Help with F3-2400C11D-16GXM Kit on Asus Sabertooth X79

[RanaChakra]

Hi there,

I am a huge fan of G-Skill memory for both overclocking and normal use. I've run into my first issue with a 16GB kit of DDR3/2400 memory I bought a couple of days ago.

I currently have a Ivy Bridge Xeon CPU on my Asus Sabertooth X79 motherboard and am trying to run the dual channel kit of DDR3/2400 RAM at stock speeds. It runs at 2133MHz dual channel mode just fine given 9-11-11-24 1T at 1.6 VDIMM using VCSSA of only 0.875 volts (very impressed )

However, I can't even get the board to POST at 2400 speeds even with 1.65V VDIMM, 1.2 VCSSA and 12-15-15-32 timings (deliberately looser than the spec) . I have a hunch it is the CPU's memory controller as I can't get a single module on its own to POST either .

The board simply cycles through "b0, b7, b9 and then 00" and repeats these four Q-Codes until powered off (the DIAG_DIMM LED stays on constantly while these codes cycle through).

After powering on it comes back at 1333MHz saying overclocking failed etc.

Thanks in advance for any help

[emissary42]

However, I can't even get the board to POST at 2400 speeds even with 1.65V VDIMM, 1.2 VCSSA and 12-15-15-32 timings (deliberately looser than the spec) . I have a hunch it is the CPU's memory controller as I can't get a single module on its own to POST either .

Did you try to enable the XMP or were you just inputting the primary timings manually?

I am asking because the board maybe does not find suitable secondary timings by itself and if you never used the XMP or put the according values in yourself, then that could be the culprit. However i have no X79 mainboard or the Sabertooth in particular, so thats just guesswork in my end.

Edit: Also you would usually get other POST error numbers with memory problems, at least with Ivy Bridge or Haswell and i am not sure if those Bx codes are memory related at all.

[GSKILL TECH]

Xeon CPUs don't like high DRAM Frequency. :/

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[RanaChakra]

Hi Guys,

Thanks heaps for the replies - I am inclined to agree the Xeon chips dont like high DRAM frequencies. I used manual timing entry as the XMP setting didn't help at all. I do find it strange that the 2133 rated sticks I have can run flawlessly at 2133MHz using CL9-11-11-24 with 1T command rate, yet these won't run 2400 even with loose timings and extra voltage at 2T. I think I'll just have to run them at 2133MHz and see how things go.

[GSKILL TECH]

Post some pictures of advanced timings, or list them. In some cases, the motherboard sets them too tight and that prevents DDR3-2400 to work at all.

Rule out all possibilities and settle for the best result.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[RanaChakra]

Hi there,

Something interesting I have found out from my testing. I am trying to run the RAM at 11-13-13-31 2T *edit* at 2133MHz

The board has 8 DIMM slots four blue channels and four black channels.

There are four DIMM slots on either side of the CPU, two black and two blue.

I am not using the black DIMM slots as inserting a single module into any of them results in no POST (even at default settings).

Blue1=Blue2=CPU==Blue3=Blue4

With 1 DIMM in Slot 3, the board POSTED fine at 2133MHz using 9-11-11-24 1T and counted 8GB of RAM.

When the single DIMM was moved to Slot 1, 2 or 4, the board failed to POST and hung at QCode 53 (slot 3 is the first DIMM slot for the CPU)

In slot 1 and 2, the system POSTED again but only counted 4GB of RAM this time.

In slot 1 and 3, the board started to POST, reached QCode "4F" and shut down. This repeated until the power was cut off at the PSU.

In slot 1 and 4: Board hung at QCode 53.

In slot 2 and 3, the system POSTED but only counted 12GB of RAM instead of 16.

In slot 3 and 4, the result was the same as in slot 1 and 2.

*edit* These are the settings I am using when trying to push for 2400MHz

Timings: 12-15-15-32 2T
Secondary Timings:
RAS to RAS delay: 7
DRAM REF Cycle Time: 128
DRAM Refresh Interval Time: 2560
DRAM Write Recovery Time: 16
DRAM READ to PRE time: 13
DRAM FOUR ACT WIN time: 40
DRAM Write to Read Delay: 9
DRAM CKE Minimum Pulse Width: 4
DRAM Write Latency: 9

I have tried turning down all the timings I can see to a few clocks below the default values and I still can't get a POST at 2400MHz in any slot whatsoever.

[GSKILL TECH]

Blue1 (A1) = Blue2 (B1) =CPU= Blue3 (C1) = Blue4 (D1)

Is that correct?

Those are some strange results.

Did you double check CPU installation to make sure there are no slightly bent pins? Sounds like there is a real problem if all the slots are giving you different results.

For DDR3-2400, the REF Cycle time should be higher, you may want to try 255 for now then lower it and test for stability at a later time.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[RanaChakra]

Hi there,

These tests were all done at 2133MHz, 11-13-13-31 2T timings - if i slow the RAM down to 1866 or 1600 it will count all of it in any slot without issues. I don't believe the CPU socket pins are bent at all - a visual inspection shows it is clean with no odd light patterns etc.

I am wondering if the chips on these modules simply aren't as compatible with my CPU/board at 2133MHz as the two 16GB kits of 2133MHz Ripjaws X i have on hand. I can run these sticks at 9-11-11-24 1T at 2133MHz in quad channel mode (or any combination of single/dual channel using the correct slot order) rock solid at 1.6V on the same board without any issues at all.

[GSKILL TECH]

You're using two separate kits, so they may not match well enough to reach a high frequency. So if you want 32GB of a high speed, make sure to get exactly that.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[RanaChakra]

Hi there,

I have two existing 16GB kits of 2133MHz Ripjaws X C10D that run fine at their rated speed using 9-11-11-24 timings on my X79 board.

The issue I have is with the new 16GB dual channel kit of 2400MHz Ripjaws X C11 of which I can't even get one stick to boot at the rated speed. I am tempted to return the 2400MHz kit and get another 2133MHz kit instead at this point. I will put down my failure to use the kit as the CPU memory controller simply not being able to run the sticks at 2400MHz (it only "officially" supports DDR3/1866 speed).

[GSKILL TECH]

If one module at a time will not work at the rated specs, feel free to send them in for RMA exchange and a replacement should work better.

http://www.gskill.com/en/rma

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[RanaChakra]

Hi there,

I have successfully exchanged the kit for another F3-2133 C10D 16GXM kit. The new 2133 kit is functioning correctly at the rated timings of 10-12-12-31 2T. Also the packaging of the new kit has a "Compatible with Z97" sticker on it that my other kit of 2133 sticks didn't have.

The kit without the sticker works at 9-11-11-24 1T while the kit with the sticker will only work at 10-12-12-31 2T. It seems that making the modules compatible with the Z97 might have reduced their stability at tighter timings on my board.

I wonder if there is a version of the F3-2400-C11D kit without the Z97 sticker on the packaging, and I wonder if this might have worked better with my motherboard (similar to the non-stickered 2133 kit).

Thanks for all your help

RanaChakra

[emissary42]

The kit without the sticker works at 9-11-11-24 1T while the kit with the sticker will only work at 10-12-12-31 2T. It seems that making the modules compatible with the Z97 might have reduced their stability at tighter timings on my board.

It probably is just another bin of maybe even another IC type. So basically these are two completely different kits and this has nothing to do with the sticker at all.

I wonder if there is a version of the F3-2400-C11D kit without the Z97 sticker on the packaging, and I wonder if this might have worked better with my motherboard (similar to the non-stickered 2133 kit).

I guess almost all recently produced kits do have the Z97 sticker, while older ones will have the Z87 variety