Question According to GSkill my RAM is not compatible with B450 and R5 3600??

[CameronCant]

So I have a MSI B 450 Gaming Pro Carbon and I just upgraded from a R5 1600AF to a R5 3600. I cannot for the life of me get the R5 3600 to post in Dual Channel. I have tried and Checked everything EXCEPT the G Skill website to make sure my RAM is Compatible. I thought for sure it would be. According to their site, it's not.

G Skill Flare X CL14 3200 2x8gb

According to GSkill it needs a B550 for 3000 series. This can't be right can it?

F4-3200C14D-16GFX-G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd. (gskill.com)

 

[Ralston18]

I would expect the GSkill website to be the most reliable.

FYI:

https://www.gskill.com/configurator

Use the configurator to identify the correct RAM.

This motherboard?

https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7B85v1.2.pdf

[Verify that I found the correct User Manual.]

Check Specifications beginning on Page 16.

Also, if it is determined that the Memory is compatible then (from Page 31):

Always insert memory modules in the DIMMA2 slot first

 

[gskill support]

Do you have the latest BIOS? Are modules in slots two and four away from the CPU? Can single channel, single stick in second slot boot?

 

[CameronCant]

I would expect the GSkill website to be the most reliable.

FYI:

https://www.gskill.com/configurator

Use the configurator to identify the correct RAM.

This motherboard?

https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7B85v1.2.pdf

[Verify that I found the correct User Manual.]

Check Specifications beginning on Page 16.

Also, if it is determined that the Memory is compatible then (from Page 31):

Always insert memory modules in the DIMMA2 slot first

Thank You. I work midnights so I just saw this. Yes that is correct mobo

 

[CameronCant]

Do you have the latest BIOS? Are modules in slots two and four away from the CPU? Can single channel, single stick in second slot boot?

I have the Bios that is required to run 3000 series cpus according to msi. Yes to 2 and 4. Yes
sorry I work nights and just saw this also

 

[CameronCant]

My RAM is not listed as QVL on MSI's website for my mobo either

 

[Karadjgne]

QVL is almost worthless. It's just a few sticks tested that happen to be available to the vendor. It's nowhere near a complete list. Also figure that every change in the ram means a different model number. Msi might have tested grey/black gskill, which is the same ram as the red, camo, rgb, white/black but different paint on the heatsink except they all have different model numbers. Just in gskill Trident-Z there's over 3000 different models, kits, colors, speeds etc. Msi isn't about to test them all.

Gskill however, does. On your board.

Reset the bios. That should enable boot.

3200MHz is compatible for a B450 mobo, regardless of which cpu, so gskill can't really say you need a B550. As far as the ram goes, you may need to tweak the dram settings, including timings and/or voltages to get that to play nice with the memory controller.

 

[boju]

Can you post with either singly? If you tried that already and it does but not with both, check for pent cpu pins.

 

[CameronCant]

I have checked multiple times for bent pins and don't see any.

What's concerning is there are 2 versions of this mobo. An AC model and a Max model. I have the AC which on the box it clearly states that it's ready for 2000 series. Nothing about 3000. The board came with version 1.A0 Bios which should be able to run 3000 series CPUs but according to Google searching I'm not the only person to have this issue.

My only guess now is some kind of incompatibility, just flinging around DRAM settings to see what happens or my Wraith Prism Cooler is too tight.

I'm frustrated beyond words.

 

[CameronCant]

QVL is almost worthless. It's just a few sticks tested that happen to be available to the vendor. It's nowhere near a complete list. Also figure that every change in the ram means a different model number. Msi might have tested grey/black gskill, which is the same ram as the red, camo, rgb, white/black but different paint on the heatsink except they all have different model numbers. Just in gskill Trident-Z there's over 3000 different models, kits, colors, speeds etc. Msi isn't about to test them all.

Gskill however, does. On your board.

Reset the bios. That should enable boot.

3200MHz is compatible for a B450 mobo, regardless of which cpu, so gskill can't really say you need a B550. As far as the ram goes, you may need to tweak the dram settings, including timings and/or voltages to get that to play nice with the memory controller.

If Gskill does in fact test RAM on my board and their own configuration tool says it's not compatible then why would I doubt Gskill.

They wouldn't say well it should work if they have stability issues would they?

They specifically State a B550 for my modules and a 3000 series CPU.

 

[Karadjgne]

Only real difference between the AC and Max is date of manufacture. The Max was produced after MSI got ahold of the 3000 series bios, so they used the Max to promote the new cpu usage. It was a marketing thing only, not a physical thing. There's a few minor settings changes, but other than that the AC and Max are the same board. So once you upgrade the bios, for all intents and purposes, you have a Max.

DDR4 is DDR4. It's usable on Intel or Ryzen, any DDR4 capable mobo. Gskill might recommend it's use for a B550 and 3000 series cpu, but you could just as easily use it with an intel 9400f and Z590 mobo or X570 and 5000 series cpu. They won't say it's only use is specifically only for a B550 and 3000 series cpu.

 

[boju]

My only guess now is some kind of incompatibility, just flinging around DRAM settings to see what happens or my Wraith Prism Cooler is too tight.

Not sure if cooler can be over tensioned or if it has preventative measures but just until screw begins to tighten, finger strength, and then when it feels it can stop then half turn more. Dram pins are often on the outer edges of socket, think too much pressure is more of an lga issue since pins don't have designated holes but misaligned connection between socket and cpu pin might still happen.

Can you post with other stick in by itself? If ram wasn't compatible you wouldn't get that far to display. Check make sure 2nd slot is being seated fully, see both sides of dimm and ram to check it's not crooked.

 

[gskill support]

We recommend motherboards and CPUs that can achieve full XMP speed natively. This is what we test for and show in the G.Skill QVL and RAM Configurator.

There are motherboards and CPUs not listed that are compatible, however, they can not be expected to run at full speed or work by enabling XMP alone.

In OP's case, the memory kit is compatible and can optimize any AMD Ryzen system, however XMP alone may not work. DRAM Frequency may need to be lowered or CPU SoC Voltage may need to be raised to force stability with full memory kit specifications.

 

[Karadjgne]

Exactly. Gskill recommends the best case scenario, nobody can guarantee everything when it comes to ram, it's silicon after all, but thoroughly testing ram to find the best combination and recommending that combination over others shows a level of consumer awareness most big-brand companies don't have.

When Gskill says its ram for AMD, they don't mean it won't work for Intel but for an AMD platform it's as good as it gets.

I've been building, fixing, modifying, tinkering with pc's for over 40 years and not once ever have come across a situation where I'd recommended going against Gskill recommended ram. It's why it's in My personal rig.

 

[Crosslhs82x2]

Strange I had NO issuse's running the G.skill Flare X 3200cl 14 on my son's Pro Carbon AC with his r5 3600 at it's rated speed, timings, or voltage on Current bios version E7B85ams
My old 2600x was on his with that ram.
When I rebuilt my wife's I put the r5 2600x on her's and a put the r5 3600 on his board after updating to the bios.
From what I see that ram is listed for our mobo's

RAM Configurator-G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

G.SKILL

www.gskill.com

,
Have you tried resetting cmos and manually setting timinings ?

 

[Karadjgne]

There's one thing No ram vendor can do and that's guarantee ram will work out of the box with any cpu or motherboard combo. It's impossible. Don't mistake compatibility with reality. Compatibility simply means it will work with, nothing more. Reality is that cpus must also be compatible with the ram.

Sounds backwards, but true non the less. XMP is a generic setting. It covers almost all situations, all ram, any generation, any cpu, any mobo. But not all. That's where any guarantees fall short and gskill won't lie to you. The ram IS compatible, the mobo IS compatible, and so IS the cpu. As a whole, generically speaking.

But that doesn't include Every individual combination. Nuts are good for you, good source of protein, healthy food. Except for the odd few ppl that are allergic in which case nuts are lethal.

On almost every MSI PRO Carbon B550, with a R5-3600, that Flare-X will work like a Champ, no matter how its configured.

What you have not stated is whether you have reset the bios, or updated the bios which includes newer Agesa tables and codes for better compatibility with faster speed ram. Hanging onto whether your board has the right minimum bios necessary, QVL tables or any other 'compatibility' reasons is fruitless.

Update the bios. Forget about whether it's supposedly compatible and Make sure it is.