RAM arrangement on mobo/compatibility

I have a weird issue here for which I need help. I have just purchased a system. The specs are as follows:
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE
Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3
Sapphire Radeon HD 6870
Corsiar CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 ( 8gb ) [2 4gb kits]
Corsair TX650W
WD Caviar Green 1 TB
Cooler Master 430 elite Black
The thing is, is my RAM supported by the mobo/cpu? I ask this coz even though its there in the QVL of the mobo, I'm using 2 pairs of it (as opposed to only 1 as per the QVL). And also I'm running the ram sticks in the following arrangement: 1st pair of the sticks: A1|B1 and the next pair in A2|B2. I have been told that this is not the correct way to run it. Instead I have been told to run it like this: 1st Pair: A1|A2 2nd pair: B1|B2. But when I run like this my system refuses to boot. So any headers on that? I have tested the sticks with memtest86 for 7-8 hours and prime 95 for 9 hours and no errors. I even tested the sticks individually for around 2 hours each. And no errors there as well. The system as such is running ok with no issues. But its the long run that I'm worried about. Can you help me on this?

what does the instruction manual say?

Mixing of RAM kits is never recommended nor guaranteed - even mixing of the same RAM kits - per Corsair. You can try manually setting the latencies to 11-11-11-30 2T @ 1.65 V and see if this helps. You can also up the CPU-NB / VDDNB to ~1.25v. There is no guarantee however that these two RAM kits will function without problems.

Quote from the Corsair website:

"Which Corsair Memory modules will work with my existing modules?

We strongly recommend matching the module part number as closely as possible in order to ensure the greatest chance of compatibility. Even if you match part numbers properly, we can’t make guarantees as to their performance as the modules weren’t tested together. Also be aware that when using two kits of memory together, you may need to reduce the speed of the memory due to motherboard chipset limitations."

"I have two Corsair Memory modules that work fine together but when I add two more modules of the matching part number, they won’t work.

We test these modules as they’re sold. In other words, a 2GB kit is tested only as a pair, not with two other modules. We’re not certain how two kits when put together will perform. While it is possible to get 2 separate kits working together, it will most likely require adjustments to be made in your BIOS to get the modules up and running. If possible, we suggest lowering your memory frequency and slightly increasing northbridge voltage. Please consult your motherboard manual for information on how to make these adjustments. "

See the Corsair "FAQs and Support" section for important RAM information.

manually set the timings as stade above and thenarrange the sticks by serial number as well for example

slot1:serial number x slot2: x+1 slot 3: x+2 and so forth

kommanderkodiak said:

thenarrange the sticks by serial number as well for example

slot1:serial number x slot2: x+1 slot 3: x+2 and so forth

Click to expand...

What will this accomplish? The answer is nothing?? I know this is a bad analogy but if you have 3 $20 bills in serial number order are they not still $20 bills? Same with memory and serial #. If you have any information on why this would be better I would love to hear it.




+1 to adding some NB voltage for 8GB of ram, that should do it saying that excerpt beenthere posted from Corsair isnt a load of crap (dont get defensive beenthere ). I say that only b/c when you logically think about it, how does corsair propose you run 8gb of ram....(by buying their 2x4GB kit) So Im wondering if thats not (more) marketing BS or more specifically, WHY that wouldnt work with two of the exact same kits.

You may also need to run 4 sticks at DDR3 1333 speeds for that to work to. Try loosening the timings up, adding some NB volts, and lowering the timings. Not all at once though. First thing I would do is ad NB volts.

I mean my system is working fine with the following settings:
AI OC Tuner {D.O.C.P,}
DRAM OC Profile {DDR3-1600}
DRAM Timing 9-9-9-24 2T
DRAM Voltage 1.65v

I tested the system for errors with prime95 and memtest and they are clean. The system seems stable for now, but the issue is the long run. I even posted in the Corsair forum, but the mod there told it may not guarantee stability in the long run. Thats what I'm worried about. Earlier on, before formatting my hard disk, I got occassional BSODs and they were related to atikmpag.sys. Did a bit of searching in the forums and found that it may be related to memory fault or a PSU fault. But the sticks are clean as per memtest (individual ones tested as well). So any advice whether these sticks will give me the stability. It works fine now. Dont wanna be sorry later...

No one can guarantee anything short or long term when you mix RAM.