Asus Z170 Deluxe RAM issue (Q-code 55 or 41)

[Badlands]

Hi all. I put a new system together last night and when I turned it on initially it wouldn't post. (No video, no beeps, nothing.) The Q-code on the motherboard display was 55 which meant that the RAM wasn't detected. I'm using four 8GB sticks of G-Skill F4-2666C15Q-32GRR which is listed in the manual as a supported RAM type. After trying various configurations I found that the system would boot fine if I had any two DIMMs in B1/B2 for a total of 16GB. If I add a 3rd DIMM in one of the A slots I get Q-code 41 (which isn't in the manual) and if I add two DIMMs in slots A1/A2 I either get a Q-code 41 or (more often) 55. Moving RAM that works fine in B1/B2 to A1/A2 and trying to boot with just 16GB fails. I haven't been able to find any configuration that lets me boot with RAM in the A1/A2 slots.

Not sure if it's relevant but when I go into the BIOS in the "Information" section it says "Memory: 16384 MB (DDR4 2666MHz)" while in the "DRAM Status" section it shows two entries with "G-Skill 8192MB 2133MHz". The RAM is DDR4 2666 so I'm not sure why it's showing up in DRAM status as 2133.

Any ideas?

The full system:

Intel 6700K
Asus Z170 Deluxe
32GB G-Skill DDR4 2666
EVGA GeForce GTX 980
Intel SSD 750 1.2GB
2x WD Black 4TB 7200rpm in RAID 1
LG 16x Blu-ray burner
Rosewill USB 3 card reader
Seasonic Snow Silent 1050W
Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl

 

[smorizio]

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170-DELUXE/HelpDesk_Download/
bios 801 is the last full bios there 901 beta bios that out now. so it looks like there fixing a lot of bugs.
in the bios under ai setting turn on xmp profile and use profile one. if the new bios is not the fix. make sure if your using an over sized cooler it not crushing the lid into the cpu. if that not it look for bent pins under the cpu.

 

[Badlands]

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170-DELUXE/HelpDesk_Download/
bios 801 is the last full bios there 901 beta bios that out now. so it looks like there fixing a lot of bugs.
in the bios under ai setting turn on xmp profile and use profile one. if the new bios is not the fix. make sure if your using an over sized cooler it not crushing the lid into the cpu. if that not it look for bent pins under the cpu.

No luck. I updated the BIOS to 901, still had the RAM problems. Also tried enabling XMP with Profile #1. I removed the Zalman CNPS9900A heatsink/fan, examined the CPU and the CPU slot in the motherboard (no bent pins or obvious issues) and then tried my RAM tests again with no heatsink. My DIMM serial numbers end with 61-64 so I tried the following combinations (based on the manual on page 1-7 saying the recommended configurations are 1 DIMM in A2, or two DIMMs in A2/B2, or four DIMMs in A1/A2/B1/B2) and these were my results:

61/A2 - Code 55, RAM light
62/A2 - Code 55, RAM light
63/A2 - Code 55, RAM light
64/A2 - Code 55, RAM light
61/A2, 62/B2 - Code 55, RAM light
61/B1, 62/B2 - Boots fine.
61/A1, 62/A2 - Code 55, RAM light
63/A2, 64/B2 - Code 55, RAM light
63/B1, 64/B2 - Boots fine.
63/A1, 64/A2 - Code 55, RAM light
63/A1, 64/A2, 61/B1, 62/B2 - Code 55, RAM light

So as you can see, all four DIMMs are bootable if they're in B1/B2, but none of them work if they're in A1/A2.

Anybody have any other ideas?

 

[xikilin]

Hi!

I have the exact same issue... but with different RAM modules. I have 2x Kingston HX424C12SB/8.

I know these modules are not in the QVL (Qualified Vendors List), but I believe that is not the reason. I've always used Asus Motherboards and almost all the time with RAM modules which were not on the QVL without any problems.

I've concacted Asus support... and they told me they have not any Z170 Pro Gaming at moment to test, so sugested me to try with RAM modules in the QVL... and if issue continues, to contact my local of purchase to they gave me a solution.

But... I think there is some manufacture problem with these boards.

So, Badlands... do you already have solved your problem? If so, what was the solution?

Thank you!

 

[Badlands]

Hi!

I have the exact same issue... but with different RAM modules. I have 2x Kingston HX424C12SB/8.

I know these modules are not in the QVL (Qualified Vendors List), but I believe that is not the reason. I've always used Asus Motherboards and almost all the time with RAM modules which were not on the QVL without any problems.

I've concacted Asus support... and they told me they have not any Z170 Pro Gaming at moment to test, so sugested me to try with RAM modules in the QVL... and if issue continues, to contact my local of purchase to they gave me a solution.

But... I think there is some manufacture problem with these boards.

So, Badlands... do you already have solved your problem? If so, what was the solution?

Thank you!

I RMA'd the board back to Newegg and when the new board showed up it worked perfectly first try with all 4 RAM modules. So there was something wrong with that particular board. New one works like a charm.

 

[xikilin]

Ok, thank you!

I'll take mine to the supplier to do some tests with QVL RAM... and will be returned if it also fails.


Thank you again!

 

[unfurled]

I signed up just to post my solution, I was getting 55 and 41 errors on my Hero VIII and only dimms B1 and B2 would work. Some have already highlighted this, but what I did was to remove the cooler and the CPU chip to check for any MB CPU socket pins that might be mis-aligned. After about 5 minutes of staring at almost every single pin (at first glance all the pins seemed to be correctly aligned), I noticed one slanted pin in the lower right corner. I used the smallest flat head screwdriver I could find to move the pin back into position. After which I reset-ed the CPU and cooler gently and proceeded to boot up. No errors! The bios showed new CPU detected and its been running fine since.

I should also note the first time I installed the CPU I could hear a scratching sound, it could have been that pin being pushed out of alignment. Hope this helps someone.

 

[xikilin]

Well... I didn't post any answer since last time, but solved my problem with a new motherboard, exchanged by my supplier.

Regarding unfurled issue:
Even I never had a problem installing a CPU (I work on a computer store), the truth is the Motherboard's CPU socket comes with a plastic cap on top of the CPU socket... wich should not be manually removed. The correct way to install the CPU is to release the socket cover with the cap on, put the CPU in and reseat the cover... wich will pop-out the plastic cap (just like indicated on the MoBo's user's guide).

Sincerelly, I never done that (the correct) way... maybe once or twice. All other times I simply pulled it out, even sometimes it sounds like not good to do that.

So... the fact is:
- There is a probability that unfurled's problem had happen to me (and others)... some peculiarity on the 1151/Asus socket that can be easily damaged if the cap is incorrectly removed; but
- It also could be some problem on Motherboard's manufacture process, or with some component...

Well... at least this strange issue would be helpfull to someone, certainly.

 

[RaiderNationJustWinBaby]

I just got off the phone with ASUS tech support with similar DDR4-related issues on my ASUS Z170 Deluxe, and he is sending me an advance-ship RMA replacement. The ASUS guy seemed pretty familiar with the problem and did not put me through too many fool's errands before granting the RMA. My conclusion is that there must be some number of Z170 Deluxe boards out there with this problem. For me, the interesting aspect was that the board worked great for the first 24 hours of usage using all 4 sticks of 8GB memory. After it starting failing, I removed the sticks in the A1/A2 slots responsive to this forum thread, which corrected the issue for the next 24 hours of usage with the remaining 16GB of memory in the B1/B2 slots, after which it started failing again with similar errors. So it really seems like a genuine hardware problem. I am pretty disappointed that ASUS did not QA this design better before releasing the product. I had made sure to use only the approved memory and graphics cards listed in their DRAM and Devices Reports.

My system:

Intel 6700K
Asus Z170 Deluxe
32GB G-Skill DDR4 3000
ASUS GeForce GTX 980
Intel SSD 750 400GB
Cooler Master V750