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Ram 32gb sticks and x399

brek01
Level 7

‎04-18-2020 07:39 AM - last edited on ‎03-05-2024 08:04 PM by Community Admin

Anyone qualified to help on my project to get all 8 32gb sticks working on my very expensive x399 extreme alpha motherboard. Presently have 4 of the 32gb sticks running perfectly at 3200mhz, cannot get a stable 256gb at any ram speed, works ok until i do some intensive cpu work, then black screens no video output, and j have to turn off at psu when rendering 3d, what can i look at to fix? soc voltages etc?
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Synergist
Level 8

‎04-18-2020 06:33 PM

Please post more details about your setup.

What make and model RAM? Are all the modules matched or did you buy some later? Check the labels on each stick - are they all the same version numbers? Different version numbers indicate different DIMM manufacturers and different controllers (e.g. Samsung or Hynix), which can sometimes produce instability.

What are you running the RAM on, XMP profiles? Any adjustment of RAM voltage? What version firmware BIOS? What is your OC configuration? The more info you post, the more likely you are to get replies... 🙂
Hi mum!
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brek01
Level 7
In response to Synergist

‎04-19-2020 07:37 AM

Synergist wrote:
Please post more details about your setup.

What make and model RAM? Are all the modules matched or did you buy some later? Check the labels on each stick - are they all the same version numbers? Different version numbers indicate different DIMM manufacturers and different controllers (e.g. Samsung or Hynix), which can sometimes produce instability.

What are you running the RAM on, XMP profiles? Any adjustment of RAM voltage? What version firmware BIOS? What is your OC configuration? The more info you post, the more likely you are to get replies... 🙂


Ok here is the full data:

corsair vengeance lpx 3200mhz, 8 stick kit, all sequencial numbered, when I had the 8 sticks in tried the base clock at 1.2 upto 1.135v, when used the bios xmp style at 3200mhz and 1.35v no booty at all. So it worked at 2100mhz untill i did some cpu intensive tasks, then a random error code would manifest itself, running latest bios on x399 extreme alpha, with just 4 sticks in its all peachy, stick 8 in not so much. ran memtest and windows ram test, all passed no issues at all. I am not overclocking the cpu as its fast enough using the ryzen balanced power profile. I have 2 1080ti in sli and a corsair ax1600i psu.
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Synergist
Level 8
In response to brek01

‎04-19-2020 09:46 AM

While I don't have first-hand experience of this problem on Ryzen (are you running TR2 or TR3?) myself and a few friends have put together some useful reading.

Welcome to the wonderful world of timings and voltages. Is your RAM the Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 256GB 3200MHz 8x32GB kit? (CMK256GX4M8E3200C16)

Those modules' advertised timings are CAS 16-20-20-38 at 1.35V, on X399 you'll probably need to tweak. Either run a higher CL to achieve 3200 MHz, or run slower frequencies with tighter CL.

AIUI with Ryzen it's in your interest to keep frequency as high as possible and run higher CAS latency because CCX bandwidth is tied to memory speed.

The ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha was advertised as supporting 8x DDR4-3600 up to 128 GB max, so you're pushing the envelope quite a bit. I know a few people have got 256 GB working but with quite increased CL timings - e.g. https://benchlife.info/rog-zenith-extreme-support-32gb-non-ecc-ddr4-reach-256gb-01212019/ , CL20 (CL20-19-19- 43)


I've read that Vengeance LPX RAM can be problematic for a couple of reasons; some people suggest the older LPX is better optimised for Intel, although the Vengeance RGB variant apparently works better with AMD. Take that with a pinch of salt. Others seem to run ADATA, Hynix or Samsung fairly happily. Is your RAM on the QVL for the board? Any reason for not buying Crucial/G.Skill/Geil etc?

Running 8x32 sticks is definitely going to tax the IMC :). You might be unlucky with the RAM and motherboard combo so you'll need to compensate on the memory timings. Get the freeware version of Thaiphoon Burner and read the module info to see whether your RAM is B-Die / E-Die. If you've not lucked out with B-Die you may not be able to push it quite as hard.

Have you tried slightly increasing the SOC voltage? And what CL, T (1T/2T) and voltages is the XMP/DOCP profile setting?

I'd try adjusting the SOC voltage very slightly (1.10 or 1.15 V max) and bump the RAM voltage slightly to 1.35 or 1.4 V and start with a slower frequency (2666, 2800, 2933), then try looser timings and dial in from there.

The Ryzen DRAM Calculator app will probably save you lots of time. Also check whether RAM Power Down Mode is disabled in the BIOS.



This topic really interested me as I'm planning my own Ryzen build. From discussions with a few friends (with considerably more Ryzen experience) and my own research, I've put together some links below for reference. Some useful stuff covering TR 2 and 3 series RAM stability and a handy reddit post with jargon demystifiers.





Very interested to hear how you get on. Also welcome other people's thoughts if I've suggested anything odd, I've been i7 and i9 for a while now so I'm reeducating myself as well!
Hi mum!
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brek01
Level 7
In response to Synergist

‎04-19-2020 10:14 AM

Synergist wrote:
While I don't have first-hand experience of this problem on Ryzen (are you running TR2 or TR3?) myself and a few friends have put together some useful reading.

Welcome to the wonderful world of timings and voltages. Is your RAM the Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 256GB 3200MHz 8x32GB kit? (CMK256GX4M8E3200C16)

Those modules' advertised timings are CAS 16-20-20-38 at 1.35V, on X399 you'll probably need to tweak. Either run a higher CL to achieve 3200 MHz, or run slower frequencies with tighter CL.

AIUI with Ryzen it's in your interest to keep frequency as high as possible and run higher CAS latency because CCX bandwidth is tied to memory speed.

The ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha was advertised as supporting 8x DDR4-3600 up to 128 GB max, so you're pushing the envelope quite a bit. I know a few people have got 256 GB working but with quite increased CL timings - e.g. https://benchlife.info/rog-zenith-extreme-support-32gb-non-ecc-ddr4-reach-256gb-01212019/ , CL20 (CL20-19-19- 43)


I've read that Vengeance LPX RAM can be problematic for a couple of reasons; some people suggest the older LPX is better optimised for Intel, although the Vengeance RGB variant apparently works better with AMD. Take that with a pinch of salt. Others seem to run ADATA, Hynix or Samsung fairly happily. Is your RAM on the QVL for the board? Any reason for not buying Crucial/G.Skill/Geil etc?

Running 8x32 sticks is definitely going to tax the IMC :). You might be unlucky with the RAM and motherboard combo so you'll need to compensate on the memory timings. Get the freeware version of Thaiphoon Burner and read the module info to see whether your RAM is B-Die / E-Die. If you've not lucked out with B-Die you may not be able to push it quite as hard.

Have you tried slightly increasing the SOC voltage? And what CL, T (1T/2T) and voltages is the XMP/DOCP profile setting?

I'd try adjusting the SOC voltage very slightly (1.10 or 1.15 V max) and bump the RAM voltage slightly to 1.35 or 1.4 V and start with a slower frequency (2666, 2800, 2933), then try looser timings and dial in from there.

The Ryzen DRAM Calculator app will probably save you lots of time. Also check whether RAM Power Down Mode is disabled in the BIOS.



This topic really interested me as I'm planning my own Ryzen build. From discussions with a few friends (with considerably more Ryzen experience) and my own research, I've put together some links below for reference. Some useful stuff covering TR 2 and 3 series RAM stability and a handy reddit post with jargon demystifiers.





Very interested to hear how you get on. Also welcome other people's thoughts if I've suggested anything odd, I've been i7 and i9 for a while now so I'm reeducating myself as well!


spot on info thanks, will read up and keep you in the loop. I bought the kit as it was reduced and on a buy now pay in a year deal. yes it is the kit you mention. i was wondering about SOC voltages, will have a play with those initially.
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Synergist
Level 8
In response to brek01

‎04-21-2020 09:48 AM

Probably a shrewd move, few people in local tech sector I've been talking to recently have all said they expect hardware to significantly increase in price due to what's going on, lag through the channel and reduced output cumulatively causing massive issues. I noticed the CPU I bought has already gone up £50 (10%!) since I purchased less than a month ago, and at work we were already having massive Intel shortages...

You might be able to sell half the RAM and make your money back in six months 😉
Hi mum!
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Robot_Sonic
Level 11
In response to Synergist

‎05-17-2020 03:47 AM

Hey Synergist,
Some useful websites you have presented. I found Ryzen DRAM Calculator as a very useful tool. It surely enlightens me more on overclocking settings. I adjusted more in the BIOS now and I'll find out while gaming a whole day if these settings are the ones I have been looking for.
Overclocking the AMD Threadripper isn't an easy thing. At the moment, I have the memory and frequency displayed as in my profile. I wasn't able to overclock any higher frequency over 2666Mhz while using 128GB on my motherboard. I tried but in the process, my system was destabilized (non-bootable Windows in the end). I guess it's achievable but I will need more storage space first to experiment with 128GB 😛
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Robot_Sonic
Level 11
In response to Robot_Sonic

‎05-17-2020 09:42 AM

I just ran my first ever Aida64 Cache & Memory Benchmark. This is all after adjustments in the BIOS as mentioned earlier.
I think I have an excellent score compared to other users out there. I don't know if I can squeeze out more now @ 3200MHz. The next step in overclocking is adjusting the timings. But for now, it's all good :cool:
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