability degrades above 1.40V-1.45V, making lower voltages necessary for stability.
The system will likely fail to post (boot). You will need to clear CMOS. This tool provides "Safe" presets which are generally bootable, but silicon lottery (the quality of your specific CPU's memory controller) plays a major role.
Yes. While primary timings (like CL16) get the marketing attention, tighter secondary (tRFC) and tertiary (tRDRD, tWRWR) timings can yield performance gains of 10-20% in CPU-bound scenarios, often exceeding the gains from raw frequency increases.