I have two 512MB memory sticks that were advertised as having CAS latency 2. My motherboard is detecting them as CAS 2.5. I have the option of manually setting the CAS latency to 2. Others who have purchased the same memory have had the same problem, and they say that they've manually changed the CAS latency with no ill effects. Is it safe to do? Will it have any noticeable impact on my computer's performance? Would it be considered overclocking?

If the ram is listed a 2, then it should be no problem to set it to that.

You could give use the model# of the ram and the mobo just to make sure.

It's not OC'ing if you're setting the values to ones listed by the manufacturer. OC'ing is only if you're going beyond the manufacturer's guaranteed settings.

It's not unusual for the CAS to be improperly set via SPD. It happens a lot. Most mobo's in fact will not set the CAS below a certain level by default, most often 2.5 for DDR and 4 for DDR2. It could go the other way, too. My own mobo set the CAS to 2 by default even though my two sticks of Kingston are rated for 2.5. Go fig.

As to the performances increases, no. You have to tweak multiple settings in your system before you can see any increases in benchmark scores or whatever. A lot of the serious OC'ers out there get really fanatical about that sort of thing. If I had more time on my hands, I'd be doing that, too! :D :cool: But alas, I only have time to use my computer, not work on it.

RAM: OCZ Performance Series OCZ4001024PFDC-K
MoBo: Soltek SL-K890Pro-939