32gb boot ok, 64gb no boot DDR4-3200C16Q-32GTZB

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Tanyac

Tanyac

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I have an X99A XpowerAC motherboard.
It's maximum memory support is 64gb
When I plug in 8x8gb sticks it won't boot.
It loops through debug codes, stops on 04 then repeats.
Clearing CMOS does not help
The BIOS is the latest. A60
The memory is listed in the MSI QVL.

The memory is two identical (!) F4-3200C16Q-32GTZB G.Skill kits 16-18-18-38 timings.
I get that this is not a matched 64gb kit, but lots of people do this.

So why won't it boot... How do I fix?

I have ASUS X99-Deluxe/3.1 away on RMA, which I'm guessing I won't see for months if past history repeats. So I'd like to resolve this now, rather than wait to get the X99-Deluxe back.

But the question also for that board, even though the DDR4 is listed in the QVL, might I have the same problem?
 
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Shaun o

Shaun o

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Oct 7, 2007
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What I would do, is take a look in the bios of the mother board with just 32Gb of your DDR 4 memory installed.

With up to eight memory slots on the motherboard is goes without saying that the board has quad channel memory memory capability.

The error likely has to do if you have a total of eight memory slots on the motherboard.

But two kit`s of memory each of four ram modules.

How and where you place each branded kit of memory to each of the eight memory slots on the motherboard.

What you need to do is look at both sets of four banks of memory slots on the motherboard.



It`s a bit hard to explain, but out of the eight memory slots you have a set memory kit must be placed in the four same coloured memory slots, and not mixed between for example black and blue slots.

Then make sure the other memory kit and all of it`s modules are placed in the four black set of memory slots only.
Where Dimm 1 channel A, Dimm 0 is

If the memory has a higher latency timing than the other memory kit of four sticks you have or a lower speed frequency of the memory place the memory in the four memory slots of the same colour first.

Click on the link bellow for a module layout of a quad channel memory motherboard. Make sure Xmp 2.0 mode is enabled in the bios for the memory.

And take note if there is any slight voltage difference between the two memory kits, if there is set the memory voltage manually to the highest voltage quoted on the sticker on the memory.

Or increase the voltage slighty by 0.250Mv.

First memory kit of four stick, if slower in speed or of a higher latency timing.
In the blue set of memory slots as listed from dimm 1 to 4.

Second from dimm 5 to 8 in black.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=quad+channel+motherboard+dimm+layout&espv=2&biw=2844&bih=1491&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9wfvwo5rPAhVlJsAKHQT4CSEQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.9#imgrc=6rmOJWa635DctM%3A

You should then get the board to boot with the full two sets of memory sticks for 64 Gb of total memory.
Tanyac ok.


 
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Tanyac

Tanyac

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The memory is set to run at XMP setting of 3200.
The CPU is a I7-6900K currently running at 3600mhz.
The modules are installed kits A1 B1 C1 D1, Kits 2 A2 B2 C2 D2 as per manual.
Voltages have not been manually adjusted. They are whatever the BIOS sets them to when XMP mode is enabled.
I was hoping to run them @ 3200, otherwise I could have saved lots by buying slower memory
Things are a bit hectic at present, so I won't get a chance to get back to this for a few days.
Will get back to you when I've had a chance to try some tweaks.

@tradesman1. Thanks for the link. Good article.
 
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amtseung

amtseung

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XMP tends to be really unhappy when there's mixed sets of ram. I found this out the hard way, though at the time, I thought "I've got two 4GB 1600mhz DDR3, should work together" and was horribly mistaken. I was hitting post errors for a good day until I disabled XMP running a single stick, stuffed the second stick back in, and voila, no hardware conflicts. I think it has something to do with how XMP would be trying to pull from two conflicting sets of different latencies on unmatched ram.

Don't mind me, just talking to myself in a corner here...
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

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In principle, the BIOS should be picking the worst/slowest timing of the lot to meet the slowest DIMM's timings. In practice, I'm guessing many BIOS assume that all DIMMs match the first one on the SPD chain and if that DIMM isn't the slowest you have, you get extra problems and need to go manual.
 
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amtseung

amtseung

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The long story is, I had two sticks of ram. One was a Kingston Blu that was a beautiful overclocker and could run all the way to 2400 at 8-8-8-22 1.6V. The other stick was a G.Skill Ripjaws that would crash the system running at 1866 by itself, regardless of voltage or latencies. The XMP profiles for both sticks were also pretty wildly different, not necessarily the primary latencies, but the myriad of other timing-related things down that long list of latencies that I never touch solely out of fear. I'm guessing it's all these other latencies and timings that ordinary folk never touch that lead to these discrepancies and post errors with XMP profiles running.
 
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Tanyac

Tanyac

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As a naive semi-technical person I would have thought if the timings on all sticks were 16-18-18-38-2N 1.35v that one could expect them to cooperate with each other - at the rated speed. Then someone had to go and throw a spanner in the works and mention another term ... "latencies" ;)

Ok, should I just bite the proverbial bullet and buy a 64gb kit.

Interestingly (or maybe not), the 64gb kit is 4x16gb not 8x8gb.

The cost of the two 32gb kits was $538. The 64gb kits is $569. It wasn't the price that made me buy it this way, it was the fact that one stick was playing up and I had to replace the kit under RMA and I had to buy extra memory whilst the supplier took their time replacing the faulty kit.

But I can always redeploy the 2 x 32gb kits into my sons' computers and sell their 16gb kits, or just sell the 32gb kits to reduce $$ loss.
 
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amtseung

amtseung

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Timings and latencies are often used interchangably in the context of RAM performance. Those 4 hyphenated numbers listed on RAM packaging, as well as the 50+ other values when it comes to RAM timing/latencies are just measurements, in milliseconds of the time it takes between the computer asking for certain data sets from the RAM, and the RAM being able to regurgitate it. I know this is a gross oversimplification of how the things actually work, as there are far more variables involved (the DDR in that DDR4 means something pretty significant) than just the numbers on the side.

I'll shut up before I confuse myself anymore.
 
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Tanyac

Tanyac

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I like your sense of humor :)

I have spotted two kits at a $70 AUD price difference

F4-3200C16Q-64gtzsw
F4-3200C16Q-64gtzbw

I assume the SW means silver/white and BW means black/white. But why would the bw be $70 cheaper than the sw?

As I asked, am I better off just buying the 64gb kit, and avoid tweaking of the dis-similar kits?
 
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amtseung

amtseung

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I can't answer whether or not you're better off buying one thing or another. Avoiding mismatched RAM is general good practice for any system builder. If there are tasks you do that need that 64GB of ram, it has good cost to performance value, and looks cool, I don't see why not. I don't look much at DDR4 and the bleeding edge anymore, simply because I'm still trying to massage my own system back to 100% functionality.

As for the cost difference for colors, you know how case manufacturers like to have a black color, solid side panel case for like 100 bucks, the black with window is 110, and the white version with a window is some ghastly 160+ bucks? Same idea here. They charge you more for colors because they can. And they feel like it.
 
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