Switched from 1333mhz to 1600mhz RAM, PC won't boot

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Keb001

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Dec 31, 2015
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Hi,

I'm so sorry, but here's another of these threads...

So basically a few months back I bought a 4gb 1600mhz RAM which I mixed with what I already had : 2x2gb 1333mhz RAM. I know, different frequencies, thats bad, but at that time I didn't know about this, and, well, it worked (and still works) fine.

But then I bought the exact same 4gb 1600mhz stick in a 2x4gb setup and it won't boot.

I tried downclocking and overclocking the RAM in the BIOS (while changing the voltages accordingly), doesn't work.
I tried one stick only, doesn't work.

My mobo is a gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 rev 2.1.

I should add that when I run with both frequencies, just like now, the 4gb stick is detected and works fine.
Sorry I'm really noobish with that stuff, although I've been digging your site for some hours now :)

Any help is appreciated !
 
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RealBeast

RealBeast

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Sep 13, 2010
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All of the memory attached must run at the same speed, timings, and voltage. Sometimes different sticks just won't work together, but the best chance of success is to run them all at the slowest speed, loosest timing, and highest voltage required for any of the sticks.

And you must always consider that one or more sticks may be bad, so run the free memtest86 on them from HERE.
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

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Jun 5, 2013
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Might want to try the 2 new 4G sticks (without any others) in slots 1-3, if no joy try in 2-4, if neither combo works try resetting the CMOS then try again to make sure the new 2x4GB sticks work - let us know then we can proceed from there (it's never a good idea to mix packages of DRAM)
 
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K

Keb001

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Dec 31, 2015
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I tried slots 1-3 and slots 2-4 :
-with BIOS settings left on "auto" - didn't work
-with BIOS settings on manual (1600mhz, 1.62 DRAM voltage, 9-9-9-24 timing as it is written on the sticks - didn't work.

I cleared the CMOS, still not working...

What I don't understand is, if it's not detected after the CMOS, it sounds like the sticks don't work. But when I use the 2x2gb sticks (slots 1 and 2) and one of the 4gb stick (slot 3) the 4gb stick is detected and I have no instability problem (but I totally understand why it isn't a good idea).

I haven't run the memtest yet. Is it fine if I do that with the mixed sticks ? Not that I have a choice : I can't boot with only the 4gb sticks, and testing only the 2gb sticks won't solve the problem.
 
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Keb001

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Dec 31, 2015
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Update : I managed to boot with my 2x4gb. But that was weird.
Turns out my old 4gb stick was somehow preventing the pc to boot... I marked to differenciate it from the new one, the I booted with only the new one... it worked. Then I added the old one... still works, 8gb detected ! Really weird (at least, to me) since doing the same thing with the old stick in the first slot doesn't work.

Maybe I should do a memtest after all ? I mean, it looks like this old stick is cursed or something...

Edit : well it's not that stable... I had a freeze that forced me to reboot. Any idea what caused this ?
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
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First try raising the DRAM voltage + 0.05 i.e. if 1.5 set to 1.55, the sticks prob aren't fully compatible, mixing DRAM oft times ends up in problems like this, which is why it's not a good idea to mix - some sticks won't play together at all ;)
 
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K

Keb001

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Dec 31, 2015
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I am currently running with only one 4gb stick, no freezes, it's stable. When I try the same settings with the other stick (the old one), it won't boot, so it looks like this stick is the problem. Still, I don't understand why it works when mixed with the 2x2gb sticks.
I will try to run a memtest tomorrow.
 
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K

Keb001

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Dec 31, 2015
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Alright, I'm starting to understand :) Just because it's the same model, doesn't mean it will work... So, the solution would be to buy RAM as a 8gb kit, right ?
 
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