[SOLVED] 16gb of ram but 8gb hardware reserved. Faulty RAM?

[Hitlist]

So i was using FL studio on my newly built PC and i noticed that my memory and cpu usage was maxing out from all the generators and processing effects. This is very unusual given that i have the ryzen 2700 and 16gb of ram. I noticed that i had roughly 8gb of Ram in use and the rest hardware reserved.

• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000Mhz, 2x8gb
• MOBO: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
• CPU: Ryzen 2700
• GPU: Gigabyte 1660 OC 6G

I checked out the bios and it detected that there were 2 dimm slots being used as it should A2 and B2 (2-4) for dual channel. Both sticks have 8192 mb of memory as they should. But When it said total memory in the top, it only said 8192 instead of 16384.

1. I did some research and many people suggested to deals with this problem with the msconfig method.
2. Another suggestion was via the registry editor, and you replace a specific null with a 1. Still didn't work. At this point my task manager said that there was 16gb of RAM but 8gb reserved. Likewise, in the system properties it said 16gb (7.95gb usefull). Also checked cpu-z and it says dual 16gb.
3. I updated my BIOS, also there was a suggestion that the cooler screw may have been to tight so i slightly lightened them.
4. I tried switching the configuration from 2-4 to 1-3. Still the same 8192 total memory in bios, but it recognizes both ram 8192 in each slot.
5. At this point i tried testing each RAM stick separately, i powered on my computer with just 1 stick at a time in dimm A2 (2nd slot). The system displayed fine with the first one, but for the second RAM stick the system would not display anything, Although all the lights inside powered up,my computer didn't startup so i am assuming that that stick is defective.

Do i just bring it back in and replace it? Also i think it would be important to mention that i tried to adjust the xmp profile to get 2933 or 2800 but it didnt work (stuck with 2133). It also did a triple restart thing when i attempted to change it (similar to when you update the bios). idk what it is but i definitely believe that there is something wrong with that stick. So am i missing something here, or can somebody help .

 

[Darkbreeze]

Get different memory would be my guess. There is only one, maybe two, DDR4 Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz memory kit(s) that are compatible with the B450 Tomahawk based on the Corsair memory finder on it's website. If yours isn't one of those (that) kit(s), then you're likely to see exactly this problem and I've seen a lot of it just like this even with 3rd Gen Ryzen CPUs installed.

MSCONFIG is NOT how you solve memory problems. Ever.

Registry is not how you solve memory problems. Ever.

"Lightening" the fasteners on your CPU cooler isn't necessarily the solution either. It is true that fastener tightness, and more importantly, evenness, can be a factor, but simply loosening the cooler is not the solution. The cooler should be tightened EVENLY and to the correct amount, which is usually "just snug". You should not need to apply a great deal of force, if you have to really try to tighten it down then it's already tight enough. Be sure to tighten in a criss cross pattern and I usually do so until light turning will no longer turn any of the screws and then give them about a half turn more. Obviously, if you have to turn it very hard to gain that extra half turn, then it is too much. Try only a quarter turn more if that is the case. Most important is that they are all simply "snug" and that they are all even. If they are, then that is not the problem and in this case I doubt very much that it is anyhow.

The second and fourth slots are the correct slots. Use those and no others unless you have more than two DIMMs installed.

Your test indicates to me either an incompatibility or a bad stick. I would Google the Corsair memory finder and use THAT to find a suitable memory kit for your motherboard. And honestly, these are probably the very best low cost option, and I know for a fact they work perfectly on the B450 Tomahawk.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-19 05:18 EST-0500

 

[Hitlist]

yup the memory was defective. i got 16 gigs of gskill and no problem. Makes sense since the system didn't boot when that one of stick was connected. Thanks about the memory compatibility checker idea though, i never thought of that. I always assumed they were all compatible

 

[Darkbreeze]

Cool man. Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Good luck to you Hitlist.