Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600MHz

[haymo]

Hi,

Thought I'd join this form and post the same question I did on the Corsair site. Seems as though posts here are a lot more active so fingers crossed!

Just built my system yesterday and have a couple of issues. Firstly, upon receiving the package in the mail I noticed that the RAM had been opened - seals broken. When I opened the box to take the RAM out, 2 sticks fell out and you can tell they were tampered as the plastic casing was not completely closed. Anyway, decided to continue testing things out and noticed that upon cold boot the system reported the memory running at 1066MHz, all 12GB of RAM were successfully reported. I jumped into the BIOS, configured everything and set the XMP profile to Profile 1 - just had done a lot of reading up on this and thought this is the correct way to do it.

The RAM then reported (still in the BIOS) as running at 1600MHz. I rebooted and noticed the LEDs on the motherboard were a combination of green and orange LED's signifying that the RAM is overclocked slightly. It was then that the system began to fail passing the POST and locking up on me. In fact, it didnt lock up completely, because bashing the DEL key to enter the BIOS still resulted in the keystrokes being acknowledge by the PC speaker. I rebooted again twice and got the message that there has been a failed overclock and it was now resorting to the default settings. I entered the BIOS and changed the XMP profile to default (back to 1066) and restarted. It is also worth mentioning that a couple of times after restarting, the system would immediately turn off and I had to press the power button again...

A few times on default settings, it would still stop on reporting the memory in POST but would not proceed any further (IDE, SATA, etc). Then probably by the third or forth time, it passed POST.

Now keep in mind this is a completely new system, all that I am re-using from my old one is the video card, HDD's and DVD. It is an i7 930 with a Thermaltake 775W PS and 7800GTX.

There are so many options in the BIOS and I have the slightest idea at what some of them do! If anyone could help me out it would be much appreciated. It would be great to have a clear guide on what the settings in the BIOS should be because I know for a fact the memory is compatible with this board, hence why I bought it after thorough reading and using the RAM configuration tool on the Corsair site.

One more thing to mention is the the first time I set the XMP to profile 1 (1600HMz), it passed POST. Because the system wasn't booting from CD I had to go back into the BIOS, which is when the problem started after rebooting.

I am yet to run Memtest on the board which I will do so over the weekend. Have also spoken to the rep and they mentioned that RAM is always opened as they need to put some white sticker on there to marked it as being imported to Australia correctly... Nevertheless, he was helpful and offered advice to run tests and also set the timings manually. If it still fails he said to call back on Monday and do an RMA.

Thanks in advance!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Glad you found us, we can help!

Did you test the suspect package sticks one by one with memtest86+ 4.1 to be sure none of them are DOA? I would actually run a few passes on each stick from both sets one by one just to be sure they all work properly. Sorry I reply as I read, I see you are planning to do this soon.

What BIOS are you using? I suggest you update to the latest which you can get here

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/gigabyte-latest-bios-28441/

DO NOT use @BIOS to flash, please use Qflash or DOS, here is a guide

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios-flashing-how-qflash-guide-27576/

Then be sure you start with optimized defaults, then save/apply and reboot BACK to the BIOS and set your SATA/Disk settings again before you try to let windows load.

I need to know a few things before I can advise you, but I can give you full settings that should get you going so don't worry. What CPU Speed are you running, and did you plan to keep it like that or overclock?

If overclock, to what speed? Then I can give you settings for your current speed, and a overclock set as well.

12GB is a lot of memory, I do not advise using XMP even with 6GB so this is likely part of your problems. You should set it all manually, and set uncore manually to 2x your memory multiplier or above.

You may also need 1.14-1.2 or so IOH, and you may need to set ram voltage to 1.66-1.7. QPI/Vtt may need to be 1.3-1.5 or so, depending on your CPU.

I'll get you some full settings to mess with once you reply, just thought I would toss those tips out there for you to tinker with while you wait to hear back from us.

[haymo]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Thank you for taking the time to reply, especially before I leave to go home and get stuck into it hehe

I should point out something quickly (feel like an idiot now), but when I say it doesn't pass the POST, I actually meant to say it gets to the BIOS screen (memory speed info) but stops there...

Ok, so in answer to your questions, the BIOS I am using is F5. I have seen that FJ is available on the site but due to it being in beta I'm a little skeptical in running with it... Your thoughts? If so, will definitely be sure to use Qflash.

I did try Load Optimised Defaults and it did manage to get to report the memory speed but stopped there, before listings the disk configurations. Will try it again when I get home with the standard settings.

The CPU is stock 2.8GHz i7 930 and I don't actually plan on overclocking it to be honest - well not for a while... It's really a rig for development (running multiple VM's, etc) and I don't have a graphics card for it anyway. So happy for it to be stock CPU and memory, but would be nice to have the memory running at the rated speed of 1600MHz considering I forked out extra for it (I know it probably won't make much of difference anyway right?)

Interesting that you say 12GB won't play nice with XMP, I assumed that the memory itself bought in a kit should have the optimal settings for the BIOS, but then again my knowledge of overclocking and ratios of bus speeds are pretty limited. However, like the guy I spoke to said and as you pointed out, it's preferable to set these things manually, so I'm all ears :)

I'm pretty sure that when I enable the XMP the DDR voltage was about 1.65v just so you know. As for the CPU, that's cool, I'll change the voltages to whatever you come back with.

You may also need 1.14-1.2 or so IOH

Not sure what the above means though, new lingo to me hehe

As for the UCORE, would that mean 133 x 2 or something like that? And exactly what effect does this have or what does the UCORE do just out of curiosity?

When testing the sticks, do I put in one stick at a time on the second slot from the CPU (DDR1 i think?), run Memtest and reboot and replace the stick? Also, what test do I run? Quickest and most accurate would be great!

An important thing I should mention is when I plug my DVDRW in, it doesn't report the drive properly, instead it show something like: W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W or similar garbage like that... what the!? This also doesn't let me bot from the DVDRW event though CDROM is set as first boot device. I haven't as yet switched SATA ports, I think it's on GSATA8 atm.

Once again thanks for your help Lsdmeasap, I appreciate the help and patience!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

What Revision is your board, you need to check because the BIOSes are different for different revisions, one has F and a number, the other has F and a letter.

You have to use the correct one, beta is fine and suggested really, it's all I ever use I never flash a final BIOS unless specifcially asked by someone to test something.

XMP is just not a good plan I think, there is no way a pre-determined set of settings can guess what anyone's particular CPU is going to need, so it is best to not use this.

IOH is northbridge voltage, it is labeled IOH in your BIOS.

Uncore, no I mean your uncore must be set to 2 times the memory multiplier or above, so if you are using x8 memory multiplier you would set x16 uncore or above (17-18, ect). UNcore is everything else inside the CPU that is not the cores, higher uncore help with stability sometimes and can also increase performance

If you test single sticks, they can go into any White slot, not Blue. Just let the full normal test run 1-3 passes

Plug your OS Drive into SATAII_0, and put your DVD drive into SATAII_4 or 5, the port you have it on now is likely the cause of that.

Now, for some settings, try these for stock CPU speeds with ram at 1600Mhz

BSOD Error codes and what they mean:
0X00000050 << Incorrect Memory Timing/Freq or Uncore Multi
0X00000124 << Incorrect QPI/Vtt Voltage (To Much/Not Enough)
0X00000101 << Not enough Vcore Voltage

[B]Advanced CPU Features:[/B]
CPU Clock Ratio ................................ [21x]
Intel(R) Turbo Boost Tech .................. [Enabled]
CPU Cores Enabled ............................ [All]
CPU Multi Threading .......................... [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) ................... [Disabled]  << Disable if you want CPU to run at full speed always
C3/C6/C7 State Support .................... [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor ......................... [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function ............................ [Disabled] << Disable if you want CPU to run at full speed always
Virtualization Technology ................... [Enabled] << Disabled if you do not use Vmware or Virtual PC Programs
Bi-Directional PROCHOT ..................... [Enabled]


[B]Uncore & QPI Features:[/B]
QPI Link Speed .............................. x36 or x44 both are fine at stock Bclk
Uncore Frequency ..........................  (Always 2x memory Multi or 2x +1, 2x +2, ect - Higher means more Vdimm or QPI/Vtt often but can help stability) so set 24-26
Isonchronous Frequency ..................[Enabled]


[B]Standard Clock Control:[/B]
Base Clock (BCLK) Control ................ [Enabled]
BCLK Frequency (MHz) ..................... 133
PCI Express Frequency (MHz) ........... [100]

C.I.A.2 [Disabled]

[B]Advanced Clock Control:[/B]
CPU Clock Drive ..............................[800mV]
PCI Express Clock Drive ................... [900mV]
CPU Clock Skew ............................. [0ps]
IOH Clock Skew ............................. [0ps]


[B]Advanced DRAM Features:[/B]
Performance Enhance ...................... [Standard]  << Extreme may be best
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P) ......... [Disabled]
System Memory Multiplier (SPD) ........ [AUTO]  << Set x12 for 1600Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable (SPD) .......... [Manual] Expert, then set each channel MAIN timings and command rate one by one

[B]Channel A + B + C

Channel A Timing Settings:[/B]
##Channel A Standard Timing Control##
CAS Latency Time ...................... 8
tRCD ....................................... 8
tRP ......................................... 8
 tRAS ....................................... 24

Below values may be left in Auto if you like, generally this is fine.  For those users who DO Set advanced timings manually, please see some of my thoughts and findings about these settings and rules here
[url=http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3969957&postcount=3615]XtremeSystems Forums - View Single Post - Gigabyte EX58-UD5/Extreme Discussion Thread[/url]


##Channel A Advanced Timing Control##
tRC ........................................  (Should be = tRAS + tRP or above for stability)
tRRD .......................................
tWTR ...................................... (Must be Write to Read Delay/Same Rank - (tWL + 4)
tWR ........................................ 5-12 (Odd # values likely will fail)
tWTP .......................................    (tWTP Must = tWR + tWL + 4)
tWL ........................................   (tWL Must be CAS Latency -1)
tRFC .......................................   << Set 88-98
tRTP .......................................
tFAW ......................................
Command Rate (CMD) ................ 1T

##Channel A Misc Timing Control##
Round Trip Latency ...................

B2B CAS Delay ..........................


[B]Advanced Voltage Control:

CPU[/B]
Load Line Calibration ................. [Disabled] Auto or Level one is fine
CPU Vcore ............................... Auto is fine
QPI/VTT Voltage 1.150v ............  << This is the key, you need to find what is stable for your particular CPU, this is what I mainly think is an issue with XMP.   You may need 1.3-1.45+ for 12GB @ 160Mhz CAS 8
CPU PLL 1.800v ....................... Auto is fine

[B]MCH/ICH[/B]
PCIE 1.500v ...........................
QPI PLL 1.100v ....................... 1.2-1.24
IOH Core 1.100v ..................... 1.14-1.24
ICH I/O 1.500v .......................
ICH Core 1.1v ........................

[B]DRAM[/B]
DRAM Voltage 1.500v ..............  Set 1.66-1.7
DRAM Termination 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-A Data VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-B Data VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-C Data VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-A Address VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-B Address VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-C Address VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]

[haymo]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Champion! thanks for clarifying my questions and sheding some light on a few things :)

The revision is 1.0. So should I grab the FJ revision from the Latest BIOS section? I see that there is one for 2.0 so I'll just grab the other one...

Can't wait to get home and make the changes, I'll post my results here later tonight.

Thanks a heap for this Lsdmeasap, you've been really helpful

[haymo]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Ok so just thought I'd post a quick update.

I've run with the settings you have given to me Lsdmeasap, and run memtest for each module on DIMM1. So far, all the tests have been going well except I just went to turn off the PC to install the 5th DIMM, installed it and then went to turn it on again and the system turned off straight away. After about 3 seconds it started up again and threw a message on the BIOS screen saying there has been an overclock and it was reverting back to default settings or something...

From what I understand, the settings given to me are stock and should work fine? I have also upgraded the BIOS to F6J. It's also worth mentioning I have only done a single pass for each DIMM.

Any idea what would be going on?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Yeap, looks like F6j is the latest for your board revision.

No problem, I am happy to help!!

Ok, your testing. What exact settings are you using, I gave ranges so you can't just say the ones I gave you.

But it does sound to me like one module may be faulty, either the one you last tested before you saw the error, or the one you just installed. Although it could easily have been a setting off still, and just happened because you were shutting on/off so much without going to windows, and switching around hardware.

No though, the way I wanted you to test each stick would be different then than the above settings, those are what you would run your OS with. Although those would be good to use as well though now that I think about it, but you will need to be sure your QPI/Vtt is correct otherwise you can get errors and not know for sure if it is hardware error or settings.

It would be best to just start over the testing. Load optimized and reboot then test each stick one by one with auto settings, this will of course not be stock spec of the ram but it will allow you to verify if any of the sticks act differently, if they do that module is likely faulty.

Yes those settings I gave you are stock, and should work OK, but will need some tinkering on your part especially since you have 12GB. I gave those as a good starting point, you will need to tweak them yourself until you find stability, especially with QPI/Vtt, and you may also need higher tRFC than I gave, what does auto set anyway for these kits?

[haymo]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) hanging at 1600MHZ

Hi again,

Apologies for the late reply but I finally have found the time to get around to it. I thought this may be helpful for anyone else using the same m/b and memory combination going off your guide.

I did have to make a couple of minor changes to the voltages to get stability but now things are running perfect. Here are the settings (Btw, i've put in the defaults like you asked):

[B]
Advanced CPU Features:[/B]

CPU Clock Ratio ................................ [21x]
[URL="http://forums.tweaktown.com/"]<nobr style="color: rgb(43, 101, 176); font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%; font-family: monospace;" id="itxt_nobr_40_0">Intel[IMG]http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif[/IMG]</nobr>[/URL](R) Turbo Boost Tech .................. [Enabled]
CPU Cores Enabled ............................ [All]
CPU Multi Threading .......................... [Enabled]
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E) ................... [Disabled]  << Disable if you want CPU to run at full speed always
C3/C6/C7 State Support .................... [Disabled]
CPU Thermal Monitor ......................... [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function ............................ [Disabled] << Disable if you want CPU to run at full speed always
Virtualization Technology ................... [Enabled] << Disabled if you do not use Vmware or Virtual PC Programs
Bi-Directional PROCHOT ..................... [Enabled]


[B]Uncore & QPI Features:[/B]
QPI Link Speed .............................. x36 or x44 both are fine at stock Bclk (I used 36)
Uncore Frequency ..........................  (Always 2x memory Multi or 2x +1, 2x +2, ect - Higher means more Vdimm or QPI/Vtt often but can help stability) so set 24-26 (I used 26)
Isonchronous Frequency ..................[Enabled]


[B]Standard Clock Control:[/B]
Base Clock (BCLK) Control ................ [Enabled]
BCLK Frequency (MHz) ..................... 133
PCI Express Frequency (MHz) ........... [100]

C.I.A.2 [Disabled]

[B]Advanced Clock Control:[/B]
CPU Clock Drive ..............................[800mV]
PCI Express Clock Drive ................... [900mV]
CPU Clock Skew ............................. [0ps]
IOH Clock Skew ............................. [0ps]


[B]Advanced DRAM Features:[/B]
Performance Enhance ...................... [Standard]  << Extreme may be best
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P) ......... [Disabled]
System Memory Multiplier (SPD) ........ [AUTO]  << Set x12 for 1600Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable (SPD) .......... [Manual] Expert, then set each channel MAIN timings and command rate one by one

[B]Channel A + B + C

Channel A Timing Settings:[/B]
##Channel A Standard Timing Control##
CAS Latency Time ...................... 8 (DEFAULT is 8)
tRCD ....................................... 8 (DEFAULT is 8)
tRP ......................................... 8 (DEFAULT is 8)
 tRAS ....................................... 24 (DEFAULT is 20)

Below values may be left in Auto if you like, generally this is fine.  For those users who DO Set advanced timings manually, please see some of my thoughts and findings about these settings and rules here
[URL="http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3969957&postcount=3615"]XtremeSystems Forums - View Single Post - Gigabyte EX58-UD5/Extreme Discussion Thread[/URL]


##Channel A Advanced Timing Control##
tRC ........................................  (Should be = tRAS + tRP or above for stability) (i used 32, DEFAULT is 27) 
tRRD ....................................... (I Used auto, DEFAULT is 27)
tWTR ...................................... (Must be Write to Read Delay/Same Rank - (tWL + 4) (I used 11, DEFAULT is 4)
tWR ........................................ 5-12 (Odd # values likely will fail) (I used 8, DEFAULT is 8)
tWTP .......................................    (tWTP Must = tWR + tWL + 4) (i used 22, DEFAULT is 19)
tWL ........................................   (tWL Must be CAS Latency -1) (I used 7, DEFAULT is 7)
tRFC .......................................   << Set 88-98 (I used 94, DEFAULT is 60)
tRTP ....................................... (I used Auto, DEFAULT is 4)
tFAW ...................................... (I used Auto, DEFAULT is 20)
Command Rate (CMD) ................ 1T (DEFAULT is 2)

##Channel A Misc Timing Control##
Round Trip Latency ................... (I used auto, DEFAULT is 62)

B2B CAS Delay .......................... (I used auto, DEFAULT is '-')


[B]Advanced Voltage Control:

CPU[/B]
Load Line Calibration ................. [Disabled] Auto or Level one is fine (I used Auto)
CPU Vcore ............................... Auto is fine (DEFAULT is 1.25625V)
QPI/VTT Voltage 1.150v ............  << This is the key, you need to find what is stable for your particular CPU, this is what I mainly think is an issue with XMP.   You may need 1.3-1.45+ for 12GB @ 160Mhz CAS 8 (I used 1.435V, DEFAULT is 1.175V)
CPU PLL 1.800v ....................... Auto is fine (DEFAULT is 1.8V)

[B]MCH/ICH[/B]
PCIE 1.500v ........................... (DEFAULT is 1.5V)
QPI PLL 1.100v ....................... 1.2-1.24 (I used 1.24, DEFAULT is 1.1V)
IOH Core 1.100v ..................... 1.14-1.24 (I used 1.24, DEFAULT is 1.1V)
ICH I/O 1.500v ....................... (DEFAULT is 1.5V)
ICH Core 1.1v ........................ (DEFAULT is 1.1V)

[B]DRAM[/B]
DRAM Voltage 1.500v ..............  Set 1.66-1.7 (I used 1.7V, DEFAULT is 1.5V)
DRAM Termination 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-A Data VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-B Data VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-C Data VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-A Address VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-B Address VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]
Ch-C Address VRef. 0.750v [AUTO]

I didn't run the tests like you asked as by the time I read your post the machine was up and running, but will keep it in mind for next time.

Thanks again for your help, hope my settings are helpful too. Also just out of curiousity, if I wanted to bump u the speed of the CPU, are there a number of things i need to change other than the multiplier and base clock? What would be the impact of bumping these up and would you need to add additional voltage?

Cheers!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Ahh so you are all stable and happy now then? If so great to hear!!

Yeap, just adjust bclk, then memory multi might need changed if you go too high for the current one you are using. Past a certain point yes you will need to adjust things, memory timings, Vcore, QPI/Vtt would be the main ones that would need changed after a certain point, and if you change memory multi you would also need to change Uncore too.

[haymo]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Great!

Yup, all is running fine now

Thanks for all your help again Lsdmeasap :)

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R with CMD12GX3M6A1600C8 (12Gb RAM) not passing POST at 1600M

Anytime!

Nice to hear all is well, post back anytime!