Cannot pinpoint my BSODs CMX4GX3M2A1600C9

[TrickyMicky]

Hi all, I need a little help here with my latest build. Basically, I have bought an i5 760 cpu, an Asus P7P55D-E PRO motherboard and 4 GB ( two matched 2 Gb modules ) of Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9

 

I have managed to get the PC working and have used it but I find that I am getting different BSOD, usually in the morning as I attempt the first boot of the day but they also appear randomly during the course of the day too.

 

The first BSOD was PAGE FAULT IN NON PAGED AREA, somebody on another forum suggested a HD issue and said a clean install of Win 7 might clear it up, I did that and it seemed to solve that particular BSOD.

 

Then I started getting ( this one is the most frequent ) MEMORY MANAGEMENT, I downloaded Memtest86+ and ran a test on each module, the first module was tested in slot A1 for 7 passes, no errors, I then placed the same module in slot B1 for testing, again no errors after 7 passes.

 

One good module! On to the next one.

 

I tested the second module in slot A1, straight away, thousands of errors! I thought I had found the source of my BSOD, I then tested the failing module in slot B1 to double check and guess what? No errors this time, 7 passes after 4 hours of testing?

 

How can that be?

 

I tried flashing the motherboard BIOS to the second from newest one ( Asus users were saying that the very latest one had bugs so I refrained from that )

but I was still getting this MEMORY MANAGEMENT so I decided to RMA the RAM modules back to where I bought them from. They contacted me saying that the memory was absolutely healthy.

 

What do I do now, RMA the motherboard too?

 

A friend of mine asked if I had enough voltage going to the modules but everything in CPU-Z and memtest86+ was telling me that the RAM speeds 9-9-9-24 were correct and the voltage was as per the sticker on the box 1.65V

 

I am at a crossroads and do not know what to do next. The tech guy who was dealing with my RMA suggested sending back the motherboard and the CPU too for further testing, I do not really want to do that, am I missing something for setting up the CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 on my board?

 

Any help would be much appreciated on this, thanks.

[TrickyMicky]

Oh and the 3rd BSOD ( but this only happened once ) was SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION

 

Could it be that my matched pair is not, well, matched? It's hard to see with the heatsinks on them.

 

My supplier has had my RAM for almost 3 weeks now, I just want to get it back and play about with the settings but I'm sure all settings were right anyway? The tech guy also said that i5 processors have built in memory controllers and said it could be a dodgy CPU but I ran Prime95 for 3 hours and everything came back as fine.

 

Is it possible that a perfectly healthy board & perfectly healthy RAM just don't like each other and is tripping my system up?

 

Is it possible that the modules need MORE juice, maybe 1.65v is simply not enough?

 

Thanks.

[trackrat]

Are you running the memory at 1333 MHz. or 1600 MHz. ?

 

You can up the QPI to 1.35 V and test. If the memory test good in one slot and not another it's more likely a bad mobo not the RAM or CPU. Some Intel mobos do not like higher RAM voltages so you can also try 1.5/1.6 V RAM voltages.

[TrickyMicky]

Hi trackrat, the RAM was running at 1600.

 

Forgive me but what is QPI?

 

I just went over to the Asus website ( on my girlfriends computer ) and punched in my details to see if any latest BIOS updates had been posted since my last visit there.

 

There was an updated QVL for my board and the Corsair memory I purchased is NOT there! I stupidly assumed that any DDR3 DIMMs will work in any board.

 

As for the possibility of a failing board, if that A1 slot is broken ( where the errors were showing ) why did the first RAM module pass after 4 hours in the same slot?

[trackrat]

Well you got lucky in that the memory that you picked is i5/i7 CPU compatible. Asus only tests some of the available RAM so consumers have some confirmed options. Unfortunately in my experience Asus's mobos are very inconsistent in quality, which is why I stopped using them years ago. The mobo may simply not be close enough to industry specs for the DIMM to run reliably? IME Asus is slow to issue new BIOS to correct mobo issues.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

 

The link below is an overview of QPI. Increasing the voltage can help when overclocking the CPU or RAM. Your Intel i5-760 CPU officially supports 1333 MHz. RAM speed so anything higher is OC'ing the RAM which is not guaranteed to work but frequently does for a lot of people. See my signature.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QPI

 

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=48496

[TrickyMicky]

Thanks man, so are you saying that even though I haven't touched overclocking, the RAM is running at it's default 1600MHz speed but this is too fast for the boards current settings? More DRAM voltage then?

[trackrat]

If you are running the RAM at 1600 MHz. yes that is OC'ed as your CPU officially supports up to 1333 MHz. RAM frequency. More DRAM voltage does not always work well on Intel mobos. Increasing the QPI voltage to 1.35 V would be the best place to start IMO.