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Memory(?) problem with older build, would like advice

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NavyGeo

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Hi all, and thanks for the help with getting my FX9590 up and running!

I have another project that I'm having an issue with. Last year I found an old AlienWare Area-51 desktop with the original Pentium IV still chugging away. The owner just didn't want it anymore, and had left it on the curb for recycling. I asked, and received his permission to bring it home. I've repainted the case(can't stand that lime green color!) to look like an old grey alien, with cracked skin showing dark blue underneath. I put the following stuff into it:

GigaByte GA-Z87X-OC motherboard.
Intel Core i5 4690 CPU.
32 Gb(4x8Gb) Hynix server-RAM(PC-3 10600R 1333Mhz) ECC registered DDR3.
Radeon RX570 video card.
RotM 750Gb and RotM 1Tb hard drives, and a RotM DVD; all SATA.
EVGA 750W power supply.

So...when I turn the machine on, the "power" LED on the MB illuminates, the the drives spin up, and an LED on the RX570 lights up. Then I get beeps...LOTS of beeps VERY rapidly. In the space of about 5 seconds, I'd say I get between 25 and 30 beeps, then the system restarts and repeats. Until I remove power this cycle continues repeating. The DeBug LED shows either a "15" or a "51"...I'm not sure how it's supposed to be read in relation to the MB. The "15" code states "Pre-memory North-Bridge initialization is started." The "51" code states "50-55: Memory initialization error occurs." Some reading on the internet also revealed that "constant" beeping might be caused by an incorrectly installed video card.

I've removed and reinstalled the memory, and I've removed and reinstalled the video card without any change. I then removed the video card completely and plugged my HDMI cable into the MB 'video' output. There was still no change in the symptoms. It seems I'm looking at a memory issue; could the memory I purchased be incompatible with the motherboard? Prior to purchasing I contacted the seller and stated which MB I was planning to install their memory into, and they assured me that the RAM listed above was compatible.

Would anyone like to help me out here?

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Rick
 
I am pretty sure that platform does not support ECC memory.
 
I also believe it's a memory issue. Motherboards have to support ECC memory, and it's likely that one doesn't.

Vya Domus said:
I am pretty sure that platform does not support ECC memory.
Click to expand...
Damn, beat me to it

Edit: Yep, double checked the spec sheet on the product page: "Support for non-ECC memory modules". I would look into returning that kit if possible. I would guess the seller either didn't know what ECC means and just assumed it would be compatible because it's DDR3, or just flat out lied to make a sale
 
Well I don't want to make a mistake like that again. I found the memory compatibility list for this MB, and Hynix isn't on it. This is what www.gigabyte.com says about RAM for this MB:

  • Memory
    1. 4 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
      * Due to a Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed.
    2. Dual channel memory architecture
    3. Support for DDR3 3000(O.C.) / 2933(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2600(O.C.) / 2500(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) / 1866(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 MHz memory modules
    4. Support for non-ECC memory modules
    5. Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules



I found this memory on EBay, and it is also on my MB's memory compatibility list:

CORSAIR Platinum

GA-Z87X-OC MCL
Go down to the 1866Mhz section.
 
NavyGeo said:
Well I don't want to make a mistake like that again. I found the memory compatibility list for this MB, and Hynix isn't on it. This is what www.gigabyte.com says about RAM for this MB:

  • Memory
    1. 4 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
      * Due to a Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed.
    2. Dual channel memory architecture
    3. Support for DDR3 3000(O.C.) / 2933(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2600(O.C.) / 2500(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) / 1866(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 MHz memory modules
    4. Support for non-ECC memory modules
    5. Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules
Click to expand...
The QVL list provided by the motherboard manufacturer isn't an exhaustive list of kits that will work, it's just a list of kits that have been tested by the manufacturer. The issue with the kit you originally bought is that it's server ECC (error correction code) memory. You would have to have a server motherboard that is compatible with ECC memory to use it. I imagine any non-ECC DDR3 would work. What's your purpose for the system? 32GB is arguably overkill for gaming. I'm not very familiar with that Intel platform, but you might want to opt for 16GB of a higher frequency. Would probably be cheaper as well.
 
milewski1015 said:
The QVL list provided by the motherboard manufacturer isn't an exhaustive list of kits that will work, it's just a list of kits that have been tested by the manufacturer. The issue with the kit you originally bought is that it's server ECC (error correction code) memory. You would have to have a server motherboard that is compatible with ECC memory to use it. I imagine any non-ECC DDR3 would work. What's your purpose for the system? 32GB is arguably overkill for gaming. I'm not very familiar with that Intel platform, but you might want to opt for 16GB of a higher frequency. Would probably be cheaper as well.
Click to expand...

My intent is two-fold. I game, but nothing current. I play the WarGaming series(World of Tanks, of Warplanes, and Warships) and World of Warcraft. I also do some 'just for me' research; I'm using UC Berkeley's BOINC to participate in some programs they support, and I do some personal research on tectonic activity using the USGS earthquake database and some others. No, I"m not an educated scientist; I just like learning.

That Corsair RAM is about $120 for 32Gb. I noticed that the MB supports up to "3000Mhz O.C."; I'd love to try that, but I'm betting that I'd need to have a beefier power-supply. There is a 4-pin "OverClock" power receptacle on the motherboard that I can't hook up. I don't have any more cables coming from the PS, unless I could find a jumper from the second video-card power-terminal. Reading the manual, it appears that unless I'm going to overclock I don't need to use that power hookup.
 
I'm not familiar enough with those games to say for sure, but they likely wouldn't benefit from having more than 16GB of RAM. The system requirements listed for the BOINC programs that I saw all require extremely small amounts of RAM at minimum (most was 1.5GB).

PCPP shows you can get a new 4x8 kit of DDR4-3200 for $110. I wasn't into PC building when DDR3 was mainstream so I'm not sure what a kit like the one you've found used to cost - therefore I can't tell you whether that's a good deal or not.

I doubt you would need a beefier PSU, 750W is plenty. Are you talking about the 4-pin connector labeled ATX_12V? You don't need that if you have an 8-pin plugged into the ATX_12V_2x4. Memory overclocking is more dependent on the quality of the memory chips on your modules, the quality of your CPU's internal memory controller, and the quality of your motherboard (daisy-chain vs. T-topology, etc). In general, if you wanted to overclock your memory, you would be better off getting a 2x16 kit instead of a 4x8 kit (or a 2x8 kit instead of a 4x4 kit if you dropped to 16GB). Seems like stock memory speed for DDR3 is 1333, so I would imagine running at 1866 is relatively easy. Hitting 3000 would likely be quite the undertaking and require a top quality memory kit.

I just don't want you to go spend $120 on 32GB of RAM when what you're doing with the system would be fine with 16GB
 
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