How to make RIVE/R4E rock solid stable? (the opposite of an OC Guide)

[WillyK]

Apparently RIVE/R4E is not particularly stable, even on stock "safe settings", regardless of the BIOS version (there's plenty evidence on this forum and on the web in general). Even after verifying stable setup with hours Prime95, OCCT, etc. testing, one day it can still surprise you crashing down and giving you some weird behavior hard time.

It would be nice if some Asus Guru can provide a Guide for how to make this board just extremely robust (not OC).

I.e. what settings would make sure that whatever good PCIe cards and peripheral gears you decide to use, the RIVE/R4E would keep smiling and running rock solid? (Obviously, I'm not talking about setting Vcore 1.5v and VCCSA 1.3v etc., also it is useful to know which specific parameters are the key to stability.)

Anyone?

[HiVizMan]

WillyK

I if you run your system at defaults no overclock on the CPU no overclock on the ram then you are as stable as you are going to get. This is new unused CPU and RAM. And assuming the ram you are buying is from the QVL list. However if you need more stability than even that you get Xeon processors and ECC ram. And if you really want the total stability thing then you get motherboards that do not allow any overclocking at all. Like the stuff I have in the server rooms of my Enterprise clients.

The stress tests you use as an example to determine stability do more harm to the hardware in my view than any good. At the end of a 24 hour period of Prime all you have proved is that your CPU passed 24 hours of that stress test. It might fail the next 10 minutes of WOW. The amount of damage that has potentially been done due to the unnatural loading of the silicone during the stress tests, I shudder to think about.

So not what you wanted I know, but it is what I honestly think and have experienced.

Maybe some other ROG member will have a magic recipe that can provide a guaranteed stable system but I can not give the way to many variable that could case any system to fail at any given time.

[WillyK]

Thanks a lot. Fair enough, and sorry for my poor communication skills 🙂 That's not what I meant.

To put it simple:
- You want to make RIVE/R4E robust (not some other board etc.)
- Which settings should be manipulated on THIS BOARD and how?

Clearly I'm not talking about any stealth military class stability, but making it as stable as any decent board in its class out there (and I've had a few of those over the years without experiencing much hassle). And it's not the components (CPU, RAM, etc.) - it's the board that needs attention!

So, yes, I hope some Asus guru would care to share a few words of wisdom about how to make this wonderful beast of a board robust... I guess you're not saying that it can't be done without buying Xeon, ECC RAM etc.?

[Zka17]

based on my recent experience on tweaking almost all components on different ROG mobos, my conclusion is that "rock stability" = manual settings in BIOS...

There is no two mobo, CPU, memory, GPU, etc. exactly the same, they're all a little different (due to today's manufacturing limits)... so, when it comes to stability, no matter if it's at stock or OC'd, the original presets may not fit to all... - hence my idea for manual settings...

The RIVE is meant for the enthusiasts, it's a high end (perhaps the top) mobo designed specially for OC'ing. This means that a lot of features it has are open for users to change... it's up to users how they want to set it up... In contrast, mobos like from the workstation series, are really designed for reliability... can not change/setup so many things, but they're running strong...

So, my "magic recipe" is to take your time and learn your system! Experiment it's limits, what each component of it can do... then, when you know the limits, you will be ready to look for "rock stable" settings... 🙂

Also, you do have to get a better definition of "rock stable"... Stability is a very subjective thing... I was there too, thinking that 24 hours prime95 will give the definitive answer... and I did changed my mind! Mostly because listening and experimenting things what I found on this Forum...

[Myk_SilentShado]

You will never get 100% rock stable hardware, not even software. Something always happens. You can have a system last you for years on end without a hiccup and then suddenly everything falls apart, that's just the way it is. For myself, my system is factory basically. No overclocks on my CPU or even my GPU...but I have had some problems, due to a BIOS problem with the onboard sound...there *are* stable BIOS revisions, you just have to find them..for my system it's the 1102 Revision for my CHVF.

But since you want a magic formula here it is:

1. Do not Overclock your hardware
2. Do not update your BIOS unless you absolutely must do so
3. Select your components carefully and stay with them until your next major build.

[Zka17]

Myk SilentShadow wrote:
You will never get 100% rock stable hardware, not even software. Something always happens.

Oh yes! I forgot to mention that the main problem with system stability is the OS itself... do not allow to auto update... same for the graphic card's driver... I did spent a lot of time with some of my builds which suddenly went from a "rock stable" stage to a very unstable stage... - with absolutely no change on the hardware side... and turned out that the problem was the auto update...

[mdzcpa]

Best approach for maximum stability on this platform is:

Use a top end high quality PSU
Use Intel SATA ports exclusively if possible
Use specific X79 tuned quad channel memory ONLY from QVL
Load BIOS defaults (everything on Auto)
Set your Boot priority
Set your fan controls as desired
Disable ALL unused peripherals (BT, SATA controllers, etc, etc)
Set Memory to XMP (will work well if you use X79 Quad Channel kit from QVL)
Leave everything else on Auto

No system is perfectly stable. But the above will help on the RIVE.
Key points are avoid non Intel Controller and the use of high quality ram on the QVL. These two items account for most of the troubles reported when not overclocking. Especially the RAM issues. I can't even count how many users complain of stability issues when they have skimped on RAM by carrying over old non X79 quad channel ram, or by not choosing from the QVL. Never combine 2 dual channel kits (even of the same exact make and model) if you want the best chance of stability.

[WillyK]

That's exactly my point. Finding the ideal RAM, CPU, GPU,... etc. is not what I would call a "robust" board configuration requirements.

A robust board won't be as "picky" and it'll be stable with any compliant components (not optimally, of course, but it'll be stable!)
I assume a high-end board like RIVE should be able to work stable in a different mode too, let's call it a "low performance" mode allowing you to use some "imperfect" components and not crashing for no good reason at wiil.

I've had (Asus) boards before that would run with almost anything you put in there - not that it's what I'm aiming at here, but you get my point.
So is it possible to put this particular model in a robust "non-picky" mode and what is it? (the stock settings don't give you that)

[HiVizMan]

If you want robust you buy a motherboard that does not allow overclocking at all. Actually you buy an Intel board. 🙂

If you want tweakability and you want a platform that will fly when tuned correctly you buy the Extreme, if you are going to be going sub-zero then your go the extreme. If all you want is robust dependability at stock you do not go RIVE, what a waste. It is not a board for everyone, and if I am brutally honest 90% of the folks who buy that board do not have a clue how to actually use it or get the most out of it. Why they bought the board in the first place I really can not comment on, sure I am pleased they did, because without folks buying the board ASUS would not make the boards for folks who do use them in the way they were designed to be used.


Mate when I buy a car to transport my kids around I do not buy a Ferrari GT type sports car. I buy a boring safe people mover. It starts each and every morning and gets me from A to B. Boring and safe family car. Not a high performance car. Oh and I do know a bit about high performance cars and they require continual maintenance as a rule. You can not just chuck any old motor oil into the F12berlinetta now can you? Not if you want that beauty to work you don't. Nor would I put any old idiot behind the wheel.

Sadly with motherboard we do not have that luxury anyone can own any board if they have the money to buy one. 😄

[Zka17]

LOL, I really like the comparison of ROG mobos/products with the Ferrari! And yes, I can confirm what HiVizMan says... you won't enjoy an Extreme board if you can not use all it's features... as I said, take your time and LEARN the RIVE... - it will be fun... if you're interested in tweaking...

HiVizMan: Just out from curiosity, do you guys have in UK Ferraris with their steering wheel in right side? I never saw one...