Attempting to run 12GB on X58

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blitzkommando

Gawd
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
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Alright, I decided to build a system in September around the i7 920. Part of my requirements was that I up the ante to 12GB of memory as I didn't want to downgrade to 6GB when I was coming from a Q6600 with 8GB, of which I found I would use upwards of 6GB.

In any event, I've had nothing but issues and have tried multiple sets of memory, motherboards, and even borrowed my uncle's 920 while I was building his machine. Long story short, I haven't figured out what settings, if any, will result in a stable system even at stock speeds and memory 'underclocked' to 1066MHz. I initially thought I was rid of issues when I got this UD4P to replace what turned out to be a faulty UD5 (all memory, in any memory socket, would instantly error out in Memtest).

As it turns out, I still get the beeping on every cold boot though it mysteriously disappears if I reset thereafter and do a warm boot. I've run Memtest with the 12GB Corsair XMS3 kit I got and it comes out error free. And, aside from very strange hanging issues, the system truly seemed stable. I had it running for over eight days without reset and finally restarted due to an update which required such. But, tonight, I encountered another bluescreen identical to the ones I got on the UD5 and EVGA X58 SLI LE when they were having stability issues. I've since further increased voltages and even turned off the CPU's turbo mode as well as Gigabyte's "turbo" feature for memory down to "standard" setting.

I guess what I'm asking is a few parts fold. Firstly, is this beeping, which was present with the UD5 along with error code 68 (both 920 CPUs mind, of which the other is working just fine with 6GB on my uncle's setup), normal for cold booting with 12GB of memory on Gigabyte boards? Secondly, are there people who have been successful in running 12GB, at stock settings preferably, and had the system stable with similar setups?

For reference, I am running the 920 at stock, the aforementioned Gigabyte UD4P, Corsair HX3X12G1600C9 memory at 1066MHz (533x2), two HD 4870 512MB, and an Antec TruePower 850.

I am so thoroughly frustrated that I am ready to sell the mess, aside from drives, and build a system with 8GB of RAM on a completely different platform as this is just plain ridiculous. I've been building my own systems since 2003 and have never had this much trouble getting a system stable, let alone at stock settings.

I apologize if this is in the wrong section, I'm still a bit new to the forums here but I figured you guys, if anyone, would have some ideas on this. It's quite frustrating to constantly be worrying about system crashes on my workstation/gaming computer.
 
Out of curiosity, did you try just using one video card? Tried a different PSU? Even a different GPU?

Also did you try your CPU and your RAM in your uncles rig? What motherboard does your uncle's rig have?
 
im leaning toward the power supply being the problem.. like danny suggested try running with a single card.. see if the problems go away.. also check and see if the board has any bios updates for it.. but im still leaning toward the psu being the problem since its the only thing you haven't changed.. doubt its the cards that are the problem though..
 
Tried using each card solo, to no avail. I did not try my components in my uncle's machine, but he is running a UD4P as well.

And, power supply? I guess I hadn't really thought of that. It seems to handle the load just fine though, and voltages are good as well from what I can tell. I don't have a spare on hand that can really handle this machine though.
 
Did you set the timings manually?

I have the same board and had 12GB running fine until I sold the other kit (didn't need 12GB). I was using two different model kits. I had the standard G.Skill NQ kit and the older PI kit (blue and silver), both were DDR3-1600. I had the voltage set to 1.6v, speed set to DDR3-1600, and timings set to 9-9-9-24. I had to manually set my timings for it to run stable, [AUTO] would fail memtest.
 
The issue isn't so much failing Memtest, as it passes it just fine. I'm just very concerned about stability and the beeping prior to posting, and how the beeping doesn't occur during warm boots, certainly doesn't help alleviate those concerns. Nor did that BSOD.
 
... still didnt answer any questions about manually setting the timings nor the bios updates.
 
erginurd is probably right.. id try his suggestion and see what happens..
 
According to Intel, memory for the Core i7 should be run at 1.5 volt. Intel said that in most cases up to 1.65 volt is no problem, but it's still a 0.15 overvoltage. And the Core i7 920 officially supports up to 1066MHz DDR3 memory only, so 1600MHz is an overclock.

What happens if you change your set to 1066MHz - 8-8-8-24 and 1.5 volt?
 
The only BIOS update is a BETA which claims to fix unrelated issues. I'd prefer staying away from beta BIOS.

Timings are 9-9-9-24 at 1.6V. At 8-8-8-21 and 1.5V the memory would pass Memtest, but under certain loads it would seize up.
 
6x2 GB will really stress your processor memory controller, but officially, it should run. Maybe a long shot, but how is your processor temperature? As said, long shot, but it's possible for your memory controller to overheat too, obviously.

And from what I've understood, your system runs fine with 3 modules, right? If you can get into Windows with that, try OCCT and run the power supply test. It's not perfect, but if you can't replace your PSU with something else, it might show that your PSU has issues. Note, it CAN damage your PSU if it is really bad quality, so watch out.

And have you played around with the XMP (Extreme Memory Profiles) settings? Your Corsair modules support that. Who knows, maybe it makes a difference?

Finally, how's your power? I mean, is your computer in a grounded wall socket? And is it surge/interference protected by something like this?

If all else fails, I think you should put that memory in your uncle's PC for a while and see if his system crashes as well. If not, then you at least know that something in your PC is the problem.
 
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