BIOS settings for faster memory access

There are several ways to make your memory run faster. I will present you some of the settings that you can usually change.

If you do know, search some forums for your hardware and get to know what you can and what you cannot do. Note that your BIOS might not have these options at all.

CAS Latency - CAS latency is a setting that determines the access time (in column) for the RAM in your system. The lower the latency, the faster and more frequently the computer is able to access the RAM for different pieces of information. SDRAM has a standard latency of 3, but most pieces can handle a latency of 2.

If you use RDRAM, don't change this option. It's already probably at fastest rate it can support.. This is a form of overclocking, so be careful. Try searching some forums for your memory type and manufacturer to see what can you do.

RAS to CAS Delay - Determines the amount of time between read/write operations on a column. A lower setting makes it go faster, but pay attention when changing it; if your memory modules don't support it, you could end up in a system halt.

RAS Precharge Time - the number of cycles the RAM requires between DRAM refreshes. Lowering it makes the system memory go faster, but increases the risk of instability. Make sure that your system is stable after doing any modifications of this kind.

SDRAM Precharge Control - Makes changes to the managing mechanism of the precharging times for the SDRAM. The default is disabled. By enabling it could go both ways: make the system faster or slow it down so do some tests after making any changes.

Shadow System BIOS - Copies the BIOS memory in system memory, resulting a faster access time. The result is a faster boot and a faster overall system.

System BIOS Cacheable - Allows the system to cache the BIOS to L2 cache when needed, speeding up BIOS execution more than the previous setting. Try setting this and shadow system BIOS for a maximum perfomance. Do some benchmarks after doing this to see how your system responds.

** Please note that Tutorial5.com or anyone associated with is not responsible in any form for the usage one may experiance from this tutorial. Please take great care and be advised that these settings could harm your computer.

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