asrock z77 pro3 memory compatibility

[Phmarco]

Hi to everyone. I'm new in the comunity and i'm glad now i'm here.
I need your help and your opinion to my problem. I bought this pc:
core i5 3330s 2.7 ghz
asrock z77 pro3 board
WD 500 gb HD
and the memory that i had from previous pc, 2x2gb 1600 mhz patrior kit

the problem is that after building the pc, i try to turn it on, and it seems to "start", the cpu cooler moves, but nothing appears on screen... After 5 seconds the pc goes off, and the it turns on and repeats the same thing as before. All parts are well conected... Looking at the pc, i realised that it was a mother-ram issue... It never worked with both memory dimm, with one of those allways worked and with the other sometimes yes, sometimes no. So i sold those that ram dimms because i thought it was a compatibility problem. Later i bought gskill ripjaws 2x2gb 1600 mhz ram, but when i went to try again the pc, it happened the something similar as before: with the two dimms it did'n show anything on screen, and when i tried with the memorys by separate, they both worked!!
I would very pleased if you could help me with this... I'm starting to think it's a mother problem. Could you help me?
Thanks!

 

[Nismo1]

First of all welcome!
Now about your problem did you buy the ram 1x2 GB + 1x2 GB or as a kit 2x2GB ?
If it is the first one may I warn you that this might be happening because they are not part of a kit , which means they have never been tested together so there is no guarantee that they will work . MOST of the times EXACT same models work just fine but there is a slight possiblity that they just do not ''want'' to work together .
If it is the second one then they HAVE to work together or you contact Gskill and use the lifetime warranty that these sticks have and they will give you new ones ( I do not know if you can do this with the 2 seperate ones and try to get a kit because there is a difference in price , but you can try it . Gskill support is exellect , at least for me )
But there might be another problem. Try to access your motherboard BIOS . Go to XMP-> Profile 1 and try to see the DRAM voltage I do not know what ripjaws you have exactly . Most use 1.5V, some 1.6 V what ever the case I suggest you adjust the voltage to 1.5-1.55V. This might do the trick.
I do not think there is a compatibility problem because both ASRock and GSkill are modern and respected companies.

 

[Phmarco]

Thanks for the answer Nismo1. I have to say that the dimms bellong to the 2x2 gb gskill kit. That makes me feel very unlucky, because it is the second kit that doesn't work with my board. Last time I tried them, when i turned on my pc (with only one dimm), i got into the bios and set the voltaje from 1.5 (stock voltaje of my ripjaws) to 1.55, and turned off my pc.. Put the two dimms together again, and unfortunately they didn't worked! I really don't know what to do. Do you think it could be a mother problem?

 

[Nismo1]

2nd kits huh? It might be a motherboard problem indeed. I want you to check the motherboards manual and see what slots are for dual channel . Most of the times are 1st-3rd and 2nd-4th but check just to be sure. It might be a DIMM slot problem so I want you to use 1 Stick at every slot and try to boot your PC then do that with the 2nd one . After that , use both of them at the slots that your manual say are for dual channeling in every possible combination . Lets name the two sticks A and B and the slots for dual channeling are st-3rd and 2nd-4th ( or whatever your manual says ) so you do this:
|A|_|B|_|
|B|_|A|_|
|_|A|_|B|
|_|B|_|A|

With these tests you see if any slot or any stick is problematic .

 

[Phmarco]

I tried only 1 dimm in every slot and it worked. I did the same with the other dimm and it worked too. The dual channel is with A1-B1 or A2-B2 slots. I tried both configurations and i still can't make both dimms work at the same time. I also tried A1-A2, A1-B2, A2-B1 and B1-B2 and the same result: it didn't work. I think it might be something in bios configuration or something wrong with the mother. I'm a bit disappointed

 

[Nismo1]

Well I suggest you check to the manufactor's website ( ASRock ) if there is any BIOS update that you haven't already done . After you have done any nessesary updates try to boot your PC. Well if it is not booting then as a last resort I suggest that you reset CMOS ( ftp://europe.asrock.com/manual/Z77%20Pro3.pdf the digital manual show you how to clear CMOS jumper ) . If nothing happens still then I cannot really help you .
I can suggest you to do some other things like :
-Remove the CPU fan , then CAREFULLY remove the CPU itself and check if there is any bent pins with a magnifying glass or something . DO NOT touch the pins at any costs cause if they are bent or broken your motherboard will be useless 90% of the times .Just check carefully to see if there were any bent/broken pins already.
- Try and run MemTest on each RAM stick individually like 2-3 times and see of you get any errors.
But these are more generic problems and you would have seen them already. I'm sorry if I couldn't solve your problem.

 

[Phmarco]

Ok Nismo1, I apreciate your help. I will reset cmos and do what you said with the cpu... If it still doesn't work, i will return the board or change it for a new one. Thanks for your help!