Unable to boot with XMP CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 on Asus z170 pro gaming MB

[binarykhaos]

Hello @all,

 

I assembled a new machine a few days ago and unfortunately decided to go with the Corsair CMK32GX4M2B3200C16 -- since I usually choose Corsair when I get the chance to due to great experience with reliability and quality of their products in the past.

 

The board is a Asus Z170-Deluxe which was praised everywhere as /the/ board when it comes to memory compatibility. Well, the board actually surprised me with quite a few quirks and a will of its very own (e.g. by default overclocked my 6700k and treated him with luscious up to 1.4V Vcore).

 

The memory kit itself runs with its default speed but once you go XMP, the machine usually hangs during reset with the famous overclock failed. And naturally nothing is stable.

 

I managed to get it stable at 3100 and the default 16-18-18-36 timings. Neither memtest86 nor Prime95 (blend 4k) showed any abnormalities. Especially the latter BOD'd in a second due to the memory not working.

 

If this helps anyone, I enabled SVID, had the Vcore managed by offset, disabled the EPU stuff and entered the timings and DRAM voltage by hand. Memory training and MCH full check are both enabled... and extensively tested the machine, no reboot failed, no abnormalities thus far.

 

Nevertheless, this feels brittle to me... especially if one doesn't know what the next bios update (or the one after) brings. That's why I am still contemplating returning the kit for a G.Skill one which have been praised in this thread as working. What do you guys think...? I fear though that I end up with a never-ending story. There have been single reports about the same issue with G.Skill memory as well, if I do remember correctly.

 

I also called up Asus Germany -- and they told me, no one complained thus far and there is nothing in their database about any issue like that. Corsair US actually knew about those problems, but naturally had no solution and offered a RMA or similar, if I wanted to return it but couldn't for some reason. Like always, very helpful and friendly.

 

This whole situation is beyond ridiculous though. The RAM is listed to this date both by Corsair and Asus as compatible with the Z170-Deluxe. And the latter is still praised to be the board for memory compatibility -- except that users seem to disagree. And to make matters worse, there is almost zero communication going down the line to the actual user. We don't know if this is fixable, if it is going to be fixed and what is the actual issue. That is not what I expect if I buy expensive hardware from established and trusted companies. :(

 

So: An official word on the cause would be nice as well as if there is actually any work and communication going on to have this fixed eventually.

 

Thanks,

Matthias

[chrmica]

Hi,

 

I assembled my PC last week and I also got the CMK32GX4M2B3200C16 for the motherboard Asus z170-ws and having issues to get the ram working at 3200MHZ I did succeed sometimes getting it to run at full speed but on reboot it gets stuck with q-code errors 41 or 55, at 3100 mHZ its more stable though, but still have boot issues sometimes and still need to do further testing to see at which speed its most stable.

 

I asked for help to both Corsair and Asus, Corsair just pointed out that modules not in the Asus QVL list and that motherboard is not supported and Asus at first came with same reply, but I asked them if they will support the ram since there were no modules in list that are 16x2 and at 3000mhz or over and it seems they might look into it and fix hopefully, although I'm not holding my breath that it will be done any time soon if ever, the following is Asus replies:

 

"Dear valued customer,

 

Thank you for contacting the Asus support.

 

The motherboard has tested from Asus only with the modules 16GB ( 2400Mhz ed

2133Mhz) included in the QVL list. Unfortunatelly, the motherboard has not tested with

memories 16GB at high speeds of 3000mhz and over.

 

We have asked information from the HQ if exist a BIOS beta version that can support

the memories cmk32gx4m2b3200c16. The Greek Support will inform you as soon as

possible.

 

Best Regards - Asus Support

 

"

 

"Dear valued customer,

 

Thank you for contacting the Asus support.

 

Regarding the below described case, the Asus Greek support department has already requested from the responsible department of our HQ if a BETA bios version is available, however such a version was not available.

 

We have forwarded the below correspondance to the responsible department of our HQ and requested for new BIOS versions to be developped that add more RAM modules (and if possible also your RAM modules) to the compatibility list of the motherboard.

 

Please check the Asus website periodically for new BIOS versions.

 

For information and Technical Support please try to contact the Greek Support at: 00800 44142044 ( TOLL FREE ) (not available from mobile phones and VoiP phones) (09am to 13pm - 14pm to 18pm, Monday to Friday). ( From Cyprus: 800 92491 )Email: support@asus.gr

 

Best Regards - Asus Support"

 

Well till now the experience with these modules/motherboard combination was not great and hopefully it will get solved, any tips would be appreciated although I tried quite a few things like changing cpu vccio/vccia and different ram voltages disabling MCH full check etc.

 

Thanks

Edited July 1, 2016 by chrmica

[gustavct]

I have the following setup: ASUS Z170-A, core i5 6600, Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz (CMK16GX4M2B3200C16), Samsung 950 PRO Series - 256GB SSD M.2, EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FOUNDERS EDITION, THERMALTAKE SMART ATX 80PLUS WHITE 700W PSU, WATER COOLER CORSAIR HYDRO SERIES H75.

 

I'm using Windows 10 (build 1511) with driver 368.39. Also tried 368.51 after a fresh driver install with DDU.

 

BIOS is update but it only recognize RAM as 2133. If I manually set it to 3200 I get an error after reboot saying OC failed.

 

I did put RAM in slots A1, B1 or A2, B2 and also tried only one slot in A1 but I keep getting random errors in apps. Did run memtest with RAM on slots A1 and B1 but didn't get any errors (clock on auto - 2133).

 

Temperature is fine... did run stress test but it seems ok.

 

The one app that crashes every time is Nvidia Control Panel. When I right click on the Nvidia Control Panel it doesn't open or opens and crashes.

 

Also ran EVGA OC Scanner. It didn't find any artifacts.

 

At first I was using my computer connected to a LG 4K 49UB8500. It was connected to HDMI 4. I believe this HDMI is only 30 Hz.

Could this be crashing some apps such as Nvidia Control Panel or EVGA OC Scanner or The Witcher 3 game? After connecting my computer to an old monitor, there was no crashes. Everything was running fine.

Today I set the XMP profile 1 and bios recognized my RAM with proper settings. Everything looks fine too. I will keep testing.

Edited July 1, 2016 by gustavct
grammar

[r-Z]

It is safe to say that this thread/issue has been ignored.

I check back occasionally hoping to see some positive outcomes with people using corsair RAM modules on ASUS boards. I come back and there are still more and more complaints.

 

Alot of people are saying oh its a 4 layered board and so on ... yeah then explain why alot of people who then switched to G.skill 3200mhz ram have no issues?

[Eldata]

It is safe to say that this thread/issue has been ignored.

I check back occasionally hoping to see some positive outcomes with people using corsair RAM modules on ASUS boards. I come back and there are still more and more complaints.

 

Alot of people are saying oh its a 4 layered board and so on ... yeah then explain why alot of people who then switched to G.skill 3200mhz ram have no issues?

 

Generally speaking, motherboards with shorter DRAM traces (smaller boards like m-ITX) and/or more layers have better memory performance. But with respect to XMP performance, only Asus knows why, at this point in time, their boards still appear to work better with G. Skill memory as opposed to Corsair...One can only speculate. Also, relatively speaking, where are the Gigabyte, MSI and ASRock complaints regarding Corsair memory? Should Corsair be blamed for this scenario? I don't think so.

[dadopurso]

asus z170 pro gaming , new bios

Z170 PRO GAMING BIOS 1901

Improve system stability.

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170-PRO-GAMING/HelpDesk_Download/

[PET]

Well the good news is with BIOS 1805 if I manually configure my timings and voltage I can now boot my CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 RAM at 3000MHz!!!

 

It's only taken a few months but I think it's finally working. I'll do some gaming and report back......

 

 

EDIT: It's looking good. I think they've finally cracked it!

 

Hey man. Can you tell us what you did exactly? Also, what motherboard do you have?

 

----

 

I recently purchased a ASUS Z170 Deluxe, i7 6700k and some HyperX memories. I managed to install Win10, did an instalation of a couple of drivers... BAM BSOD. I was able to boot again after 2-3 bsods but then again, after 3 minutes I was stuck in a BSOD Loop.

 

I was getting BSODs even when I was trying to boot from DVD/USB Windows 7 & Windows 10... hell even UBuntu crashed.

 

So I'm thinking tha the Motherboard has the memory slots faulty. It seems it's pretty common.

 

I also returned the ram because I wanted to get some "approved ASUS" rams and I stopped at CMK16GX4M2B3000C15.

 

.. but after reading this topic I'm thinking that maybe those woun't work aslo. I'm getting very paranoid :(

 

 

EDIT:

Well it turns out I had a faulty CPU. The new one works like a charm :)

Edited July 16, 2016 by PET

[em0101001]

Hi guys!

 

I would like to announce that Z170-K-ASUS-1803 bios update has made my XMP profile work like a magic.

without having to configure additional voltages to VCCIO and SA manually, all set to auto

works perfect!

 

z170-K asus

i7 6700K

LPX DDR4 2667Mhz 16-18-18-35 XMP

i lost the box so I dont know the part number. and im too lazy to open my computer casing haha!

 

enjoy!

[r-Z]

Asus Z170 Pro gaming motherboard driver 1901 doesn't work

Win10 64bit

[n0v]

Asus Z170 Pro gaming motherboard driver 1901 doesn't work

Win10 64bit

 

Latest Hero Viii BIOS is working, 2 reboots and XMP profile enabled!!!

 

MAXIMUS-VIII-HERO-ASUS-1902.CAP

 

Not holding my breathe but this may be a turning point!

[phantomax]

Any updates on this..?

Using Corsair 16gb ddr4 "3000mhz" vengeance lpx, Asus z170 pro gaming, Win 10 64 bit.

 

I have updated to latest possible BIOS as of 2016-07-29. Cannot boot when xmp profile is set.

 

I just bought this and it's disheartening to see this issue unsolved. I need to know if I must return my sticks and get another brand (in which case I will never buy a corsair product again) or what the current status is.

[charlie1986]

i got a new PC recently, and i'm having the same problem, i did upgrade my BIOS to newest. but still can not run my ram at 3200mhz, gives me all kind error, (error 55 no ram installed, or don't shut down, or won't reboot), and i can not past the stress test. but if i dont use XMP mode, runs on 2133mhz, then everything is fine.

i'm using corsair CMK32GX4M2B3200C16, motherboard: asus maximus viii hero, and i7 6700K.

are there any solutions yet? please let me know.

[Machan188]

Hey guys, I literally just finished building my new computer and I am having the same problems as basically anyone on this thread.

 

Soon as I change X.M.P. to Profile 1 to configure the 3200MHz, it wouldn't boot, and so I turned off the PC, turned it back on, got to Windows 10 but then blue screened. This is basically repeatable.

 

Only solution is to disable X.M.P.

 

So, I have a feeling I'm out of luck with this. So I'll just focus on overclocking my CPU (6700K), since I can at least still do that.

 

Memory I have is CMK16GX4M2B3200C16R (2x8GB @ 3200MHz)

 

This is kind of a let down, I paid extra for 3200MHz only to have to settle for the default of 2100MHz. Not sure I"ll purchase Corsair Memory in the future after this.

[c-attack]

It's not one or the other (2133 vs 3200). Manually set your BIOS for 3200 and the 4 primary timings AND voltage. Asus boards seem to be happier when they pick their own secondary and tertiary timings.

 

You did notice there isn't a series of threads like this for other motherboards? Just this one.

[PCtechguy]

So with z170, I can't get faster ram than 2133Mhz?

 

we all know in a motherboard there is 4 slots. Will the Ram work if I put it in 1# and 3#?

 

Please help, cuz I am new to this. Would it be better for me to change over to a H170 board?

 

I am thinking of this board:

 

MSI H170A GAMING PRO, Socket-1151. Is it good? Which company sells good motherboards?

 

Asus keeps disappointing me tbh.

Edited August 1, 2016 by PCtechguy

[loiphin]

It looks like I finally have a stable PC: (been good for 3 days now and included multiple cold boots)

 

Running Asus Z170 Pro Gaming (1904 BIOS) with a Core i7-6700

CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 (Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB kit - 3000MHz) - these are 8GB x 2 DIMM's

Memory version v4.24 (if I remember right)

Running in Slots A2/B2 (Recommended in the Asus manual)

 

Set as XMP in BIOS (some of the settings below may already have been set by XMP, including FSB overclock of 102.5 or something like that)

 

Manually set timings: 15-17-17-35 (Corsair tested timings)

Command Rate: Auto

Frequency is manually set to DDR4-3000

Voltage is manually set 1.35v

 

 

Seems to be working well. No errors in memtest86+, or Prime95 on OSX(Hackintosh)

 

If you are struggling to even get the machine to boot with this memory, use just one DIMM(I used slot A2), then setup as shown above in the BIOS, then shutdown and add the remaining DIMM. Thats what I did and all is good :)

 

 

loiphin.

Edited August 3, 2016 by loiphin

[phantomax]

It looks like I finally have a stable PC: (been good for 48 hours including a cold cold boot)

 

Running Asus Z170 Pro Gaming (1904 BIOS) with a Core i7-6700

CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 (Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB kit - 3000MHz) - these are 8GB x 2 DIMM's

Memory version v4.24 (if I remember right)

Running in Slots A2/B2 (Recommended in the Asus manual)

 

Set as XMP in BIOS (some of the settings below may already have been set by XMP, including FSB overclock of 102.5 or something like that)

 

Manually set timings: 15-17-17-35 (Corsair tested timings)

Command Rate: Auto

Frequency is manually set to DDR4-3000

Voltage is manually set 1.35v

 

 

Seems to be working well. No errors in memtest86+, or Prime95 on OSX(Hackintosh)

 

If you are struggling to even get the machine to boot with this memory, use just one DIMM(I used slot A2), then setup as shown above in the BIOS, then shutdown and add the remaining DIMM. Thats what I did and all is good :)

 

 

loiphin.

 

I couldn't find anywhere to set the CR (noob at this) so I simply put XMP profile with one stick in, as you said, then booted down, and booted up after I put the 2nd one in.

 

I had an issue getting it to start the first time, but now I've gotten it to reboot twice and my OC settings (4.6ghz on CPU, 3000hz on RAM) seems to stick.

 

So this could potentially be a solution.

 

I will run memtest and stress tests.

[PCtechguy]

Why doesn't ASUS fix these kind of known issues? Don't they care? I.e. the RAM issues.

 

They should make as many rams compatible as possible, in my opinion. I am 100% sure they know this issue, so why the silence?

[phantomax]

Looks like loiphin has a solution. Simply apply the profile while only 1 stick is in your board. Save & reboot, turn off, add 2nd stick, and go.

 

I've done a pass of memtest and just finished running a stresstest for an hour.

[loiphin]

Awesome! Glad to hear it helped you too :)

[n0v]

Awesome! Glad to hear it helped you too :)

 

Mine worked with new BIOS, first one and tied everyone ever!!!

 

Sounds like this last update has got closer to a fix and some may work now others seem to work with your idea, great news :)

[PCtechguy]

It is time for ASUS to become more transparent with their customers, tbh. They don't seem very caring, at least to me.

[charlie1986]

It looks like I finally have a stable PC: (been good for 3 days now and included multiple cold boots)

 

Running Asus Z170 Pro Gaming (1904 BIOS) with a Core i7-6700

CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 (Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB kit - 3000MHz) - these are 8GB x 2 DIMM's

Memory version v4.24 (if I remember right)

Running in Slots A2/B2 (Recommended in the Asus manual)

 

Set as XMP in BIOS (some of the settings below may already have been set by XMP, including FSB overclock of 102.5 or something like that)

 

Manually set timings: 15-17-17-35 (Corsair tested timings)

Command Rate: Auto

Frequency is manually set to DDR4-3000

Voltage is manually set 1.35v

 

 

Seems to be working well. No errors in memtest86+, or Prime95 on OSX(Hackintosh)

 

If you are struggling to even get the machine to boot with this memory, use just one DIMM(I used slot A2), then setup as shown above in the BIOS, then shutdown and add the remaining DIMM. Thats what I did and all is good :)

 

 

loiphin.

 

but 3000mhz ram aren't real problem for asus motherboard, they states that 3200mhz and above will have issue, and the 16GB ram stick.

[charlie1986]

It's not one or the other (2133 vs 3200). Manually set your BIOS for 3200 and the 4 primary timings AND voltage. Asus boards seem to be happier when they pick their own secondary and tertiary timings.

 

You did notice there isn't a series of threads like this for other motherboards? Just this one.

 

yeah, thanks, i tried with manual setting, and did not use XMP mode, its magically working!!!:laughing:

just use the timing and voltage that gave you in XMP mode, and set to manual mode, choose dram frequency, insert dram timing, and put in dram voltage. and its working.

[phantomax]

starting having problems again.

 

this needs a fix from corsair.