Random hard reboots with Corsair DDR4 and MSI MPG Z690 Edge WiFi DDR4

[PTJim]

Well, that wasn't it - another crash/reboot with DDR4 voltage set to 1.35.

I think my only remaining options to try (other than just giving up and reverting back to my i9-9900K configuration for good) are either to return the 12900K for a replacement (still think a defective CPU is unlikely) or return the MSI mobo for a different make/model - anybody have recommendations for a good, stable, solid mobo for the Z690 chipset?

Sigh.

[PTJim]

Amazon is shipping me a replacement i9-12900K; I'm running out of things and ideas to try!   With all the swapouts and reversions to previous mobo/CPU, I may have to order more thermal paste, too.

As always, will report back so as to not let my legions of fans hanging.........

Edited November 14, 2022 by PTJim

[PTJim]

MSI Support responded to my ticket with suggestions to disable EIST and C-State in Advanced BIOS settings; watched a Linus TechTips video about that and got my hopes up a bit.

Disabled both and she ran for about 30 minutes before failing again - the Event Log shows all the Kernel-Power Critical Errors when reboots happen, but otherwise no clues and I'm out of ideas except for the CPU swap in a few days.

Frustrating......

[PTJim]

I may have FINALLY solved this problem, but it's too soon to be sure, so I'll report back to confirm one way or the other.  System has been up and running for 28 hours so far without a single glitch - while it was glitching, I could get anywhere from 10 minutes to about 15 hours before a crash.  I want to let it run for 2-3 days or so before backing off the paranoia, expecting another blackout crash, and consider it fixed.

If I confirm a fix this time, or even if I don't, I'll follow up on this; it's the least I can do to give back some knowledge in return for all the assistance to date.

TEASER HINT: absolutely none of the other ideas or possible failed-parts suggestions seem to have been the issue.  If this is the fix, it's one I've never, ever run across and is very subtle.

Edited November 26, 2022 by PTJim

[PTJim]

Ok, after four days straight without any glitches, I think I've finally solved this one.  It's a $7 adapter!

After changing out everything but the power supply (that was next on the list), it occurred to me to try removing this right-angle adapter I've had installed on my 24-pin motherboard power connector for many months to relieve cable-bend stresses and a cleaner appearance; it's been working perfectly with my i9-9900K configuration:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZ5GXNF

It's just two connectors, soldered together; no electronics involved, but removing it eliminated the crashing and glitching immediately.  So I went back and ordered this one at 4x the price of my original part, with capacitors to supposedly smooth out power delivery:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HZ6B6R1

Absolutely beautifully-built, but installing it brought back the problems immediately - it crashed again in 30 minutes.  After removing it and just connecting the PSU's cable directly to the mobo again, everything's been fine for four days.  Again, these parts work PERFECTLY with the 9900K CPU and mobo; it's just the 12900K setup that crashes.  Has nothing to do with mfgr or build quality of the adapter - two completely different ones both failed.

So I think that's it; unless I can find a part that doesn't cause crashing, I'll just have to live with a stock cable connection.  Three weeks of frustration, two mobos, two CPUs and three sets of DDR4 finally led to a very subtle cause I've never heard of before.

I hope this information helps somebody, including Corsair tech support teams, in the future.

Cheers and again, thanks for the assistance along the way!

Edited November 29, 2022 by PTJim