problems during start up

[Geoffie]

Hi

I posted a problem in another section which I'm continuing here as I think it has something to do with the memory (as before I thought it had something to do with power saving) for which I think my solution might have something to do with overclocking. If you feel I should post it in the 'motherboard & memory section' please tell me. And sorry I couldn't narrow down my problem...

The previous post is to be found at

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182186&goto=newpost

To resumé: I have a Sabertooth x79, Intel Core i7-3930k, Corsair Vengeance Quad Channel Memory 1866Mhz 4*4GB.
The problem is that when starting my pc (or coming back from hybernation) it often stops which has something to do with the memory (or motherboard or both) as the light next to the memory remains on indicating there's something wrong. If you look at my mobo the memory layout is as follows
A1 A2 B1 B2 CPU D2 D1 C2 C1
and the memory is (by Asus recommendation) installed in following slots
A1 B1 D1 C1

Now I found out that there is more than 1 problem, when I literally touch the memory in D1 my system falls out, so I guess there is a connection problem as sometimes only 12 gb is detected as well. So I moved all the memory to the left of my cpu (A1 A2 B1 B2) and again 16gb is detected, so I guess the memory is ok. But now I wonder, can we still talk about Quad Channel Memory? Or does layout not infect quad channel configuration (as long as you have 4 perfectly matched sticks)? Anway apart from that, my pc still blocks often. Asus indicates 2 problems: 1) compatibility issue as the memory is not on the Qualified Vender List which I think is bull 2) the memory is not compatible with the cpu and for this I quote ASUS as it is too much to resumé:

''The memory types that are supported by this CPU on stock settings are DDR3 1066/1333/1600Mhz, as you can see the 1866Mhz is not supported.
The only way to use memory with a higher number of Mhz such as 1866Mhz, is by overclocking the system.
However, we do not provide direct support for overclocking your PC and thus cannot help you with this"

So I set my bios (which is the latest version by the way) to memory profile 'XMP' instead of 'auto'. Still the same problem, but now at least it is telling me something: "overclocking failed" during start up. Than I set it to 'manual', and choose 1866 1600 1333, the same error message!

So I'm in desperate need of help, I know there's something wrong with the motherboard, but I think the problem is more likely to be some wrong settings? I still hope to find a way to work around (even if my memory would work as dual channel) instead of rma the motherboard and/or memory, too much work for me deconstructing my pc and no way I can miss my pc for the moment.

Thanks

 

[ne6togadno]

A1 A2 B1 B2 is dual chanel configuration
if you want quad you have to follow asus recomendation and either use A1 B1 D1 C1 or us A2 B2 D2 C2.
there is no such thing as perfect match so try swaping sticks throught slots (you can place stickers on them and number em so you can make difference) till you get 16gb quad.

 

[micropage7]

what about run at stock speed, does it give you fail message?
have you tried reset your bios too then re setting it again

 

[Geekoid]

Have you tested fully with just 1 stick of memory in (Asus seem to recommend using slot D1 for this, but as your one appears to be broken... rma)? Does it still happen with just 1 stick? Are the DRAM voltage settings correct? Have you run memtest to ensure you don't have any bad sticks?

 

[Hood]

Asus DIMM Slot Roulette

Sounds like Asus is up to their usual BS, avoiding RMA costs by trying to blame the customer. If you have a bad D1 memory slot that crashes the system by touching the DIMM, they owe you a new board. I understand that you dread tearing it down, and waiting while you have no working PC is hard, especially since they already have your money, and you have no product. You might try the "squeaky wheel theory", just keep emailing and calling them until they agree to cross-ship the board, that way you'll only be down for a couple of hours.
If you're okay with keeping the board despite the bad slot, there's a couple things you can try (if you haven't already). If you don't have the latest BIOS (3501), follow the procedure to re-flash the BIOS (USB Flashback is easiest & safest). If you already have 3501, you'll need to reset it to default settings. To reset everything on the board; power down, unplug the power cord, move the CLRRTC jumper from default position over 1 pin to the clear position for 10 seconds, then move it back to default position, plug in, and power it up. Set the time & date, and leave everything else at default. Run it like that for a while to see if the problem persists.
You might also try booting with only 2 sticks installed in A1 & B1 and see if it still hangs up. I don't believe the Corsair 1866 DIMMs are incompatible, the QVL for your mobo lists DIMMs up to 2400 MHz, and Corsair is the most commonly used brand. Good luck.

 

[Geoffie]

thanks for the info so far

clearing cmos, update bios, reset bios, memtest... that I already have done

I did some test with only one stick and started with D1 (the asus recommendation), of course that wasn't going to work as I mentioned before that there was a connection error (as pc restarts after touching the dimm). I checked the other slots, 1 dimm only works from A1 or B1 or C1. All the other slots give me a beeping error. I guess that's normal or should any dimm work from any slot? Placing the four in A2 B2 C2 D2 (to avoid D1) gives me an error too. For the moment I'm running with 2 sticks (B1 & B2 ~ after failure I will try A1 & B1 as suggested by Hood). BUT I don't understand that when I put all the sticks to the left of my pc that 16gb is recognized (I know now that would be only dual channel), than why does it still hangs. Even when I set profile to xmp or manual with speeds of 1333 1600 and 1866? Or are there more settings to adjust than just the speed?

 

[Hood]

Or are there more settings to adjust than just the speed?

Yes, the timings are very important, but if you didn't set them, they should be on auto (set by SPD info in DIMMs or by XMP profile if enabled). You can check them with CPU-Z (Memory tab shows current timings, SPD tab shows JEDEC & XMP timings for various speeds). I still think you got a bad motherboard with more problems than just 1 bad slot, but you may have to prove it to Asus by installing RAM from the QVL. They usually try everything possible to avoid paying for an RMA, even though the bad D1 slot is enough to seal the deal.