Vengeance RAM and the X79 motherboard

[impac]

Well, if you want vengeance on the RIVE... you may end up with trouble... RIVE doesn't like it...

An other idea: try to reseat the CPU and check the pins in the socket... the may be bent...

Can you elaborate more on the topic "vengeance on the RIVE.. end up with trouble"... I think I am one of those people... it was working relatively well before, but recently.. on cold boots, it would give me a black screen, and get a reverse "9" on the Debug LEDs... (it's reverse "9" on the left digit.. nothing on the right digit"...power it off, and then on again, it will post properly... all the way to AA, and no issues after that in terms of using it.

any idea what would cause this?

[Zka17]

The thing is that X79 platforms are very picky with the memories... you can see a lot of people here having trouble with particularly the Vengeance memories on the RIVE... - simply, RIVE does not like Vengeance! the real trouble starts when someone mixes to separate Vengeance kits on these mobos...

Just get a kit from the Dominator series if you want to stick with Corsair... or you can look around at G.Skill...

[HiVizMan]

With each change of Chipset there is a corresponding change in how the memory interacts with the memory controller. When DDR3 first came out we used to push 2.1volts through our ram. Now days the standard is 1.5. I mention that to illustrate the changes, the evolution if you will.

But what that means more importantly is that DDR3 memory are not all the same or equal. Changes in memory chip capacity and fabrications also play a part. Vengence ram is value ram pure and simple. It is Corsair trading on their very good name they built with their successes using hyper memory chips during the X58 era. The Dominator GT and GTX ranges ruled big time. And it is right that they reap the benefits of that hard work.

Value ram will do what is written on the box each and every time. They will do that on the platform that they were designed for. Vengence was first made for the LGA 1156 platform I seem to recall. Then updated to the LGA1155 P68/Z68 later on. Most folks are not able to make the distinction between platforms. They do understand that CPU's will be different, but why ram. We have VGA's that are interchangable, hard drives too. So why not ram? The reasons are obvious and because they are so obvious are often missed because we do not see what is in front of us. They understand that CPU's are different, remember, but it is CPU's that now control the IMC (memory controller) so if the CPU is different therefore the memory controller is different. And while some DDR3 will work cross platforms, not all will work without effort.

Vengeance ram and the X79 boards here on the ROG forums have accounted for a good 60% of all support issues in the early stages of the platform. Before folks became a little more aware of the issues. X79 is picky about what ram it likes to have in system.

Z77 however loves nearly all ram. Different CPU and ... you got it different memory controller.

Forgive the ramble but I hope that helps explain the why as well as the what.

[jdmesty]

I think I can agree to that. I have 16gb of Vengeance 1866 RAM and I get windows 7 loaded and after clicking on a few windows buttons and folders it will just lock up and I have to power it down and power back on and over and over again.

I tried auto, XMP, Manual with all kinds of different timings and voltages and could not get it to stop locking up and poweroff/power on to winows or getting an overclock failed message.

Guess I will buy some kingston 1600 memory locally to see if it will be stable. Then maybe send the Corsair back to NewEgg and swap for some GSkill.

Maybe play it safe and do some RipSaw Z 1600

Or what is the most popular that everyone is using stock settings with.

I really don't plan on overclocking anything for 6 months or so

[Arniebomba]

I think I can agree to that.

You have to

[HK-47]

What is the kit number? I am using 2 - 8gb 2133 vengance kits with no problems using XMP profile.

[jdmesty]

16 (4x4) CMZ16GX3M4x1866C9R

do you just pick XMP and adjust no other settings and leave them all at auto

[HiVizMan]

HK-47 it is not the specific kit or batch of ram, it is the CPU's that are the issue if we really reduce it to the correct level of abstraction. The X79 processors are so darn picky with memory and there is such a huge variation in IMC strengths between sequential batched CPU's, and that is really where the issue lies. You and a good couple of folks have not had any hassles mixing and matching ram, I would say you are very luck and also suggest that your CPU has a strong IMC.

With Ivy the Vengence kits (all of them) clock really well. Not knocking Vengance at all. Think of it like this, we can not really change the CPU to fit the ram, but we certainly can change the ram to fit the CPU.

GSkill are/were good for X79 boards, so are the Dominator range. I use Geil on many different boards, Mushkins are hardly ever mentioned in the same sentence as my ram won't work with my RIVE board.

[HiVizMan]

16 (4x4) CMZ16GX3M4x1866C9R

do you just pick XMP and adjust no other settings and leave them all at auto

That set of ram should work just fine with the RIVE boards. It is designed for quad channel boards, why it is not doing what it should for you lets try and work out.

[jdmesty]

I'll try anything as I really would like to just keep this RAM.

I am not overclocking the CPU at all. Just keeping the default settings. The RAM is rated at 9-10-9-27 and I set the timings to manual and those settings plus set the DRAM to 1.5 volts and the the SA volt to 1.15 like most posts I have seen. I think I even tried one time to set the RAM to 1.65 volts like some of the posts have mentioned.

Either way, if you have some settings you would like me to try, let me know