AMD CPU + G.Skill DDR3-1600

[GSKILL TECH]

06MonteSS,

Even DDR3-1333 8-8-8-24 1.50V does not work smoothly? Have you tested each module to make sure each is good? Feel free to send the memory in for RMA to see if a new kit works better. The memory should work well for your hardware.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[Mauser]

yeah, have never gotten my AMD system to run stable with my ram at 1600... or even 1333 for that matter.. i've got 16gb ram, all 4 slots filled... but get same results if I take 2 sticks out and only use 2 slots (in dual channel config)....
<snip>

yes, I have all memory times, frequency, etc all manually set.. and I still get BSOD's frequently... several times a week... it could run perfectly fine for a few days, and then I'll get bsod's.... very aggravating...

have run prime95 for hours, never had a problem, windows memory tester, never had a problem.. .memtest, that won't even run at all on my system, gets to Loading................ and system reboots...
<snip>

thanks!

Your problem may not be memory related, especially if it continues when only running a single matched set. If you have any of Gigabyte's custom utilities installed, remove them. If problems continue, use Driver Verifier and Debugger to find what is going wrong. Those tools are not novice friendly, but should be within the skill range of most folks who go the home-brew route.

My system would run Prime95 and other tests for days without error, but when doing lots of large file transfers, especially over the LAN, it would tend to freeze without throwing any errors - no BSOD or other problem indications, but still no option other than to hit the reset. Driver Verifier showed nasty behavior from two of the Gigabyte utilities installed, even though they had never even been started! Removed them and the problem seems to be gone.

[06MonteSS]

Your problem may not be memory related, especially if it continues when only running a single matched set. If you have any of Gigabyte's custom utilities installed, remove them. If problems continue, use Driver Verifier and Debugger to find what is going wrong. Those tools are not novice friendly, but should be within the skill range of most folks who go the home-brew route.

My system would run Prime95 and other tests for days without error, but when doing lots of large file transfers, especially over the LAN, it would tend to freeze without throwing any errors - no BSOD or other problem indications, but still no option other than to hit the reset. Driver Verifier showed nasty behavior from two of the Gigabyte utilities installed, even though they had never even been started! Removed them and the problem seems to be gone.

hmmmmm.... the only thing from them that I have installed is @bios... interesting... I will uninstall/remove it and see what happens... thx for the tip!!

yeah, mine doesn't just freeze - it's always random BSOD's... system service exception, page fault in non-paged area, irql not less or equal, kmode exception not handled, bad pool caller, etc... files I've seen referenced in bluescreenview have been ntfs, win32, fltrmgr, ntoskrnl, nsiproxy, etc...

and it's weird.. sometimes it'll run fine for days with no issues... then other times I could get a few bsod's per day...

have had this re-occuring issue since day 1 when I built the system back in July 2011, this thing has never been stable for more than a few days without getting a bsod... I will never build an AMD machine again... this was my first AMD system I built - all others I've built have always been Intel machines, and I never had a single problem with them... and this first (and last!) AMD machine I built, I've had nothing BUT problems with the damn thing...

do you think it could be the APU itself - think the A8-3850 APU unit I have could be bad?? bad memory controller in it that could be causing all this crap???

I have that apu, a gigabyte a75-ud4h motherboard, 650w seasonic 80+ psu, evga/nvidia gtx 560 video card, soundblaster audigy sound card, realtek lan card, 2 seagate sata 500gb harddrives (setup as single drives, not a raid array), and a LG sata dvd burner...

and i've had these problems even before I installed any of the separate cards... I was HOPING that installing the separate cards, instead of using the integrated stuff, would have fixed the problem, but it didn't...

[Mauser]

@bios was not one of the Gigabyte utilities that was causing my problems, but that does not mean it couldn't be yours. You can run the Windows Debugger on the mini dumps you are getting from each BSOD, but those crashes might actually have very little to do with the REAL cause. I'd still start with the Driver Verifier - it watches everything and causes a dump as soon as something is out of line, so it can catch stuff long before it develops into a full blown crash or freeze.

If your problem is memory, it should completely go away when running just one stick as long as you are running at voltages and speeds that are specifically approved for that board by Gigabyte.

If Driver Verifier does not eventually identify the real problem(s), you might also want to run low-level tests on your HDD and swap out the power supply. Also consider going back to all defaults in your BIOS for a while.

[06MonteSS]

how do I run the debugger on the dump files?

[Mauser]

Windows Debugger and Driver Verifier

You will have to do some research - it is way too complicated for me to reply here (not to mention that it is off topic for the thread!). One key point to know is that you need to either download the appropriate symbols for your OS ahead of time or point the Debugger to the Symbol Server. Here are a couple of links that should get you going:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-bsod.html
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311503/

[06MonteSS]

yeah, I'm using Win 7 Pro 64bit...

ok, thx man, appreciate it!!

[harbin91]

Quite new to OCing, but I've OC'd the CPU (mine being a X4 965 be) to x20 multiplier giving me 4Ghz, since then put the RAM back on to 1600 mode (800 base DRAM freq) and tightened the timings, however I cannot get them lower than 8-9-8-24. Going to 8-8-8 prevents the PC booting. I've not tried 1333Mhz on 8-8-8.

1. How can I get the timings lower whilst keeping the speed the same? Would I have to raise the voltage? Would doing so void warranty? I know RAM is cheap but it is a lifetime warranty :P The voltage is running at rated 1.5v. Would it be safe to hit it upto 1.65v?

2. How important is the FSB: DRAM ratio? My FSB is running at 200Mhz (stock), whilst DRAM is 800Mhz (rated speed of my RipjawsX) giving me a 1:4 ratio. Is getting it to 1:1 really that important?

3. Does raising the HTlink make that much of a performance difference? I've increase the NB frequency to 2400Mhz to match the RAM, since I read that is should be set to x3 the DRAM Frequency. Would I have to raise either the CPU-NB or NB voltage to increase this? I know HT should not exceed NB.

4. My NB Frequency is set to times 3 my DRAM frequency. Will raising it further increase performance or will it detriment it?

5. How much of a performance gain will I get for setting command rate at 1T? Providing I can get it stable?

6. Does G.Skill do RipjawsX in 8GB sticks? Would there be a benefit from running 2x8GB over 4x4GB?

-+-+-+-+-+-+

Normally I would've preferred an Intel build with an Nvidia card since they are leading the market interms of performance at the moment, but I went for AMD due to cost, since my previous PC was in need of replacing (still works and is now in a good home, but old Pentium Ds, and such like that held my PC back in games). More money and it would've been an i7 with a GTX 580/680. Mind you, a 965 be and a 6950 are still very capable.

[GSKILL TECH]

1. Yep, no problem. Warranty will not void, and you will find that increasing DRAM Voltage will improve timings.

2. The ratio itself is no longer important like DDR2 days. No, these days 1:1 is irrelevant.

3. An overclocked HT Link frequency can improve performance and stability, similarly to the CPU-NB.

As you raise any frequency, once you go beyond a certain point, voltage increase will always be necessary for stability. "overclocking"

4. No need, it will not improve, it may detriment.

5. Not much, just a slight difference. You can use a memory benchmark test to see the difference in performance results.

6. We sure do. High density means lesser modules, and lesser modules generally mean less stress for the memory controller.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[harbin91]

Thanks for the help.

1. Yep, no problem. Warranty will not void, and you will find that increasing DRAM Voltage will improve timings.

That's nice to know, I'll start testing it tomorrow to see how much more I can get out of it.

2. The ratio itself is no longer important like DDR2 days. No, these days 1:1 is irrelevant.

So shouldn't have to worry about the ratio, and instead go for the highest speed and lowest timings possible.

3. An overclocked HT Link frequency can improve performance and stability, similarly to the CPU-NB.

As you raise any frequency, once you go beyond a certain point, voltage increase will always be necessary for stability. "overclocking"

TBH I had to increase the CPU-NB frequency to get the NB frequency stable so I should be able to increase the HT Link without further increasing the voltage.

Can an increased HT Link frequency allow for a higher CPU overclock?

5. Not much, just a slight difference. You can use a memory benchmark test to see the difference in performance results.

TBH I'm currently reading an interesting RAM guide for Phenom here, so I'll probably start experimenting. Worst case scenario, PC won't boot to Windows, just set back to stock in BIOS. Based on this guide, would it be possible to get CAS 5 from RipjawsX on 1333Mhz?

GSKILL TECH[/QUOTE]

6. We sure do. High density means lesser modules, and lesser modules generally mean less stress for the memory controller.

Do you have any direct comparisons between using 2x8GB of your RAM and 4x4GB of your RAM? Preferably on an AMD machine. Depending on these results and if it would be worth it, I would be tempted to sell my current four sticks and replace them with the two. This RAM is the RAM I'm using.

Other than a retailer on Ebay however, I'm struggling to find 8GB equivalents to the RAM I have. I have found 2100Mhz RipjawsX but at ?179.99 the cost is staggeringly high, and doesn't signal a good investment for my needs.

[GSKILL TECH]

Can an increased HT Link frequency allow for a higher CPU overclock?

No, CPU frequency is not affected.

Based on this guide, would it be possible to get CAS 5 from RipjawsX on 1333Mhz?

No, CL6 is typically the lowest DDR3 will go. Anything lower will be unstable or poor performance anyway, so it's not worth the effort. Keep in mind that timings change with frequency, so if you have timings too low at a certain frequency, it can actually be slower than if you had the timings higher. You can find these limitations with a benchmark test to know how your modules perform best.

Do you have any direct comparisons between using 2x8GB of your RAM and 4x4GB of your RAM?

Not particularly, it really just depends on how much memory you need. Although more modules place more stress on the memory controller, 4GB modules are also easier to overclock and achieve better results, so give and take the end result is the same.

Unless you really want a higher capacity, or higher performance memory, it will not be a good investment to upgrade. Keep in mind that your CPU is limited, so unless you upgrade to FX-8150 or something, performance will be bottlenecked by the CPU anyway.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[texasflood]

If you have an AMD CPU motherboard combo, and DDR3-1600 memory, the system BIOS should be configured as follows:

...

[Black Edition CPU]

Method #2

1. Set DRAM Frequency to DDR3-1600

2. Set CPU-NB Frequency to 2400MHz (DDR3-1600 / 2 = 800MHz, then x 3) CPU-NB Frequency should always be 3X DRAM bus frequency

3. Set HT Link Frequency to 2400MHz

4. Set timings to tCL 9 - tRCD 9 - tRP 9 - tRAS 24, or whatever your memory is rated for.

5. Set DRAM Voltage to 1.50V, or whatever your memory is rated for.

6. Most CPUs will need a CPU-NB Voltage boost of +0.10V, so if your default is 1.10V, set it to 1.20V.__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___

There are many different motherboards and memory, but they require the same changes. If you are unsure of what to change, refer to your motherboard user's manual. It will have more information about each option and its purpose.

If the system is slightly unstable, you may need to raise CPU-NB Voltage. This is the memory controller voltage, so raising this voltage can help with stability. Also, if you are using full slots or attempting any overclocking, raising this voltage can also help with stability.

Once these changes are made in BIOS, your system should be stable. For memory above the standard, majority of the time AUTO default settings will not work, so these settings are required for a perfectly stable system. Recently we have noticed that without manually setting DRAM Voltage, it can cause stability issues.

If you continue to have problems, you can also attempt DDR3-1333 CL8 (8-8-8-24) 1.50V. These are good settings if you can not get DDR3-1600 to work. These are fail-proof settings to test the memory and make sure they are working properly. If the memory does not work with these settings, it is possible that your memory kit is bad.

As always, we can assist if you have any difficulties, so feel free to create a post.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

Got back my F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL from RMA yesterday. So far the cold boot issues haven't reoccurred so that's goodness. In my Gigabyte GA790-XTA-UD4 motherboard (AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition), at default settings, (DDR3-1333 not DDR3-1600), the system boots and runs but seems slower than the Crucial Ballistix I used while the RMA was processing. The crucial memory runs at DDR3-1600 out of the box with no tweaks required.

I tried the settings above and got a message that the system experienced a boot error due to overclocking. Tried boosting the CPU-NB with same results. DDR3-1333 CLB (8-8-8-24) 1.50V seems to be working, the system booted and I'm using it now. It's just disappointing that the crucial memory I bought for 1/4 of what the gskill cost me seems to run out of the box without tweaks at DDR3-1600 whereas no tweaks I've tried seem to make the gskill run at DDR3-1600. Admittedly WHEN I bought the two memory kits accounts for most of that price difference (prices fell in general), but it's still disappointing.

Would appreciate any advice that might help improve this situation.

Thanks.

[Muskogeee]

Hello,

I just put together my new system yesterday consisting of

GIGABYTE GA-880GM-D2H (REV. 3.1) Motherboard

AMD Athlon FX-4170 Black Edition (is there even a non black?)

8gb Gskill Ripjaws DDR3-1600

This is my first upgrade in 10 years and back in the day I knew how to set up the bios but the number of settings nowadays throws me for a loop.

I changed the settings per this guide but it would not post. After doing some playing around I found that it was only after I changed the CPU NB Freq to 2400 that it failed to post. Even manually setting it to 2000 or 2200 would cause it to fail, even though when set to auto it says 2200.

The available settings in my bios are as follows, if anyone could enlighten me as to which are relevant and what I should set them to I would be eternally in your debt.

CPU OPTIONS

CPU Clock Ratio
CPU NorthBridge Freq.
Core Performance Boost
CPB Ratio
Turbo CPB
CPU Host Clock Control
CPU Frequency
PCIE Clock
HT Link Width
HT Link Freq
Set Memory Clock
Memory Clock

DRAM OPTIONS

DCTs Mode
DDR3 Timing Items
1T/2T Command Timing
CAS# latency
RAS to CAS R/W Delay
Row Precharge Time
Minimum RAS Active Time
TwTr Command Delay
Trfc0 for DIMM1
Trfc1 for DIMM2
Write Recovery Time
Precharge Time
Row Cycle Time
RAS to RAS Delay
Channel Interleaving
Bank Interleaving
DQS Training Control
Memclock tri-stating

VOLTAGE OPTIONS

DDR3 Voltage Control
NorthBridge Volt Control
SouthBridge Volt Control
CPU NB VID Control
CPU Voltage Control

Any advice would be appreciated,

Thank You.

[Dragon770]

what about [ ARES ] F3-1866C9D-8GAB???

[protoaz]

Timings and wireless mouse?

Purchased these:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ

Read all the timing instructions and tried to apply them as best i could with my hardware.
Running them @ 1600 9-9-9-24 seems to create wireless mouse issues involving intermittent pauses and stuttering. Running the memory @ 1333 8-8-8-24 (as instructions also said were a valid timing) Seems to clear up the mouse issue.

This memory adjustment was the last thing i thought i could do to address the mouse issue and appears to be the only thing that has worked. I have reinstalled Windows, remove all unnecessary hardware. I have booted clean, all drivers current, bios current as of 3/08/2012.

Why would this cause this running them at higher speeds (the memory)?

Also i cannot follow the other instructions for setting the timings by adjusting the FSB of the mobo as mine does not have the ability to adjust these settings through the bios. But from what i have seen running them @ 1333 8-8-8-24 is suppose to run at the same speed as 1600 but AIDA64 and CPUZ both do not reflect that. They both still showing each channel running @ 667mhz.

So am i forced to use slower timings when i paid for more speed?
And i have tried multiple wireless mouse, even a wired mouse (all usb, there is no PS/2 mouse input on this mobo.

I have spent four days trying to track this issue down and it only went away by changing the timings to run @ 1333. And i do not understand why the memory would cause this unless it was due to radio interference.

How can i run my memory at the speeds advertised without this issue?

AMD Llano 3650 APU
Biostar A55MH
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit