Asus m4a79xtd evo & f3-12800cl9d-4gbrl

[Tawlan]

1 DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #308218 -$35.00

1 MSI N250GTS TwinFrozr 1G OC GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127445

1 ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131402

1 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail

1 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231277

Could someone help me with the appropriate BIOS settings for this combination.

My machine is locking up sometimes right away sometimes 4-5 hours after bootup.

I've done memTest86 & Windows Memory Diagnostics with mixed results - Sometimes successful sometimes locking up.

I can provide more info this evening but wanted to get this posted.

[Tawlan]

Tried the 9 - 9 - 9 - 27 settings and it lasts longer but still locked up on me today.

Any other options ..

Also just locked up again after 15 minutes ugh! dont want to have to RMA my board and memory but almost giving up ... Any help please.

[Tawlan]

No I havent and Im really frustrated. Im getting close to my return window with Newegg and Im tempted to just return board and memory and get something else with less hassle but I hate giving up on the problem.

So here is a more thurough review of what I have tried and what I actually have:

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674
Mother Board
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131402
Power Supply
Rosewill RP500-2 500W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply - Retail
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182016
Memory
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

Video Card
MSI N250GTS TwinFrozr 1G OC GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127445

Problem
PC will lock up anywhere from 15 minutes to 5 hours with most lockups occuring at the 4 hour mark. I've had CoreTemp32 logging the CPU temp and it ranges from F 99 - 109 degree's so nothing too out of the ordinary there. Now At first I was convinced it was the memory that was my problem but now Im not 100% sure of that as it lasts 4 hours most of the time which would indicate maybe a overheating issue but CoreTemp doesnt indicate that.

I've done a fresh install of Windows 7 and had no problems with that at all. ( Actually reinstalled twice just incase )

Motherboard has latest Bios ( will get this after done here )

Tried default [Auto] Settings for Memory
Tried - 9 - 9 - 9 - 24 2T - 9 - 9 - 9 - 27 2T ( and several other settings all with no change )

Ran memTest86 - The older version works just fine but the newer version just "blinks" and goes away. Results for each test vary I've had the test complete without errors and I've had the system lockup as well. More lockups then success.

Ran Windows Memory Diagnostics - Varied success with this as well sometimes lockup sometimes complete ok. More lockups then success tho.

Removed 1 of the 2 sticks of memory and still got error - replaced the 1 stick to essentially test both sticks of memory with the same results lock up.

Defragged the hard drive with several different utilities - No Change

Tested various "Virtual Memory" settings - No change

Ok so now for my questions :
1) Could a different device be overheating other than the CPU ... Memory ? Video Card ?...... Would my symptoms indicate that ? and if so how to go about narrowing it down to correct device.

2) Should I RMA the Memory ?

3) Should I RMA the Motherboard ?

4) Should I RMA everything and buy a Etcha Sketch ? ( Joke dont tell me todo this )

[aaronmoxxley]

No I havent and Im really frustrated. Im getting close to my return window with Newegg and Im tempted to just return board and memory and get something else with less hassle but I hate giving up on the problem.

So here is a more thurough review of what I have tried and what I actually have:

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674
Mother Board
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131402
Memory
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
Newegg Link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

I have almost exactly the same setup with the exception of my 7800gt vid card and 550w antec psu. I have received almost every type of BSOD that corresponds with bad memory sectors including random software crashes and bad exceptions. The thing is, sometimes I can start up and have a perfect memtest even after multiple passes and sometimes I get fails on LRAND and Stride6.

My settings have been the recommended 9-9-9-24 2T 1.5v DRAM and literally everything else set to auto. I have tried playing around with various voltages for HT and NB but varying those settings only make crashes worse (I once restarted to find Win 7 saying it was unable to validate). Board bios is 6.05, supposedly the fix that corrected RAM issues. Another week without a proper response and I will assume it is the RAM and RMA it.

[GSKILL TECH]

Tawlan and aaronmoxxley,

Try raising the HT Voltage to 1.40V, sounds like the CPU is having a hard time running DDR3-1600. You can try DDR3-1333 with 8-8-8-24 timings to confirm this.

Also, make sure you have the latest BIOS for your motherboard.

Try testing them individually with the proper settings to insure that neither stick is defective.

Keep me posted on the results.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

[Tawlan]

No luck still locked up - First lockup was 5 minutes after making the timing change. 2nd lockup was almost exactly 4 hours later.

Going to RMA as Im getting close to my 30 day limit via Newegg. Kinda of frustrating I hate not being able to solve the problem. Once I get the new items I will let you know if I get it working or not.

With the hardware specs I showed above do you think my 500W power supply just cannt handle the load ? My thought process is still stuck on the fact that its 4ish hours before I get a lockup and 2 nights ago at about 3.5 hours I decided to reboot the machine before a lock up and ..... the PC made it another 4 hours before locking up .


Mike

[GSKILL TECH]

Yes, please send those in for new replacements. This will help solve whether the memory is the issue.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

[aaronmoxxley]

I was able to isolate one stick as being the issue after increasing HT and NB voltage to 1.4-1.5v. Seems that for me, increasing the voltage gave me a "reliable" instability... heh. The sticks are currently in RMA back to Newegg.

[Personally, I have yet to flash my bios above 605 because of issues from other articles I've read.]

[johnniedoo]

I have also kept at 605 and only just today went for the manual change to my gskill ddr3 1600 pc3 12,800 using the same values as noted above and had the same results as the cpuz only i have a 965be and all my core temps are at 0 though all the other numbers are almost exact, I liked the way it ran when it was on auto. maybe shouldnt have messed with it since i really didnt have any problems until i tried to make the ram i bought which was supposed to be compatible run at the speed indicated it would and should. I went through a whole thing prior to buying this ram because i would have gotten teh 1333 but was convinced that i would have no trouble getting the ddr3 1600 with the m4a79xtd evo. it just has never been able to do so and it is listed as an overclock when i put it in manually to run ''native' i am just confused and can not understand why the qvl , gskill and asus were so adamant the memory would just boot up and i have to take 4months of differing info to make it boot without a blue screen. it boots now but takes lots longer and doesnt seem as smooth on screen transitoins and maybe in my head but i will likely go back to the 'auto'and live with 1333/677 x2 frequency as that is pretty much what it lists it is going after all this anyway.

[Nitroviper]

I also am having this problem. My pc doesn't crash tho.. Well it has while playing a game twice...

M4A79XTD EVO
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz
F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

I manually changed my ram to 1600 and timings but it didn't fix anything. I hate when cpu-z says im running at 667mhz

My old PC loaded game maps and programs faster this this new pc......
AMD 64 x2 6400+ 3.2ghz
Asus M2N-E
Gskill 2GB (2 x 1GB) F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ

[johnniedoo]

it drives me and a number of other gskil customers nuts as well. i keep getting told that spd section 'dont worry' it doesnt mean anything. then i wonder why they waste the space and time putting all those 1333 timings in there when they dont do it for other ram. i get bad excuses and what irks most of the worst is they thing I am buying it. It shows the lack of respect they have for the customers who put faith in what data they provided as true to advertize the product. I would have gladly bought the 1333 and had planned to until i read the press they provided (along with asus) on how it was now native no overclocking needed. well thaat is just wrong. regardless if i can make it go by putting the timings in manually, my board is seen as overclocked by the asus epu utility and i can not use it because it can not deal with my bios in that overclocked status, according to the error message epu 4 sends out when i try to invoke its bounty.. i have no idea what it does.. i can not ever seem to make it work . this memory thing is just new. it didnt like my gigabyte gpu before and now i bought the asus 5870 specially to use gpu(not exactly why) but now it doesnt like the overclock i did to make the 1600 run at 12,800. I havent had any crashes due to it but it seems to be just the same as when it was on auto 1333 and 677, 533 or whatever with other timings tighter 8 or 7s. i only wish i would get a straight story from asus and gskill, any one who works there knows more about the timings and speeds than i do but i know bulls**t when i see it, dont have to be a computer genius to know when they arent telling me something they know but feel i dont need to know.
I am sure it is no real big deal whether it is one or the other and my computer functions just fine before i put it at the 1600, it is only when i was told it should run at those numbers without any issues or problems and i got blue screens whenever i tried to put it the 1600 and it never booted at higher than 1333 on its own. if no one said anything i would have been as happy as a clam and my computer would have just hummed along on auto for the dram. now it is an issue because i have gotten so many differing stories from people at gskill and almost nothing from asus (only from people on the forums and an occasional moderator if one happens to be on board or they bothered to recruit one for the boards i go to.

[johnniedoo]

by the way on the mem page where it shows the 800mhz , that is where it indicates that the speed is indeed 1600 and it is recognized (as dual channel that number would show as half the speed since it is a multiplier of 2) the other speed page is what it is supposed to be if it were something else. that is how i interpreted the response i got to the spd tab.. the dont worry about it answer. and shown the 800 you point to with the arrow as the actual working numbers as the computer is running, the other stuff is not real time i guess? when i boot up if i look quickly as it flashes by when i have the bios on , i see that it acknowledges it is going at 1600mhz when it used to indicate 1333mhz when i had it on auto. so i got some change via the manual entries. but i think the timings are looser with all 9s and 25whatevers .