DRAM (DDR) Volatge problem causing reboot

[JohnB]

I recently built a custom computer. The problem is that it keeps rebooting and giving a DRAM voltage error. My DDR voltage is currently 1.6V. As I understand it the RAM isn't getting enough electricity. Is this correct? I have briefly looked through the mobo manual but can't make much sense of the technical jargon.

The CPU temp is 37 degrees celsius whilst idle and MCH temp is around 48.

A friend said to boost DDR voltage to 2volts but I don't want to blow the mobo.


Link to Mobo manual: http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Ma ... v2.0_e.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Around page 45/46 seems to mention DDR voltage.

What do you think?

Relevant things I bought:

Code: Select all

Mobo:  http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gigabyte-ga-x58a-ud3r-rev-2-intel-x58-s1366-sli-xfire-pci-e-2-ddr3-2200-usb3-and-sata-6gb-s


CPU:  http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i7-950-bloomfield-45nm-306-ghz-qpi-48gt-s-8mb-cache-23x-ratio-130w-retail


Graphics Card http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1280mb-evga-gtx-470-sc-40nm-3402mhz-gddr5-gpu-625mhz-shader-1250mhz-448-cores-dl-dvi-mhdmi

RAM: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/12gb-(6x2gb)-corsair-xms3-classic-ddr3-pc3-12800-(1600)-nonecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-160v


CPU Cooler : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-v10-cpu-cooler-10-heat-pipes-dual-fan-3-modular-fans-200w-cooling!-intel-amd


PSU: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/850w-corsair-cmpsu-850txuk-tx-80-plus-80-eff-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-140mm-fan-5-year-warranty

[bad_brain]

set the RAM voltage to 1.8V and I am pretty sure it will work, because that's the default voltage. I have seen some reviews of those RAM modules, and they all used 1.8V, no idea why they say "1.6V" on the shop page....

even 2.0V would not break anything, but it would also have no positive effect compared to 1.8V, just would produce more heat. I use XMS2 ones with 4-4-4-12 timings, and they even need 2.1V for the full performance....but as I said, in your case 1.8V is enough.

[JohnB]

Just to be clear - if my mobo blows I'm holding b_b and suck-o responsible.

Nah I trust you. You know your stuff and have been in the hardware business a long time.

I'll see what happens!

[bad_brain]

best wait until I have changed the WHOIS data of suck-o.com....

nah, 1.8V will definitely do no harm... also make sure the 9-9-9-24 timings are set properly in BIOS (do that first before raising the voltage). you can also try lowering the voltage to 1.5V. it's hard to tell what will work, try & error thingy...

[JohnB]

Alright I got mixed results. I tried 1.8.

I got windows to boot a few times but yet again I get forced reboot.

It says something like "verifying pool data" then "recovering lost DRAM size".

Also, I don't know what you mean by timings.

I found this while googling:

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 http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4344985 

The problem may be due to system temperature because at the first boot it was 30 degrees and now it's around 50.

I appreciate your help by the why.

[lonewolf]

This is going to sound bad but are you sure that the memory you are in possession of is good?

I purchased some memory a while ago installed it and managed to get the messages like that along with forced reboot.

It turned out to be the memory I purchased was not good even-though it was new.

[bad_brain]

hm, yeah, it might be faulty RAM modules, but it's not very likely that ALL are faulty, so best try it with each single module.

before doing that adjust the settings:

- RAM voltage back to 1.6V
- set the timings right. in BIOS go to MB Intelligent Tweaker->DRAM configuration:

adjust the settings I've marked (4-4-4-12 in my case) to 9-9-9-24, you might have to switch the general timing setting from auto to "manual" first.
- check the BIOS version, it's displayed on the boot screen right after the mainboard name:

the pic is a little bad, but you get the idea...in my case the BIOS version is F7e. if your BIOS is outdated it could also be the reason of the problems, if I wouldn't use the latest BIOS version my CPU wouldn't be supported at all for example.

[JohnB]

Okay I tried changing the timings: (though I think they were already 9-9-9-24)
before:
http://imagehost.suck-o.com/images/dsc00520.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

after:
http://imagehost.suck-o.com/images/dsc00522.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also what does channels mean?

http://imagehost.suck-o.com/images/dsc00521.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll try and get the BIOS version though it's going to be extremely hard as it's there for like a quarter of a second. I didn't even notice it the first couple of times.

Though when I was assembling the motherboard I noticed it said version 2.0 or something around there.

The RAM could be faulty. But I have a huge fan to remove so am dreading removing it.

I should have 12GB RAM in use. Is this not the case?

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EDIT: In case you were wondering what happened I switched the RAM around and it magically worked.

[bad_brain]

have a look here:
http://imagehost.suck-o.com/images/dsc00522.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
seems the RAM slots 5 and 6 are not enabled, that's why it only shows 8GB RAM.
have a look in BIOS if they are disabled, if they are already enabled it would point to a problem with those 2 RAM modules (at least 1 of them).

the channel settings should be for dual-channel RAM mode, for testing you could disable dual-channel mode and see if it has an effect. I am not sure how it is on Intel systems, but on my AMD one the "old" dual-channel mode should be disabled because it has a better performance without it, but it's called different there (ganged and unganged mode).