TDR caused by too much ram

[Cameron Paki]

Hello TOM's hardware community.

I have been getting the dreaded TDR error i i've managed to isolate it down to afew things for my particular case.

1st my specs.
Mob:Asus P9X79 Pro
HD's:OCZ Vertex 3 Series x3 180gig
CPU:Intel Core i7 3930K
OS:Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 Eng (64-bit OEM)
GPU:EVGA GeForce GTX 570 SC HDMI Dual-DVI 1280MB & Gigabyte GeForce GT 520 OC HDMI 1GB
PSU:Corsair CMPSU-850HX 850W
RAM:G.Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3 PC12800/1600MHz CL9 4x4GB (F3-12800CL9Q-16GBZL) x8 total for 32gigs of ram <--- important

After my initial setup of the system, with all parts in, i was getting TDR regularly.
Even in idle desktop. So i dumbed down some settings (i.e. turn aero off, lowered gpu clocks so on ect..) and was able to get it stable enough in idle.
Then i was able to force TDR using MSI kombuster, executing the GPU burn-in test in D3d11 mode.
So i stript down the system, started again and added parts one by one, running the kombuster d3d11 burn test each time after adding a new part.
Also tested all the ram modules one by one running this test, they all passed.
And i've found that as soon as i fill the 5th dimm slot (any slot of the spare 4 slots) i get the TDR error running the kombuster test.



I thinking something to do with not enough power is getting to all the ram dimms?
But thats my noob guess, hence why i'm asking the pro community out there.
Thanks in advance look forward to hearing your opinions and ideas.

 

[fantastik250]

I notice that you have 2 video cards in your computer. Are you using one as a PhysX card?

How long have how you had these problems?

Also, did you overclock any other components, not only your GPU?

 

[Cameron Paki]

I notice that you have 2 video cards in your computer. Are you using one as a PhysX card?

No, its for a 3rd monitor, for editing via premiere cs6 video preview.
When installing the GPU's i started with the gt520 in the top pci-e lane, with two ram dimms filled, ran with no issues.
Then i installed the gtx570 in to the top pci-e lane and moved the gt520 to the bottom lane with two ram dimms filled, and again passed the test.

 

[Cameron Paki]

I notice that you have 2 video cards in your computer. Are you using one as a PhysX card?

How long have how you had these problems?

Also, did you overclock any other components, not only your GPU?

Sorry, didn't fully read your questions, will now answer in full.
The system is bran knew, all parts essmbled by me in the last week. Probelms 1st started not long after my 1st boot in to windows, in the desktop, while i was trying to install updates. 1st thing i tried to do after reading about TDR was run prime95 and monitored temps, ran it for about 4 hours and all temps were normal/safe.

All components are at stock, i havent done any OC'ing what so ever, though the gtx570 is a evga gtx 570 factory OC'd.

 

[4745454b]

Did you manually set the ram? Try taking it off of auto.

 

[Cameron Paki]

Did you manually set the ram? Try taking it off of auto.

No i didn't its all been on auto, will try and report back.

 

[Cameron Paki]

Do i need to muck around with timings, or should i just set the frequency manually??

 

[Cameron Paki]

Best answer selected by Cameron beloved patriot.

 

[4745454b]

It should all be set manually. Timings, voltage, latency, etc. Look it up if you don't know what it is.

 

[Cameron Paki]

Did you manually set the ram? Try taking it off of auto.

This is exactly what i needed to do, loaded all the rest of the ram, ran the test (which normally fails after a few seconds) and has been going to 30mins no TDR.

Thank you very much for your help.
Hope this thread helps others in the future.

 

[4745454b]

If you are running max banks on the ram then you might want to up the voltage by one setting. Might be what you need to stay stable. Try to stay below 1.5(?) however.

 

[Cameron Paki]

If you are running max banks on the ram then you might want to up the voltage by one setting. Might be what you need to stay stable. Try to stay below 1.5(?) however.

Thanks i will check it out. I have know idea what the voltage is at, was trying to find it when i set the frequency to manual but didnt see.
I will look again. Has to be there somewhere.

 

[4745454b]

Might be near the Vcore. Its different from Vcore however. One is the voltage for the CPU, the other for your ram.