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Pressure Plate Fixed memory problems with Maximus Z790 hero.

Luis00014
Level 9
So, I joined the forums a while ago because I could not get any of three motherboards Z790, 2 Maximus Extremes and 1 Hero mobo, to recognize 2 and much less 4 sticks of ram. i was also having random crashes and BSOD.

I did return the last hero MOBO and got a new one from Newegg. I tried it without the pressure plate and sure enough got the memory problems including not recognizing 2 sticks of ram. Once I installed the pressure plate everything is now working to perfection.

2 days now and no crashes, no memory errors, and the mobo/cpu recognize the 2 sticks of ram. Shame I returned the other 2 sticks of ram as I could have tried it out to see if now the cpu/mobo recognizes all 4 sticks of ram, but because a lot of people were stating they couldn't get the Z790 mobos or the i9 12900-13900 cpus to recognize more than 2 sticks of ram I decided to return the 2 additional sticks of ram since they were within the 30 return window.

This might not help everyone, but some of you who have been having the same problems I had could fix it the way I did by installing a pressure plate.

IMO, several batches of the Z790 mobos, both hero and extreme, seem to have either the original pressure plate or the mobo itself warped/bent a bit which would cause memory problems and the cpu/mobo not recognizing 2 + sticks of ram due to bad contact with the cpu pins.

What's more, the pressure plate allows my pc to be even cooler.

Hope this helps others having this same problems.
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6 REPLIES 6

JohnAb
Level 17
That's great to know and congratulations. In another thread just this morning, ssstrong said the same - that a pressure plate had resolved his problems too. Sounds like they really are a good little invention 🙂

Edit: Here is the other thread
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?130171-ROG-MAXIMUS-Z690-FORMULA-Memory-detect-issue
Z690 Hero, BIOS 3401, MEI 2345.5.3.0, ME Firmware 16.1.30.2361, 7000X Case, RM1000x PSU, i9 12900K, ASUS TUF OC 3090TI, 2 x 16GB Corsair RAM @ 5200MHz, Windows 11 Pro 23H2, Corsair H150i Elite AIO, 4x Corsair RGB fans, 3x M.2 NVME drives, 2x SATA SSDs, 2x SATA HDs.

Murph_9000
Level 14
I assume you mean a contact frame, like the one der8auer developed for Thermal Grizzly? I can't say I've heard it called a pressure plate before, but that's ok. If it's something else, we'd probably all benefit from some detail about it.

Intel really dropped the ball with the LGA1700 mounting mechanism / clamp, in my opinion. It's just not fit for purpose, from an engineering point of view, since it's quite clearly right on the limit for being able to do the job properly. It has caused a lot of people unnecessary difficulty. Boards are naturally going to warp/flex a little in the real world, so they should have done better when enlarging it from LGA1200.

Quite right Murph, I said pressure plate, but yes I agree that the correct and best term is contact frame. ssstrong mentioned his "Thermalright Intel 12th/13th Generation LGA1700 Anti-Bending Buckle".

I just looked up an 'Anti-Bending Buckle' from Themalright (see image) so I believe we all mean the same thing. Thanks.
Z690 Hero, BIOS 3401, MEI 2345.5.3.0, ME Firmware 16.1.30.2361, 7000X Case, RM1000x PSU, i9 12900K, ASUS TUF OC 3090TI, 2 x 16GB Corsair RAM @ 5200MHz, Windows 11 Pro 23H2, Corsair H150i Elite AIO, 4x Corsair RGB fans, 3x M.2 NVME drives, 2x SATA SSDs, 2x SATA HDs.

Murph_9000 wrote:
I assume you mean a contact frame, like the one der8auer developed for Thermal Grizzly? I can't say I've heard it called a pressure plate before, but that's ok. If it's something else, we'd probably all benefit from some detail about it.

Intel really dropped the ball with the LGA1700 mounting mechanism / clamp, in my opinion. It's just not fit for purpose, from an engineering point of view, since it's quite clearly right on the limit for being able to do the job properly. It has caused a lot of people unnecessary difficulty. Boards are naturally going to warp/flex a little in the real world, so they should have done better when enlarging it from LGA1200.



It is known by a lot of names. In Amazon it is described as a "Thermalright Intel12th13th Generation LGA1700 Anti-Bending Buckle,Curved Pressure Plate,CPU Fixing Buckle,CPU Stress Bending Correction Fixer,Fully Fitted and Fixed Without Trace Installation (Black)"

Which is the one I bought.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cpu+pressure+plate&crid=1IDZKEHJK9ZRT&sprefix=cpu+pressure+plate%2Caps%2C...

That one works perfectly. You just have to make sure to have the back plate of the cpu against the MOBO to be able to screw in the plate securely.

As for the name I used. What is it if not a plate that forces the cpu, through pressure, to have equal contact with all pins in the mobo? Hence a "pressure plate"?

Luis00014 wrote:
As for the name I used. What is it if not a plate that forces the cpu, through pressure, to have equal contact with all pins in the mobo? Hence a "pressure plate"?


Yeah, it's just a name. I just hadn't heard that particular name used for it before, and wasn't sure if it was the same type of thing, or if someone had come up with a different mechanism to address Intel's defective design. Thanks for confirming it.

DragDay7
Level 9
Latest cpu sockets and motherboard pcbs are pure garbage. I have no idea how it got through QA. Lots of people having thermal/stability issues because ihs and motherboard bents (no matter what cooler mount you use), cpu socket pins are losing contact. You can't really tell if that's the issue unless you replace motherboard or use contact frame. Manufacturer blaming everything but their product. I've spent months to figure out my issue, my motherboard went to service and they found nothing. I'm talking about pins out of the box that are bent by fraction of millimeter - you can't tell unless you use microscope. That + cooler pressure and you got yourself unresolvable issue. If service fails to diagnose it how is anyone gonna realize that's the issue right there? OP got it - he figure it out somehow, but how many people are out of luck? Just google "z690 freezing" or "z790 freezing" - there's like endless sea of clueless people what's wrong with their setup.