Strange memory issue, tests okay but causes issues in Windows.

[rhapdog]

I've been running this particular memory at 2133MHz with no issues for quite some time. I decided to bump it up to 2400, and found timings for it. After setting it up, computer booted up just fine into Windows 7 and everything was running okay. Prime95 ran fine. I ran Windows Memory Diagnostic, and that's where everything went south. The diagnostic reported no errors, but upon the attempt to load Windows, it said my boot drive was damaged. This issue continued until I reset my memory back to the 2133 settings, then Windows booted fine. Now if I set it back to 2400, it boots up okay, then Prime95 runs, at at the end of a successful hour of running Prime95, I stop workers and get a BSOD when I stop the workers.

I'm new to overclocking still, and can't understand what's happening here. I don't get any errors when running Windows Memory Diagnostic, nor do I get any errors when running MemTest86.

My CPU during stress testing never gets above 44C, and the motherboard never gets above 28C. The memory stays cool to the touch, and my iGPU never gets above 56C when stressing the iGPU.

My motherboard supports the 2400 OC memory, and my A10-6800K is supposed to be able to run with 2400 OC memory as well. Where do I start to look for the issue?

 

[satindemon4u]

Memory brand and whatnot?

EDIT: According to your specs it is this?:

16GB Corsair CMZ16GXM2A1866C9 8GBx2 OC'd to 2133MHz

 

[Steevo]

Bump the NB/IMB voltage a tenth or two.

 

[eidairaman1]

plain n simple, youre pushing it too hard, run it at less than 2400 the way it was before you had the issues

 

[rhapdog]

Memory brand and whatnot?

EDIT: According to your specs it is this?:

16GB Corsair CMZ16GXM2A1866C9 8GBx2 OC'd to 2133MHz

Yes, that's what it is.

plain n simple, youre pushing it too hard, run it at less than 2400 the way it was before you had the issues

That's quitter talk. I will not accept that until I've tried everything else first. If I've tried everything and it still fails, I'll be happy to accept it.
I had even worse issues at 1866 before I got the setup right, and worse at 2133. I have seen someone else running this RAM at 2400. If I was pushing it too hard, I would think the MemTest86 and the Prime95 tests I did was have resulted in errors. The memory stays cool, it's just that ever since Windows did a memory diagnostic, windows doesn't want to boot with it at that speed, even though the diagnostic said everything was okay. It will boot and run Linux just fine.

Still get the occasional BSOD, but only in Windows.

@Steevo: I'll try bumping the NB/IMB voltage, that is, if I can determine which settings to do that with. I'll try to post a screen shot later of my BIOS screen with those settings, perhaps someone can tell me exactly which ones to change. I'm not really sure, as I'm new with OC'ing memory. I'd like to match what someone else has done, but they are not forthcoming past the initial timings. It could be because they aren't stable, but maybe they just want the bragging rights. Hard to tell sometimes. If I'm successful, I'd be happy to post all the settings so that others can duplicate it. I don't need bragging rights, I'd just like to get the biggest bang for my buck, because I'm such a tightwad. That's why I bought the A10-6800K in the first place. (And why I'm running it at 4800MHz for core, and 1266MHz on the iGPU now.)

When running at 2133, I have it set at 9-11-10-28-2T and 1.65V.
When attempting 2400, I set it to 11-13-13-31-2T with 1.65V. Should I up the voltage there a bit as well? Maybe as high as 1.7? 1.5V at 1866 works great, but it won't run at 1.5V at higher speeds. The memory is safe to 2.0V (max), but not sure how high the memory controller can handle. Info there would be helpful as well.

 

[eidairaman1]

Trust me not everythings going to overclock as far as youd like, Theres limits(due to environmental and manufacturing). You started having the problem when you started to overclock that ram. So stop doing that, its not quitter talk its reality of the world we live in, nothings perfect.

 

[Sasqui]

FWIW, I tried moving my Sniper up to 2400, relaxed timings to 11 and did try 1.7v but still failed. 16GB works flawlessly at 2133 9-9-11 1.65v.

You may need to relax even more to 12... but getting way into diminishing returns at that point.

 

[rhapdog]

Trust me not everythings going to overclock as far as youd like, Theres limits(due to environmental and manufacturing). You started having the problem when you started to overclock that ram. So stop doing that, its not quitter talk its reality of the world we live in, nothings perfect.

I realize there are limits. I've already stated that. However, you never know what the limits are unless you test them. It can be different on every stick of memory. Saying "stop" before you even test, in my book, is quitter talk. If I had that attitude, I never would have gotten the memory above 1600.

2400 is the maximum my MB will support. According to Corsair, there have been quite a few people successful in clocking this memory at 2400 with no problems. I just haven't gotten all the details I need in order to implement it. Also, it may not be compatible with my hardware, but, if not, then why is it passing all the stress tests and memory tests at that speed? I'm close, I know it. Just need some more tweaking.

If I get this figured out, I'll post back the results, or post back my failure if that is what happens.

 

[Sasqui]

2400 is the maximum my MB will support. According to Corsair, there have been quite a few people successful in clocking this memory at 2400 with no problems. I just haven't gotten all the details I need in order to implement it. Also, it may not be compatible with my hardware, but, if not, then why is it passing all the stress tests and memory tests at that speed? I'm close, I know it. Just need some more tweaking.

You may be hitting a limit with the memory controller, are there any tweaks with your chip in that regards?

 

[rhapdog]

Yes, there are tweaks available for the memory controller.

I was finally able to get a stable OC at 2400, but I've decided not to publish how I did it, because I have bumped it back down to 2133. At 2400, it runs at a voltage that I am not comfortable running with for 24/7 stability and not comfortable with how it may possibly shorten the life of the CPU/Memory. While the temps remain cool (I had a liquid cooling system gifted to me, which is when I decided to start overclocking), I'm not comfortable with the voltages.

I am stable and within decent voltages for longevity, the temps are rock solid and cool, and I'm running at 2133MHz for my memory, 4800MHz for my CPU (A10-6800K), with the integrated GPU (HD 8670D) clocked at 1266MHz.

I must say, going from "stock" settings to these "OC" settings, I have seen an improvement playing Tomb Raider 2013 by being able to take textures from "normal" to "ultra", finally able to turn on shadows with high resolution, turned on reflections, depth of field, high precision, and post processing, all of which were off before, and I'm getting about 2-3 more frames per second. Basically the "Normal" preset with Shadow resolution bumped to high and Texture quality bumped to Ultra. Very nice at 1600x700 or 1280x720 with very playable frame rates. Perhaps not what an avid gamer could stand to play on, but considering I'm not a big gamer, I'm extremely happy with the results of my work on this.

Thank you everyone for your input. It did actually help me to test out all the possibilities so I could know what to do. Now I know it is achievable, but not worth it in the long run. Budget builds should last a long time, because when you're on a budget, you can't afford to replace often, which is another reason I want to get the most for my money. Cooling system as a gift, I couldn't turn it down. I would not have bought a liquid cooling system for an AMD A10-6800K, though, as I wouldn't have thought it worth the money. But, hey, I like free!

 

[95Viper]

I'd like to match what someone else has done, but they are not forthcoming past the initial timings. It could be because they aren't stable, but maybe they just want the bragging rights. Hard to tell sometimes.

I was finally able to get a stable OC at 2400, but I've decided not to publish how I did it, because I have bumped it back down to 2133.

Hmmmm...

 

[rhapdog]

Hmmmm...

It took 1.75V, and I don't want it to look like I endorse that kind of dangerous living. Just not safe long term. Passed tests, Windows 7 didn't have any issues (immediately) the way it did before, but I didn't do a burn-in for 24 hours either. Wasn't going to at that voltage. Just not comfortable with it.

I've concluded this memory cannot safely OC to 2400 with this particular processor, because the on-die Memory Controller can't handle that voltage over an extended period of time. I also had to relax the timings more, which makes it much less efficient than the 2133MHz at the timings it is using. Just not worth it to try again, for anyone, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not into having to have bragging rights, so why bother?

When running (16GB Corsair CMZ16GXM2A1866C9 8GBx2) at 2133MHz, I have it set at 9-11-10-28-2T and 1.65V. That's the best this memory kit can do safely for an A10-6800K. Perhaps those will help someone?

Lesson learned? If you want to run it faster, buy faster rated memory with lower latency.

 

[Hood]

I'm interested in how you got to 4.8 GHz on the APU without temp/stability problems. I'm new to AMD APU overclocking, and there's not a lot of info in the wild about it. I just built an APU system (see system specs), but a friend liked it so much, I sold it to him, before I had a chance to play with it. He's buying an A10-7850K and 2133 RAM next payday and we're gonna max it out and see what happens...

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

You really don't want to stress test memory in windows right off the bat. You need to boot into memtest86+ v5 and let it run at least overnight 2 or 3 times, then move on to something more intensive than prime like BF3 or Crysis 3 (idk if BF4 is stable enough for stress testing yet.)

 

[Steevo]

So wait....the MFG says 2.0 volts is OK for the memory but on the high end, and you are running 1.75 through it and worried, or 1.75 on the NB/IMC?

The only part of the CPU that will see the actual signaling voltage of the RAM is the on die terminators, and using AMD Overdrive you should leave the voltage lower and try changing the termination strength first.

 

[satindemon4u]

Not sure if this helps or not (or if it is the same memory as you). Also not sure of what is end goal is but I did find this, hope it...helps? lol
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277234-29-corsair-vengeance-ddr3-1600mhz-overclocking-guide

 

[rhapdog]

@Hood: I got it to 4.8GHz without temperature problems because I'm using a liquid cooling system that was gifted to me. It's a factory sealed all-in-one liquid cooling, and the exact one is listed in my specs. I added a second fan that I had on hand, and it cools great. I happen to know what it cost, though. My father-in-law paid $54.99 at NewEgg and got a $20 rebate from CoolerMaster.

@Steevo: Yes, I'm worried, because the memory manufacturer will say it can handle certain voltages without regard to what the integrated memory controller can actually handle. The AMD A10-6800K memory controller is rated for 1.5V according to what I could find. 1.65V is iffy as far as I'm concerned, but within a tolerable overage for me, as they are generally rated lower than what they can handle. I simply don't have the confidence that the memory controller will hold up under long term voltages as high as 1.75V. What the memory can handle and what the memory controller can handle are 2 separate issues. It might run fine for 5 years at 1.75V, but it might burn out after 3 months of use. I have more confidence that it will run longer at 1.65V than 1.75V, and I need this system to last a long time. It's been over 7 years since my last upgrade of a motherboard/cpu/memory, and with a family to take care of, it may be that long before my next one, which is why I need to both make the most of it AND make sure it will last long term. Still saving for a graphics card, though.

 

[vega22]

1.8vdimm or back off the clocks dude.

 

[Aquinus]

I would back off the clocks. 2133 memory isn't always going to hit 2400. Mine doesn't, even if it handles 2333Mhz okay (using 10-11-10-30 as opposed to 9-11-10-28). You may need to loosen up your timings if you keep trying.

Edit: I should clarify. My memory does hit 2400 and has gone as high as 2450, but it's not completely stable, so I don't do it. Granted, I'm using a very different platform.

Edit 2: You said...

The diagnostic reported no errors, but upon the attempt to load Windows, it said my boot drive was damaged.

Classically on AMD machines I've owned, pushing HyperTransport too high will cause issues like this. So it might be how you're overclocking your machine. Could we see a screenshot of CPU-Z with memory at 2400 and at 2133. I would like to see the CPU tab and the Memory tab for each.