GSkill 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3-1866 RAM only working in 3rd DIMM Slot

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
Hello!

My Specs:
CPU: Intel i&-4790K
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A
Memory: GSkill Ripjaws 1866 DDR3 1x8GB
GPU: Asus GTX Geforce 770 2GB
Case: Corsair 750d
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Seidon 240m
HDD: Western Digital Black 1 TB
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB
PSU: Seasonic 650 Watt Gold Certified

The Issue:

I have a single stick of 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws RAM (1866 DDR3) RAM and an ASUS Z97-A MoBo. As it stands, the stick only works in the 3rd slot. I am ok with this, I guess, but I do find it quite odd and want to make sure my board is not faulty or anything.

The red DRAM_LED light stays on when the stick is plugged into the 1st or 2nd slot (DRAM_A1 and DRAM_A2) but works in DRAM_B1 and DRAM_B2 (the 3rd and 4th slots). I have a MemOK! button that I can press, but it only cycles through the fix attempts and then LED pops back up like originally.

When I get into BIOS with it in the slots that work, everything appears normal, so I don't know if there is some difference in the B slots and A slots that I am just not understanding that would cause the RAM to only be read in the Bs.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Karsten75

Karsten75

Judicious
Oct 15, 2009
6,909
0
36,960
there are two alternative explanations.

1. When you insert the memory, you're not doing it right.

2. There is an issue with the motherboard. either physically or electrically. Use a flashlight and magnifying Glass and carefully inspect the RAM slots on the motherboard for discrepancies between the working and non-working slots. If you see nothing, and you're absolutely certain that you are inserting the stick correctly (no heatsink or cooler in the way, for instance) then contact the manufacturer to RMA the board.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
UPDATE: I have also noticed that when I try to boot in slots 1 or 2 and restart with the RAM in a working slot, an American Megatrends spalsh screen comes up that says my specs and then says "Overclocking failed! Please enter setup to re-configure your system." My BIOS was reset just prior to the latest attempt to load the RAM into the unworking slot, so maybe there is a setting somewhere trying to overclock the RAM when in an A slot...I will dig in the BIOS to see....

Also, when I first tried, I noticed the EZ_XMP switch was switched on, so I switched it off after trying slot 3 for the first time. I just don't know how to tell the MoBo to stop thinking RAM in slots 1 and 2 should be overclocked.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
Tried the above. No dice. Thanks for the suggestion though, I would never have thought of that.

I still think the splashscreen that I mentioned sheds some light, I just don't know on what....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
One thing I keep noticing is that when set to auto, it keeps thinking that the RAM is 1333MHz, but it is actually 1866MHz.
Also, I notice that every time I load the RAM into the first two slots, after I boot it back up later, the BIOS has reset the overcloking from either Auto or Manual to XMP (which heralds back to the XMP switch I was talking about before). I will try installing and playing with the switch.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
Still nothing. As I said, it appears like the MoBo is over-riding the overclocking settings to XMP when RAM is installed in either slot 1 or 2. Not sure how to make it stop doing that.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
Set it to manual and ensured that all of the setting are correct, but as soon as I install the RAM into the other slots, it still will not turn on. When I switch it back, I still get the screen saying "Overclocking failed! Please enter Setup to re-configure your system."

The BIOS are blurry, and the AI Overclock Tuner is set to XMP (I had it set on Manual before). The EZ_XMP switch on the MoBo itself is also off, though it was on accidentally when I first tried installing the RAM in the first two slots.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
Ya, I was really hoping to avoid that as well. I do have a request in to ASUS for technical assistance, and I plan on calling/text chatting with them first thing in the morning. I am also going to try updating the BIOS. Who knows, might help?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
Wow....I just realized something. I think the XMP switch was actually on the entire time. The manual tilted the picture showing on and off to horizontal while the switch is actually vertical and I must have just assumed. So that solves the issue of it keep switching back to XMP mode when I don't want it to.

However, it does not solve the issue of the RAM not working in the first two slots. Which unfortunately leads me to believe bad MoBo now......
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
benjiboy180

benjiboy180

Honorable
Oct 13, 2012
43
0
10,540
On a side note: would it be ok (or worth it) to go ahead and install stuff like Windows, etc? I mean replacing the MoBo (worst case scenario) wouldn't affect all of that too much, eh?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom