Gigabyte RAM problems

[BachOn]

I have an older Gigabyte GA-Z77x-UD3H motherboard. Got the latest BIOS for it. It has four DDR3 memory slots. It will run with two occupied, but not all four. The CPU is an Intel I7 2700K. I want to use the computer for some music and video editing. 16 gigs isn't optimum for video, but it should be OK. 8 gig is a bit thin for video editing.

The RAM I'm using is G.Skill F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL. This is some of their Ripjaw series. It is DDR3-2133; CL 11-11-11-30; 1.5-1.6 voltage; PC3-17000 4Gig x 2 Intel xmp.

I've tried just about every combination I can think of. It runs fine with two sticks (slots 1 and 3). But it won't post with all four. I've tried different combinations of all the sticks. They all seem to work. Any two - boots fine. Four - nada. The board tries to start - but won't actually post. I'm using the onboard video for testing. Will use another video card if I can solve this issue.

I've tried different BIOS on the board to see if that made any difference. I'd read that the original BIOS had difficulty with some G.Skill RAM. But none of the versions seems to make any difference.

Again - these are four identical 4 GIG sticks - all have the same identification on the sticker. All bought at the same time.

I'd sure be grateful if anybody could help me figure out how to get all four sticks to work. I hate to have to buy more. These should work fine.

Thanks in advance,
BachOn

 

[Johan45]

My first thought, if you have checked all slots and all sticks and they all work independently but not together is that you might have some slightly bent pins in the socket.

 

[BachOn]

So, instead of using slots 1 and 3, I should also try 2 and 4. OK. I'll give that a try.

If the pins are bent, is that something a layman can repair? Or is this a send it back issue?

BTW, I neglected to say this is a Windows Home Premium - 64 bit OS.

I've tried it at stock speeds and overclocked. None of that seems to make any difference on this particular issue. It overclocks to 4,713 with just the stock cooler. Runs at about 51 C for routine tasks. Haven't tried any stress test. This is a new build. Haven't even put it in a case or connected to the network yet.

Thanks,
BachOn

 

[Mr.Scott]

My first thought, if you have checked all slots and all sticks and they all work independently but not together is that you might have some slightly bent pins in the socket.

First thing I would check also. If it's not that, the board is bad. 3 Year warranty I believe. If you're still inside that time frame RMA it. Gig RMA works off the serial number so a receipt is not necessary.

 

[Johan45]

Yes , you'll want to thoroughly check all the slots. If they all work independently then it's not a bad slot. It's also a good idea to check the mem sticks themselves with memtest which takes some time. As for the pins on the motherboard, they can be straightened it takes patience and a steady hand. It doesn't take much for them not to make proper contact with the CPU. If you pull the CPU out and notice an area in the pin bed that reflects light differently then the rest they're likely bent. You'll need some very fine point tweezers or similar and a magnifying glass to repair them. Manufacturers don't warranty bent pins either as far as I know, that's considered user damage. Some will replace the socket at your expense but it's very pricey. If no bent pins then it's likely a bad board

 

[BachOn]

Ummmm. I don't want to deal with bent pins under the CPU. I've tried that before. Get one fixed, screw up two more. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Uh-uh.

I bought the board about a year ago on clearance. Had it in the box. The cap was on the CPU slot until I put the CPU in. And I was pretty careful. I sure hope it isn't that. I'd rather send it back than try to fix that.

But I'll check out the RAM slots. I've never tried to fix that before. That may be an RMA too.

Thanks for the input.

BO

 

[redduc900]

With only 2 x modules installed, boot to the UEFI and adjust the DRAM frequency to DDR3-1600, timings to 9-9-9-24 at 1.60v. Save and exit, and check for a successful POST. If it POSTs at that frequency and timings, boot back to the BIOS and adjust the VTT/VCCIO and VCCSA/IMC voltages to 1.10-1.15 and 1.095 respectfully. Then bump the frequency to DDR3-1866 or higher and re-check for a successful POST.

 

[BachOn]

This motherboard allows different settings for the two pairs of DDR3 slots. Since slots 1 and 3 are working fine. Would you suggest I only try this for slots 2 and 4? Or am I looking at a bottleneck if the two paths are set differently?

Thanks for the suggestion.

BO

 

[BachOn]

A report on what I've discovered so far. First - I made a mistake. The working DDR3 slots are 2 and 4, not 1 and 3.
I tried using 1 and 3 with my 2133 DDR3. Nada. Never posted. Tried to start, but couldn't get going.
I also tried some slower 1333 DDR3. The computer will post with these in the working slots. It did the same thing with these as with the faster sticks. Tried to go, but no cigar.

So, it appears there is something mechanically wrong. First, I'm going to use a magnifying glass and examine those slots for something out of order and see if there is anything I can do about the mechanix.

Of course, bent CPU pins could also be the problem.

Plan B, I'll try to tinker with the RAM timing and see if that makes any difference. I had hoped this was going to be a simple build. Some are. This one isn't.

But it works fine with two sticks.

BO

 

[wingman99]

It works fine with 2 sticks in all 4 slots?

 

[Woomack]

If it's working fine in every slot but only 2 sticks then I would bump VTT/VCCSA voltages +0.1-0.2.
It should work in 4 slots at 1333-1600 clock but at 2133 it may need higher memory controller voltage ( what I already suggested ).

 

[BachOn]

No. I cannot get the computer to boot with ram in slots 1 and 3. It tries, but the machine doesn't quite post. I will tinker with the timing and voltages.

BO