Unsolved
1 Rookie
•
18 Posts
0
1386
May 23rd, 2024 19:19
XPS 8960, Crucial Pro ram 5600MHz running at 5200MHz
XPS 8960
Hello,
I have a 2024 Dell XPS 8960 with an intel i9 14th gen processor, 4tb samsung 990 pro, rtx 4090, liquid cooling, 64gb ram. I just got it last month and it came with 32gb of ram from Dell but i decided to upgrade to 64gb of ram. So I bought the Crucial Pro 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 5600 (PC5 44800) XMP 3.0 & AMD EXPO Ready Desktop Memory Model CP2K32G56C46U5 (https://www.newegg.com/crucial-32gb/p/N82E16820156380)
The ram works perfectly fine but when i was checking my task manager in windows 11, it says my ram speed is at 5200 MHz not 5600 MHz. I read online that the xps 8960 only supports up to 4800 Mhz but they were older forum/reddit posts for the 13th gen processors. Even Dell.com sells XPS Desktops with 5600 Mhz ram now on the XPS 8960 so im confused why its being run at 5200 MHz for me.
Is there any way to fix this so i can get my RAM at 5600 MHz because clearly the computer supports it according to Crucial's RAM website and even Dell that sells the XPS 8960 now with a 5600 MHz ram open in all RAM sizes.
See pictures below:
My Task Manager

The 64GB RAM i purchased 
Dell's Website for the XPS 8960 to buy a desktop with 5600 Mhz ram



Element115s4
2 Intern
•
294 Posts
0
May 23rd, 2024 20:01
My 8950 shows only 4400MHz so maybe Dell has throttled it with a BIOS update.
That module is listed as compatible so that's good.
Maybe you can tweak with Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility?
It might only do CPU but might be nice to tweak with.
While your 8960 is a killer setup, keep in mind that a Dell XPS prebuilt is compromised a bit and you will not easily get maximum performance from it.
An Alienware R16 might be a bit better but still, these systems have heat and power restrictions.
I have to know what display you chose, and I hope it's worthy! :)
(edited)
BlackDiamondMemory
1 Rookie
•
23 Posts
0
May 23rd, 2024 21:43
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
May 24th, 2024 00:11
Sometimes Dell sells PCs with RAM that's faster than the motherboard/chipset actually support.
The XPS 8960 specs say it can use 4800 and 5600 MHz RAM, but doesn't explicitly say it will run the RAM at those speeds. Install CPU-Z (free) and see what it reports for RAM speed. And while in CPU-Z see what it reports for "Channel #", single or dual, or 1x 64 bit or 2x 64 bit.
BTW: Did you try resetting BIOS to make sure it is seeing the new RAM correctly?
(edited)
Element115s4
2 Intern
•
294 Posts
0
May 24th, 2024 14:37
@Socom Master
Sorry man but an i9 even with a Dell or Alienware water cooler is a great advancement but don't be fooled.
It's not enough really when you really push the CPU.
All I'm saying is don't sweat the little things with your Dell.
It's a killer system but your thinking implies you have the wrong solution if you want that last 10% of performance.
BTW, I noticed when configuring a Dell/AW PC that the Mem speed is 5200 on 64GB and 5600 with 32GB so maybe that is what you are seeing.
As for the display.....lol....no comment. :P
jack_17
1 Rookie
•
15 Posts
0
October 5th, 2024 00:26
Hi, can you tell me what version of BIOS do you have.
Thanks
mikedice417
1 Rookie
•
2 Posts
0
January 24th, 2025 01:28
Same. Same dell PC and ordered the same Crucial 5600MHz RAM from Amazon (2x32GB). The speed slowed down to 5200MHz. I like this powershell command:
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemory - it shows this for both chips
Speed : 5600
...
ConfiguredClockSpeed : 5200
Well what are you going to do? I think the extra capacity will be nice even if it is a little slower. I doubt I'll notice any difference for my workloads
Botrels
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
April 7th, 2025 02:03
Any solution? So that the memories work at 5600? Or is it a processor limitation?
mine looks like the friend above @mikedice417Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemory - it shows this for both chips
Speed : 5600
...
ConfiguredClockSpeed : 5200