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Resolved - ROG Users careful about new Intel P3700 NVME PCIE SSD and Maximus 7 Hero

EH1206
Level 7
Hello, everyone! I am new here but I have a big headache. I just bought an expensive Intel P3700 NVME PCIE SSD (>1300 US Dollars, not the old SATA Intel S3700 SSD model), it is really a beast as per different review articles from the Internet. (3000MB/s read, 2000MB/s write for 800GB or larger model)

However, I found the compatibility issue with my M7H board, for those ROG users who are considering getting one of this beast, they have to think twice:

My original configuration:

CPU: Intel 4790K;
MB: Asus M7H, BIOS 1104 (Latest);
Ram: Kingston HyperX Beast 2400 DDR3 8GB x2, (XMP Profile 1 = 2400MHz, XMP Profile 2 = 2133 MHz);
VGA: Nvdia GTX 780 ti;
HD: WD Re 4 2TB;
PSU: Cooler Master V1000 1000W;
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i;

The description of my problem:

(A) Initially I had my 8GB x 2 ram in slot 2 & 4, XMP set to Profile 1, everything works fine, no 2nd/3rd boot/boot loop, nothing unusual;

(B) Then I installed the P3700, I could enter the OS (ram slot 2 & 4), and I could also install windows 8.1 in the new P3700, but then I found that I only get 8GB ram, which means another 8GB ram is missing;

(C) Still my ram is in slot 2 & 4, I tried to enter BIOS, but couldn't. When I pressed "DEL" I got dark screen only and ASUS Q Code = D5, which means "no space for legacy option rom";

(D) I unplugged my SSD, everything fine again;

(E) Then I tried to used slot 1 & 3 for my ram, the computer couldn't even boot, this time Q Code = 55, which means "Memory not installed";

(F) I then tried my ram into slot 1 & 2, for this time, i can enter BIOS, i can enter OS, i merely don't have dual channel ram, which was understandable and acceptable to me;

(G) However, in this case, I experienced 2nd / 3rd boot, the system will boot for twice or 3 times, no matter I boot for both cold boot or restart boot, when makes me feel worried;

(H) I changed XMP to profile 2 (2133MHz), or I also tried switching off the XMP, then I could boot without problem, no 2nd / 3rd boot.

So in conclusion, now i could only use 2 x 8GB Ram in 2133 MHz and single channel plus my Intel P3700 SSD, or i could choose to use my ram in 2400 MHz and dual channel, but without my new and expensive SSD, which drives me crazy...

And i have searched a lot through the Internet already, and I found this link from another ASUS forum:

"http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?board_id=1&model=MAXIMUS+VI+EXTREME&id=20140704075147174&page=1&...", in which other ASUS users described the similar problem of the Intel p3700 SSD with ASUS MBs as I described in item (C);

I wonder if some one could advise a solution, so that I could use my P3700 SSD together with my ram in dual channel, 2400MHz?? I don't think it is an easy to answer question, and I have tried doing all things i could think of such as trying another ram or clearing the CMOS.

I understand my problem is complicated when it consists of several issues, much much appreciate if sb can advise sth which makes my config better then their current situation...Anyway I don't wish to find that the P3700 SSD is a waste of money, or a big problem to ROG board users.

Thanks a lot!!

EH1206
7,474 Views
4 REPLIES 4

Praz
Level 13
Hello

Contact both Intel and ASUS for your location. Intel designed the drive for enterprise use and the M7H is a desktop platform. This goes beyond any type of support that can be provided here on the forum.

It is definitely a compatibility issue, Intel P3700 SSD has been proven to be able to be installed in other Z97 motherboard.

I don't think ASUS will repair this problem by updating their BIOS, after all not many will buy a P3700 SSD.

I have changed to use another brand of Z97 MB which works well with the P3700 and my other components.

Thanks anyway for those who offer their help / advice in this forum, though it turned out that the advice didn't work.

Phuncz
Level 7
A suggestion might be to statically set the PCIe bus frequency at 100MHz and see if that helps.
● Ncase M1 - N° 0796 + Sharkoon SilentStorm SFX Gold
● Asus Maximus VII Impact + 2x 8GB Crucial VLP 1600MHz
● Intel Core i5-4670K + Scythe Kabuto 2 (NF-F12 PWM fans)
● AMD Radeon R9 290X + Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV (NF-F12 PWM fans)
● Samsung 830 256GB SSD

chevell
Level 7
You seem to be having the same symptoms as those using the old Sandforce firmware SSD's.

From what I read about problems with this particular PCIe SSD, it requires a PCIeX4_3 slot which would be the very bottom slot on the Maximus Hero. Although it's supposed to be compatible with PCIe 2.0 the performance goes down considerably.

It also requires uEFI 2.3.1 supporting bios. The complaints at the Intel forum are exactly the same with memory not showing up, won't boot into bios etc.

You also need to install the latest Intel NVMe driver for Windows. Hope it helps. 🙂
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=23929〈=eng