Z790-E WIFI ; 14700K ; G Skill 7200MHz 2x16 32GB - XMP stable at desktop, games crash, RAM help

[OleWarChief]

Hello! This is my first time ever posting in a forum so please bear with me, and I appreciate any insights and guidance.

TL;DR - Default XMP crashes my system in gaming with the listed config, though on paper it should be supported. Looking for guidance adjusting the system RAM timings/voltages to optimize performance and stability.

This is my first personal PC build and important milestone of great importance for me. My goal is to have a reliably stable high-performance system. I am open to changes in the Mobo given I have a protection plan. The CPU return deadline ends today 7/3/24. All other components 15 days from today.

This is the setup:

• ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI 
• Intel 14700k
• DDR5-7200Mhz 2x16 32GB G Skill Z5 Trident (F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RS)
• Samsung 990 Pro 1TB with a matching 2TB for games
• ROG Strix LC II 360 AIO, and 6 Lian Li SL-Infinity fans mounted in the Lian Li O11 Dynamic
• KO-RTX 3070 O8G GAMING

I built this PC with default BIOS settings and enabled XMP to run the RAM at 7200MHz CL34-45-45-115 1.40v, which is confirmed on the QVL. My system works well in desktop tasks but freezes when I launch games like Fortnite and COD MW3. The issue persists even after checking various online forums for solutions.

Lowering RAM frequency to 6400MHz made Fortnite stable but COD still crashed. Attempts to tweak CAS Latency to 36 @ 6800MHz helped slightly for Fortnite but caused a lockup during memory stress testing. I am a novice at overclocking but willing to learn. I seek guidance on adjusting values like IMC, VDD, VDDQ, Timing, etc., to enhance gaming stability.

Memtest86 showed no errors, but AIDA64 and 3Dmark caused similar intermittent crashes. I prefer maximizing performance with existing components but am open to hardware changes for future-proofing. Despite feeling discouraged, I remain hopeful for a solution and appreciate any assistance.

Thank you!

[Vynra]

what you should do is use memtest86 thats in the UEFI to make sure the ram kits are actually good. you might have a bad ram stick. 7200 is pretty fast but if your not even stable at 6400 then my bet is on a memory stick being bad. test each stick to see.

[Silent_Scone]

Hi @OleWarChief 

Firstly you will want to disable XMP and retest the system to see if the crashing persists. Please note that XMP is overclocking, and in light of system instability all overclocking should be removed for troubleshooting purposes.

Whilst Memtest86 can help diagnose faulty modules, it isn't stringent enough to catch all instability brought on by memory overclocking.
For this I would recommend Karhu RAM Test or TM5

For more information on XMP/EXPO please read here

[OleWarChief]

Hello @Silent_Scone ! Thanks for chiming in, I've seen your responses in the forums and you offer solid advice.

To elaborate some, I have tested the RAM at lower frequencies with XMP on, and XMP off for default JEDEC speeds. and basically had little no system crashes. It has passed MemTest86 across the board with any config on the RAM thus my confusion, but I understand its not a totally thorough stress test.

I have read some into Karhu RAM and TM5, but I am having a hard time interpreting what values are indicative of stable RAM or points to hardware problems or even optimized performance. 

Do you have any insights on what to look for with this software? What values matter the most? Happy to read any guidance linked as well for research and learning.

My theory at the moment is that the system needs manual tweaking to make the XMP profile work at 7200MHz. I am wanting to determine which voltages and timings should be adjusted, in what order, etc. I am happy to do testing, but I imagine need a scientific/methodical approach to realize any gains or it's aimless trial and error.

[Silent_Scone]

Hi,

Here is the FAQ section for Karhu Ramtest which is my preference.

A: Below are the error detection rates by test duration based on over 100,000 test runs and roughly 8 years worth of non-stop RAM Test.

For a gaming system, I personally find between 3k to 6k% coverage to be sufficient.

• ≤ 1 min: 47.42 %
• ≤ 5 min: 65.05 %
• ≤ 10 min: 74.89 %
• ≤ 30 min: 87.62 %
• ≤ 1 h: 92.97 %
• ≤ 3 h: 97.84 %
• ≤ 6 h: 99.30 %
• ≤ 12 h: 99.91 %
• ≤ 24 h: 99.99 %

[chorde]

I didnt read all the post

I have a 14700k a rogstrix b760a gaming 48gb ram ddr5 rtx4060

The thing is that it was stable for 2 months, crashes minimal during the week, 2 maybe 3.. Gaming absolutely flawless...

And last week I updated the bios...to xx58.. And i noticed that everytime the game starts the led light of the mobo turns red and crashes after 10, 20 40 seconds, if theres a lot of action, the games gets killed, feezeed and drop me out to desktop... 

On callipsto protocol shows me a fatal error wibdow

Usually it never gets the systems jammed or bsod, nothing of that

Already tried intel stock values, performance mode disabled, xmp disabled... And nothing, im gonna dive into bios of past year, to get it work again.. If someone from technical support sees this, keep an eye on this...

Also reinstalled windows to hope see an improvement and, absolutely nothing changed... Same crash blah, also tried winterOS and nothing, the crash persisted... Didnt like the performance i got, uninstalled immediately

So whats stablest bios of all?

Seems like petunia has to do some coffee for us tonight

[Silent_Scone]

Have replied to your other post.

[OleWarChief]

To add a tangent to keep from a wall of text...

If 7200MHz is simply unachievable with my hardware, what would be the next best option for best performance? 

Would it be - 

• Replacing the RAM with lower Frequency sticks for reliability and optimized performance and OC from there when it is supported with future BIOS updates or hardware adjustments?
  
  
• Or, downclock the frequency to a supported/reliable frequency around 5600 ~ 6400 and tune the timings for max performance? What would be the best way to get these timings? (I tried 5600 and based my timings off of the equivalent G Skill stick timings I found online, but Idk if this is appropriate or produces the desired performance. Granted it was stable in Fortnite but seemed slower than leaving it alone, hard to tell)
• Replacing the Mobo with a different brand or upgrade to the Strix Z790-e Wifi II etc? 
  
  

I am open to suggestions and thank you again for the advice!

[Silent_Scone]

Manual tunings can sometimes be fraut with difficulties if unfamiliar with what certain timings and voltages do. However, you may find simply lowering the DRAM frequency 200 to 400MHz is enough.

[OleWarChief]

Hello again! @Silent_Scone 

An update after some testing,

So it appears that I can run 1x16GB at 7200MHZ and it is stable across the board, gaming and stress testing for hours seemed totally fine. Temps and utilization are higher for the RAM, which is expected but nothing extreme.

Granted, same crashing issue occurs in OCCT within 5 seconds of stress testing when using 2x16GB with the GSKill kit I have, and exact same behavior with a similar Corsair kit at similar frequencies. The Corsair Dominator's are rated for 7400 XMP, it will boot into Windows, but crashes gaming or OCCT stress test within 5 seconds. There are no errors with any of the testing I have done across AIDA, Event viewer, OCCT, etc. Haven't tried Kahru cause its paid license and trying to stop throwing money at tools when I am not getting data back that helps with adjustments.

My question is still what is the best way to work with this limitation or optimize performance? Is there a table of timings for a method to tightening timings at lower frequencies for lower latency? or what voltages would be the best to adjust to test for higher frequency stability?

Ultimately, what is the limitation here? Is it the Mobo and I need to upgrade? CPU/Memory Controller? How can I get more out of the system? 

I appreciate your insights thus far and any direction you can point me is helpful. I just want the PC to run as best as it can