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PantherModern · ‎04-27-2012

UPDATE: I have solved the problem. Insufficient and damaged power supply was the cause. Replaced 750W with 1200W and problems went away.

Begin Original Post:
I'm having an issue with my Rampage IV Extreme. Purchased about 1 month ago, the board has suddenly become unstable.

Symptom #1: Board will not POST and loops through debug codes without settling

Symptom #2: When board POSTs correctly, error message "Overlocking Failed! Press F1 to enter setup" is displayed

Here are my system specs:

CPU: Core i7 3930K
PSU: Corsair Gold 750W
VGA: 2x Asus ENGTX-480
RAM: gSkill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 (6x4GB)
CPU Cooling: Corsair H80

What I have done so far:

1: Removed 2nd video card (no change)
2: Swapped video cards (no change)
3: Tried 3rd video card (GTX-580 - no change)
4: Tried one and two sticks of RAM (no change)
5: Tried resetting CMOS (no change)
6: Update BIOS to latest version (no change)
7: Unplug all USB devices including KB/Mouse (no change)

I'm not doing any overclocking and I have no desire to run my CPU higher than stock, same with my RAM. It's been working fine for a month, which is what makes me suspect it's the board. The motherboard shouldn't just "lose" its BIOS settings requiring me to reconfigure it. Unless there's something else going on.

Necrosan · ‎04-27-2012

Set your RAM speed & voltage manually (NO XMP) and I bet your boot issues will be resolved. What kit exactly did you get by the way? (Part number please)
Also, don't expect everything to 'just work' is the best advice I can give you about the Rampage boards.
You're going to need to do some tweaking, but once you get it down you will have one of the most stable systems around.
Good luck and keep us posted!

Also, your 750w PSU will nearly be at full capacity with CPU at load & both GPUs.. (Older less power demanding platforms draw ~700 watts at load with 480 SLI... )

Are you reusing old hardware by chance from an older build? That would explain why the BIOS can't determine the appropriate RAM settings. (Likely non-matching RAM subtimings)

MB: ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition
CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2 (Cooled by Corsair H100i w/ Noctua NF-F12 fans)
RAM: 64GB G.SKILL RipjawsZ 1600 (10-10-10-30)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan X Hybrid
TV Tuners: 2 * Hauppauge HVR-1800
Case: CoolerMaster Cosmos 2

PantherModern · ‎04-27-2012

Re: Power Supply: The PSU runs at 698W under full load, 750W is its rated peak. Sure, that might be cutting it a little close under load, but not for boot and not for only one card installed. The problem still occurs with only one card installed, regardless of which card (tested both individually).

Regarding RAM, this RAM is re-used from a previous build.

RAM model #:
F3-12800CL9T-12GBRL
CAS 9, Timings 9-9-9-24, 1.5V
NOTE: This RAM isn't precisely the model number listed in the QVL, however its specifications match a nearly identical model number exactly.
Newegg Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231358

When setting the BIOS setting to "XMP", the timings listed on the product page are immediately detected so I don't think it's a RAM detection or compatibility issue.

As I stated before, it's been working fine for a month with zero problems. When the "Overclocking failed!" error happens, my BIOS settings are reset to defaults.

I ran MemTest86+ on my system overnight and it ran with zero failures.

Arne_Saknussemm · ‎04-27-2012

PantherModern wrote:
RAM: gSkill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 (6x4GB)

6x4....are you running two triple channel kits on XMP? is so this is asking for complications on X79.

Best to input the RAM timings manually for a start and maybe play with voltage to get them stable.

ARNE’S GUIDE TO PC BUILDING HAPPINESS

ARNE'S GUIDE TO OVERCLOCKING HAPPINESS

PantherModern · ‎04-27-2012

I'm confused;

How would RAM rimings in the BIOS affect my system's ability to POST at all, unless I had edited the timings incorrectly already? If sometimes I can't even get as far as full POST, how am I supposed to adjust RAM timings?

To repeat: This setup worked fine, out-of-the-box with stock BIOS settings which correctly detected my RAM and processor speed(s).

EDIT:

Sorry, forgot to address one point - two "triple channel" kits are the same thing; what matters is the number of sticks you install and which slots you populate. The RAM is paired based on slot number and quantity.

Does "XMP" have some weird interactions on the X79 chipset that I'm unaware of? I'm unable to find anything on Google.

Arne_Saknussemm · ‎04-27-2012

Unfortunately X79 is finicky. Running two different kits, even if they are the same make and model, are not guaranteed to work well together. If I were you I would sort out the two kits by serial number and just use one of them as a start and see if that lets you boot at least.

ARNE’S GUIDE TO PC BUILDING HAPPINESS

ARNE'S GUIDE TO OVERCLOCKING HAPPINESS

PantherModern · ‎04-27-2012

That's a bit of what's confusing me; 75% of the time, the system boots fine. The other times, it fails with the messages mentioned in the original post.

Nothing I've done, even removing RAM, has changed the behavior.

I'll pick up this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460
...and try again. Thankfully Newegg is better about returns and exchanges than Asus.

Arne_Saknussemm · ‎04-27-2012

For 8 GB you'd be better off with something like this for the same price... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231514

or a bit better http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231515

ARNE’S GUIDE TO PC BUILDING HAPPINESS

ARNE'S GUIDE TO OVERCLOCKING HAPPINESS

PantherModern · ‎04-27-2012

Unfortunately, both those kits are incompatible with my system setup. I intend to populate all 8 DIMM slots with 32GB of RAM.

Thanks for the suggestion, though. I'm going to snag a qualified kit from the motherboard QVL.

I'll post back here if/when it's fixed or updated.

Rassal · ‎04-27-2012

Well, in the manual, you won't find any 32gb KIT that is on the QVL list... i already checked... on the other hand, i can recommand this kit, as i am running this right now on bios 1305 without one single glitch...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231500

Rampage IV Extreme (4802) + Core i7-3930K @ 4.3GHZ + Corsair H100i Push Config.
VCore = 1.33v | LLC = Auto | VTT = 1.10v | 2nd VTT = Auto | VCCSA = 1.10v | PLL = 1.78125v
G.Skill Ripjawz Z 32GB DDR3-1866 @ 1866 (8x4gb) Using XMP profile#1
Dual Corsair Force GT 120gb Raid-0 Sata 6G RSTe + 1TB WD Blue Sata 6G ASMedia
Dual Sapphire Radeon 6870 xfire - Cooler Master Cosmos II Case
PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII 950w power supply.
Dell 2709WFP LCD Monitor (1920x1200) - Windows 8.1 Pro x64

SOLVED: Rampage IV Extreme - "Overclocking failed" message w/no overclock