I don't know what it is with me and memory but I think I got a bad module or two here. This is my first i7 build and to me this sounds like memory and not cpu or motherboard but i wanted to check.
Worked fine when I had it on the test bench running memtest but now that I built the machine most of the time I have one module that isn't identified as working in the bios with no spd entries for that module. Every once in a while it will start with all 6gb available, sometimes I only get 1 module detected.
If I swap the modules around I can see the module/s with no spd entries move around in the bios. One is really bad and rarely detects ever, another is detected about half the time. The one in the third slot ALWAYS works. (edit I meant that this module always works in any slot)
The fault tolerance is really something on the i7. Basically what happens is it is shown in the bios but without any spd settings for that module and the total system memory is down from what it should be. Windows 7 even recognizes that there is 6gb installed but only 4gb available and if you dig around you find that windows is calling that hardware reserved.
Definitely memory and not CPU or motherboard right?
I did a little more playing around and it really doesn't matter what speed I use.
spd of "xmp profile1" 1600, spd "normal" which results in 1333 and manually setting 1066 I rarely get all memory detected. Even trying 1.55v doesn't help.
This is with all other bios defaults, I actually loaded defaults once or twice just to be sure. Most importantly the voltage is rated 1600 at 1.5v and I saw that in the bios/easy tune. I can also see all the timings and what it detects is accurate from what I saw in the tables listed for CPUz.
I searched the G.skill forums and found a mention that the latest beta BIOS fixes some memory compatibility problems for my board so I updated from F5 to F6j.
Unfortunately it didn't seem to really do anything for me, actually it got much worse. Still having the same problem, most of the time the SPD settings aren't filled in for one or even sometimes two modules. Only problem now is that I get a message at the end of BIOS POST that says "recovering lost dram sizes" and then the motherboard resets and POSTs again only to have the same error. Now in endless POST loop.
Other thoughts
F6j BIOS layout is much improved, shows a lot more real time info too. Layout is better.
New memory arriving thursday, will know one way or the other if this is the memory or something else.
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i7 975EE, True 120 rev C, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 (rev. 1.0), G.Skill 6GB F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI, 2x GTX260 SLI, Intel X25-M G2 80GB for OS, 1TB 7200.12, LG GGC-H20L, Antec P180, Corsair 950TX 950w power, X-Fi Titanium, Samsung LN32-A550 32" monitor, Win 7 Home Premium.
Worked fine when I had it on the test bench running memtest but now that I built the machine most of the time I have one module that isn't identified as working in the bios with no spd entries for that module. Every once in a while it will start with all 6gb available, sometimes I only get 1 module detected.
If I swap the modules around I can see the module/s with no spd entries move around in the bios. One is really bad and rarely detects ever, another is detected about half the time. The one in the third slot ALWAYS works. (edit I meant that this module always works in any slot)
The fault tolerance is really something on the i7. Basically what happens is it is shown in the bios but without any spd settings for that module and the total system memory is down from what it should be. Windows 7 even recognizes that there is 6gb installed but only 4gb available and if you dig around you find that windows is calling that hardware reserved.
Definitely memory and not CPU or motherboard right?
I did a little more playing around and it really doesn't matter what speed I use.
spd of "xmp profile1" 1600, spd "normal" which results in 1333 and manually setting 1066 I rarely get all memory detected. Even trying 1.55v doesn't help.
This is with all other bios defaults, I actually loaded defaults once or twice just to be sure. Most importantly the voltage is rated 1600 at 1.5v and I saw that in the bios/easy tune. I can also see all the timings and what it detects is accurate from what I saw in the tables listed for CPUz.
I searched the G.skill forums and found a mention that the latest beta BIOS fixes some memory compatibility problems for my board so I updated from F5 to F6j.
Unfortunately it didn't seem to really do anything for me, actually it got much worse. Still having the same problem, most of the time the SPD settings aren't filled in for one or even sometimes two modules. Only problem now is that I get a message at the end of BIOS POST that says "recovering lost dram sizes" and then the motherboard resets and POSTs again only to have the same error. Now in endless POST loop.
Other thoughts
F6j BIOS layout is much improved, shows a lot more real time info too. Layout is better.
New memory arriving thursday, will know one way or the other if this is the memory or something else.
---
i7 975EE, True 120 rev C, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 (rev. 1.0), G.Skill 6GB F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI, 2x GTX260 SLI, Intel X25-M G2 80GB for OS, 1TB 7200.12, LG GGC-H20L, Antec P180, Corsair 950TX 950w power, X-Fi Titanium, Samsung LN32-A550 32" monitor, Win 7 Home Premium.
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