I installed memory rated at 1600MHz on X9SRA, but it only reported 1333MHz when “DDR speed” setting in the BIOS was set to “Auto”. If I set the DDR speed to “Force SPD”, the BIOS will show 1600MHz. Why?
When "Auto" option is selected for DDR Speed setting in the BIOS, BIOS will set the DDR speed based upon Intel POR. Therefore it is possible that the maximum DDR frequency will be limited to 1333Mhz per spec even though it is rated at 1600MHz. Selecting "Force SPD" will force the BIOS to set the DDR run speed at its rated frequency.