[SOLVED] 2 Ram sticks running as Single Channel each

[DonRam]

Hello All,

Recently, I just built my new pc.
X570 phantom gaming 4s
32GB ram (2x16gb G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 3600 CL18 Dual channel)
Ryzen 5 3600x
Enermax CPU Cooler

Heres my question. The mobo has 4 dimm slots
A1
A2
B1
B2

A2 and B2 are said to be DR
So I placed my RAM sticks and computer would not turn on.

I placed only one stick on A2 and i was able to install windows. I turned it off and tried to add the second ram stick on B2 and computer would boot, but will have a PMU training error. And task manager says its only 16GB while have both sticks

I then opened up CPU-Z and there it says I have 32GB dual channel

i then restarted my computer and went jnto the mobo bios and it is only reading A2 (16gb)

So then I connected the ram sticks on
A1
A2
The computer boots up without an issue
On task manager it says 32gb
On the bios it says 32 gb
HOWEVER,
On CPU-Z it says 32GB but single channel.

Why is this happening?
On the mobo i cant connect single ram sticks on to test
B1
B2

in the manual it says that A1 an A2 as SR/DR
Having the ram on A1 A2 make it technically dual channel since both rams are identical and bought together as a pair?
Why is cpuz seeing 32GB dual channel, but showing 16GB on task manager and bios?

Here is the manual

https://download.asrock.com/Manual/X570 Phantom Gaming 4S.pdf

Thank you all for the help!

 

[k1114]

A is one channel, B is the other channel. If you have both in B, you have them both in the same channel so it's only single channel. You'll notice the manual shows 2 sticks in A2 and B2 to use both channels. You can also use A1 and B1.

SR/DR is single rank and dual rank. This has nothing to do with channeling.

 

[DonRam]

A is one channel, B is the other channel. If you have both in B, you have them both in the same channel so it's only single channel. You'll notice the manual shows 2 sticks in A2 and B2 to use both channels. You can also use A1 and B1.

SR/DR is single rank and dual rank. This has nothing to do with channeling.

ahh gotcha! Makes sense

My next question is why doesn’t the ram sticks work in dual channel?
When I connect A2 B2
Only one stick is recognize on bios and motherboard BUT the full 32 gb dual channel is recognize in CPU Z

 

[boju]

Just to add on the SR/DR matter, you'll find dual rank ram have chips on both sides of the memory stick, and SR one side.

Reasons for malfunctioning dual channel ram can be a few things.

Bent cpu pin.

To much heatsink/block pressure on cpu.

Ram not seated properly.

Possibly Bios needs updating. To update Bios is usually pretty simple. Just a matter of downloading the Bios file from the motherboard's website and sticking it on a usb, root directly (no folders). Then use the update function in the Bios.

--
Some more troubleshooting steps,
Clearing Cmos may help as well before or after Bios update. If you update Bios, clear Cmos afterwards or load Bios defaults. Just so that the Cmos chip on the motherboard is fully updated with the new Bios information.

--

If you eventually get the ram running, remember to enable XMP in the Bios to get your ram running at rated speeds/ voltage and timings otherwise ram wont be running as advertised.

 

[DonRam]

Just to add on the SR/DR matter, you'll find dual rank ram have chips on both sides of the memory stick, and SR one side.

Reasons for malfunctioning dual channel ram can be a few things.

Bent cpu pin.

To much heatsink/block pressure on cpu.

Ram not seated properly.

Possibly Bios needs updating. To update Bios is usually pretty simple. Just a matter of downloading the Bios file from the motherboard's website and sticking it on a usb, root directly (no folders). Then use the update function in the Bios.

--
Some more troubleshooting steps,
Clearing Cmos may help as well before or after Bios update. If you update Bios, clear Cmos afterwards or load Bios defaults. Just so that the Cmos chip on the motherboard is fully updated with the new Bios information.

--

If you eventually get the ram running, remember to enable XMP in the Bios to get your ram running at rated speeds/ voltage and timings otherwise ram wont be running as advertised.

Ill go ahead and try these steps!

 

[DonRam]

Just to add on the SR/DR matter, you'll find dual rank ram have chips on both sides of the memory stick, and SR one side.

Reasons for malfunctioning dual channel ram can be a few things.

Bent cpu pin.

To much heatsink/block pressure on cpu.

Ram not seated properly.

Possibly Bios needs updating. To update Bios is usually pretty simple. Just a matter of downloading the Bios file from the motherboard's website and sticking it on a usb, root directly (no folders). Then use the update function in the Bios.

--
Some more troubleshooting steps,
Clearing Cmos may help as well before or after Bios update. If you update Bios, clear Cmos afterwards or load Bios defaults. Just so that the Cmos chip on the motherboard is fully updated with the new Bios information.

--

If you eventually get the ram running, remember to enable XMP in the Bios to get your ram running at rated speeds/ voltage and timings otherwise ram wont be running as advertised.

Tried everything and no luck i checked the cpu pins and all look good.

 

[DonRam]

Will there be a big change in speed between the two ram sticks being 32 GB 3600mhz dual channel vs 32GB 3600mhz single channel. Keep in mind that the single channel is composed of two 16 GB 3600mhz ram sticks.

 

[boju]

Wouldn't want to be missing out on dual channel performance. Running them in single will cut memory bandwidth in half.

What exactly did you try? And you're using A2/B2 slots? These slots are the primary slots for two sticks. Not only for two sticks, but usually these slots are used to get ram to actually run at XMP speeds. Im not sure about x570 though, haven't seen many with ram speed issues, but for both earlier gen Ryzen's, using 1st and 3rd slot knocked out the ability to run XMP speeds.

 

[DonRam]

Wouldn't want to be missing out on dual channel performance. Running them in single will cut memory bandwidth in half.

What exactly did you try? And you're using A2/B2 slots? These slots are the primary slots for two sticks. Not only for two sticks, but usually these slots are used to get ram to actually run at XMP speeds. Im not sure about x570 though, haven't seen many with ram speed issues, but for both earlier gen Ryzen's, using 1st and 3rd slot knocked out the ability to run XMP speeds.

I cleared the cmos after doing a bios update. Checked the cpu pins, reseated the cpu. Made sure the cpu cooler was not screwed all the way in. Reseated the ram.

I tried A2 and B2 slots, and on the BIOS it shows just one ram stick (A2)
While having both sticks on A2 and B2, it doesnt let me go to 3600mhz unless I take out the B2 ram stick.

I also tried A1 and B1 and it only recognizes A1.

The error says Memory PMU training error at Socket 0 Channel 0 Dimm 1

 

[DonRam]

Wouldn't want to be missing out on dual channel performance. Running them in single will cut memory bandwidth in half.

What exactly did you try? And you're using A2/B2 slots? These slots are the primary slots for two sticks. Not only for two sticks, but usually these slots are used to get ram to actually run at XMP speeds. Im not sure about x570 though, haven't seen many with ram speed issues, but for both earlier gen Ryzen's, using 1st and 3rd slot knocked out the ability to run XMP speeds.

I cleared the cmos after doing a bios update. Checked the cpu pins, reseated the cpu. Made sure the cpu cooler was not screwed all the way in. Reseated the ram.

I tried A2 and B2 slots, and on the BIOS it shows just one ram stick (A2)
While having both sticks on A2 and B2, it doesnt let me go to 3600mhz unless I take out the B2 ram stick.

I also tried A1 and B1 and it only recognizes A1.

The error says Memory PMU training error at Socket 0 Channel 0 Dimm 1

 

[boju]

At this point and that error, searching it, people have had positive results replacing ram. If you do, look towards CL16 of the same brand if you can, a bit more performance to be had with lower timings and also better quality.

Toward the bottom of this guide if you want to test each stick with Memtest.

How To - Troubleshooting problems with PC memory (RAM) and XMP profile configurations

In the beginning, there was......BIOS Before you go ANY further, go to the manufacturer product page for your specific motherboard model AND revision. Revision is an important aspect because for any given motherboard there may be more than one version of that model which will be identified...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[DonRam]

At this point and that error, searching it, people have had positive results replacing ram. If you do, look towards CL16 of the same brand if you can, a bit more performance to be had with lower timings and also better quality.

Toward the bottom of this guide if you want to test each stick with Memtest.

How To - Troubleshooting problems with PC memory (RAM) and XMP profile configurations

In the beginning, there was......BIOS Before you go ANY further, go to the manufacturer product page for your specific motherboard model AND revision. Revision is an important aspect because for any given motherboard there may be more than one version of that model which will be identified...

forums.tomshardware.com

Did the memetest and both ram sticks had no errors.
Im thinking it might be the cpu .

In the meantime, would 32GB 3600mhz(2x16gb) single channel memory be faster than 16GB 3600mhz dual channel?

 

[DonRam]

The rams sticks I currently have are these.

https://www.amazon.com/G-Skill-Trid...32gb+3600&qid=1589492678&s=electronics&sr=1-5

 

[Karadjgne]

Try bump the dram voltage upto 1.37v. If that doesn't work, try 1.4v.

If that still doesn't work, you probably have to bump up the SoC voltage by 0.05v or 0.1v.

 

[DonRam]

Try bump the dram voltage upto 1.37v. If that doesn't work, try 1.4v.

If that still doesn't work, you probably have to bump up the SoC voltage by 0.05v or 0.1v.

Low voltage can cause memory pmu training errors?

 

[Karadjgne]

Low voltage can cause any error. In anything. At any time. The cpu, ram, drives, everything depends on a certain amount of power to run effectively. Drop the voltage a little and the current goes up to balance. Within certain ranges. That ram requires 1.35v. For most motherboards. With most memory controllers. But occasionally you'll run into one that needs a little more to stay in range.

VCore SoC

: The VCore SoC voltage is the voltage for the SoC portion of the CPU, including the memory controller and it will help with fabric clock (FCLK) as well. It is the main voltage to increase if your memory controller is not stable or if you are having trouble getting to rated voltage. Oct 11, 2019 Tweaktown

If the memory controller isn't stable, due to lack of voltage or anything else, you'll get errors.

Default SoC is usually 0.99v with a maximum limit of 1.20v. So you can safely bump it to 1.01 or 1.04 v

If neither of those work, I'd call gskill because they don't like it at all when their ram doesn't behave perfectly, so may have further insights as to why.

The Trident-Z are usually plug and play, no issues. However being F4-3600C18D-32GTZR and not F4-3600C18D-32GTZRX might be why as the X versions are specifically vetted for Ryzens and the GTZR are usually left for Intel cpus.

 

[DonRam]

Low voltage can cause any error. In anything. At any time. The cpu, ram, drives, everything depends on a certain amount of power to run effectively. Drop the voltage a little and the current goes up to balance. Within certain ranges. That ram requires 1.35v. For most motherboards. With most memory controllers. But occasionally you'll run into one that needs a little more to stay in range.



If the memory controller isn't stable, due to lack of voltage or anything else, you'll get errors.

Default SoC is usually 0.99v with a maximum limit of 1.20v. So you can safely bump it to 1.01 or 1.04 v

If neither of those work, I'd call gskill because they don't like it at all when their ram doesn't behave perfectly, so may have further insights as to why.

The Trident-Z are usually plug and play, no issues. However being F4-3600C18D-32GTZR and not F4-3600C18D-32GTZRX might be why as the X versions are specifically vetted for Ryzens and the GTZR are usually left for Intel cpus.

Would these be ok too?

https://www.amazon.com/G-Skill-Trid...kill+trident+z+neo+32gb&qid=1589497674&sr=8-1

 

[DonRam]

Also I tried the voltage recommendation and it didnt work.

 

[Karadjgne]

The Neo's are built for Ryzen compatability

F4-3600C16D-32GTZN - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Engineered and optimized for full compatibility on the latest AMD Ryzen platforms, Trident Z Neo brings unparalleled DRAM memory performance and vibrant RGB lighting to any gaming PC or workstation with latest AMD Ryzen CPUs and AMD DDR4 motherboards.

www.gskill.com

But I'd still call gskill first before making another purchase, there is a possibility it's not the ram, but the mobo or cpu, so if you can clear one off the list, you'll have a better idea of which direction you need to look next.

 

[DonRam]

The Neo's are built for Ryzen compatability

F4-3600C16D-32GTZN - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Engineered and optimized for full compatibility on the latest AMD Ryzen platforms, Trident Z Neo brings unparalleled DRAM memory performance and vibrant RGB lighting to any gaming PC or workstation with latest AMD Ryzen CPUs and AMD DDR4 motherboards.

www.gskill.com

But I'd still call gskill first before making another purchase, there is a possibility it's not the ram, but the mobo or cpu, so if you can clear one off the list, you'll have a better idea of which direction you need to look next.

Update, I returned the gskill and exchanged it for the ram sticks mentioned above.

Still only seeing 16 gb. At this point, I think its the CPU.

 

[DonRam]

In the meantime while I order a new cpu. Can I use single channel on both A1 A2 3600mhz 32GB(2x16gb) Will that hurt anything? Or should I just keep it on A2, 16gb at 3600mhz?