mobo/cpu/ram not cooperatig? new compter

[Melkeku]

Hello everybody,

first of all here's my computer spec:
mobo........MSI P55-GD80, P55, Socket-1156, DDR3
CPU..........Intel Core i7-860 - Quad Core
RAM..........F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH [ripjaw] (2 of this kit(2x2gb))
PSU...........Corsair HX 850W PSU (modular)
GPU...........XFX Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 (865MHz)
CPU cooler.Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU cooler
HDD..........WD VelociRaptor 300GB SATA

I've just gotten a new computer (all the parts) this last week and i began to put everything together, and ive been using an antistatic arm link all the time.
first the PSU wasn't working, got a new one.

now for the problems I'm here for :P
first the RAM/mobo:
2 of the ram modules only works in channel 2 of the mobo, not in channel 1. the 2 other ram modules i have don't work at all but random(rarely), the mobo just shows FF (power on and first initialize CPU). i have changed the ram around a lot! to see what combination's work and which don't. I've now found one that lets me get thorough to bios but when i try to boot windows 7 it stops (the installation also stops when its close to the end, this might be some problems with my cd/dvd reader and when i take the cd out and in again the computer restarts and seems to work fine), the ram is made for 1600 7-7-7-24 1,6V. in bios the regular setting is 1333 9-9-9-24 1.530V (that's what the mobo supports w/o OC genie)

when im in windows 7(64 bit) it says only 4 of 8 GB ram is usable

and then the cpu:
I also noticed the the CPU power phase led jumps from 2-5 when starting the OS when not overclocked, its usually stationed at 8 otherwise.
if i have one of the ram modules that work and one the "doesn't" in channel 2 bot of them work... it seems like if i have one that works (most of the time) the others work.
if i only use 2 of the modules there is no problems.
if it use the OC genie function on the mobo (the ram and cpu is OC'd to 1600 7-7-7-24 and cpu is running 3,8 instead of 2,8) everything seems to work fine as well even with all modules in.

I'm not really sure to explain it, but here's my try I'm sorry if its a little messy
Thanks
Melkeku/Kniferr

[Melkeku]

a little more info
- I have updated the bios, from 1.4 to 1.7 (from MSI homepage)
- The OS seems to allays start with OC genie enabled. cpu power phase allways on 8!
- The seems to randomly start without. cpu power phase constanly changing between 2 and 7, sometimes it stops on 2 ad the monitor freezes.
- RAM have 50% reserved (http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...eservedram.png) why cant i use all of the ram?



edit: sorry bout that link, i didnt get to copy it, should be right now

[Tradesman]

Do you have the latest BIOS? 1.7 1/19/2010? (can be found here:

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=do...1&prod_no=1844

ver 1.5 and 1.6 had a few problems with RAM.

Also, did you input the base timings, speed, Dram voltage and Command Rate manually (need to) or did you rely on Auto?

Can run memtest on each stick individually to see if you have a bad stick (or more).

If Win7 isn't wanting to load, might try loading with 1 stick, then adding the others after Win7 is up and running, MSI (and a few others) have had issues loading the OS w/ 4 or more GB

[Melkeku]

Do you have the latest BIOS? 1.7 1/19/2010? (can be found here:

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=do...1&prod_no=1844

yes, i used the flash from "OS" not from dos(since i dont have a floppy drive)

ver 1.5 and 1.6 had a few problems with RAM.

Also, did you input the base timings, speed, Dram voltage and Command Rate manually (need to) or did you rely on Auto?

when i first started the machine everything was default, i didn't want to mess around with the voltages, the only thing i did was to change the ram voltage to 1.6V and that didn't help (the the timings were 9-9-9-24 w/o XMP) when i use OC genie to auto overclock, this makes the ram modules run at intended speed. but with OC genie it seems to run smoothly. but without i have to run with only 2 sticks. so the answer would be that i relied on auto for other that the voltage (have tried with auto there too, none of them work.

Can run memtest on each stick individually to see if you have a bad stick (or more).

i did this, all tho it was with all 4 sticks in, i let it run for 5 runs that time, i should probably do it again at least 5 times for each stick. i have found error on the 20th run before... i can set up a memtest to run throughout the night

If Win7 isn't wanting to load, might try loading with 1 stick, then adding the others after Win7 is up and running, MSI (and a few others) have had issues loading the OS w/ 4 or more GB

would this mean id have to do this every time i boot the system (all tho it usually stays on all the time, if it doesn't crash or i have updates or so)?

[Melkeku]

I have done a lot of research, and gotten some answers on a Norwegian forum on the same problem.



as i said earlier, when i try all the sticks 1 and 1 in dimm1 2 of them work, 2 dont.
at the moment i have the "defective" in dimm 2 and 1 and the working ones in 4 and 3.
but i cant have them random, if i change the placing of 2 and 1 it wont work.

the way its now i have 8gb usable ram, if i change any of the stick i either wont get to start the OS/bios or ill get 4/8 GB ram usable (4GB hardware reserved)

so at the moment its working fine, but in still puzzled in how this actually works... or what is really causing the problem =/ if its any settings in bios, or its defective hardware.

anyways, ill start the memtest on 1 stick now and then look back at it later.


edit: in other words, 2 of them are bootable and 2 are not

[Melkeku]

i have done a ram test on all the ram sticks now, since i couldn't boot from 2 of them i ran the for double the runs. so every stick has had at least 25 runs each(50 total when i had 2 in at the same time), and it has returned no error on any of them.
the last one test i didn't now i had 2 sticks in, but memtest only found one of them, the one i was to test so that was at least some good.

so 25 runs on all stick, no errors... still puzzled why 2 of them don't boot

stick 1 FF(power on and first initialize CPU)
stick 2 OK boot
stick 3 OK boot
stick 4 D4/D5 (initialize memory) non stop reboot loop
that's the status for each stick run separately now

[GSKILL TECH]

Go ahead and send the memory in for new replacements. The new set should not have these issues.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT