Cold boot issues with 2133Mhz DDR3 RAM

lymecore

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Apr 30, 2017
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Hello,

I've been having issues with a G.Skill Trident X DDR3 2x8GB 2133Mhz CL9 memory kit for a long time. My other relevant system components are:

MOBO: ASUS P8P67 (Rev. B3, with the latest BIOS update, 3602)
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
PSU: Gigabyte Superb 720

I cannot have the system boot at first try after it's been off for at least 1.5-2 hours. After pressing the power button, it hangs for a few seconds, then reboots itself usually once, sometimes twice. Following this, I mostly need to manually power it off and start it up again, then I get the "Overclocking failed" message during post. If I reset here then it starts without a problem. This happens on every single cold boot. The system is otherwise perfectly stable and has been as a matter of fact for years.

The XMP profile for the kit sets the timings at 9-11-11-31-2 at 2133Mhz. There is another profile for 1866Mhz, which when used alleviates the cold boot issue, however if I use that I'm freezing after I managed to boot to Windows, usually in 10 to 15 minutes. I've tried tweaking the timings on both frequencies to no avail (although I've mostly been using presets I came across on the web, I don't really know the ins and outs myself).

Other things I've tried to fix the issue:
- Tweaking DRAM voltage, VCCIO and VCCSA
- Using the default BIOS settings next to the XMP
- Reinserting CMOS
- Reflashing the BIOS (latest version over latest version)

I would settle using the sticks at 1866Mhz if that could solve the problem permanently.

Any suggestions and similar experiences with such setups are much appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance :)
 
Solution
Have you tried replacing the CMOS battery with a fresh cell? Often times I've seen how a failing battery can cause the settings to not stay onto the BIOS. On that note, does your time within BIOS reset every time you end up with that message?

I would ask you to identify the timings on both profiles, for 2133MHz and 1866MHz and with those numbers manually input the values in the BIOS. Make sure the voltage for the rams at either of those settings is at 1.65v even though I'm assuming the voltage for the kit is stickered to have a maximum of 1.6v.

On a relevant note, I'd change that PSU asap if I were you. Often times a bad PSU can also deliver dirty power to your system and cause premature death. I could point a finger at the board...

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Have you tried replacing the CMOS battery with a fresh cell? Often times I've seen how a failing battery can cause the settings to not stay onto the BIOS. On that note, does your time within BIOS reset every time you end up with that message?

I would ask you to identify the timings on both profiles, for 2133MHz and 1866MHz and with those numbers manually input the values in the BIOS. Make sure the voltage for the rams at either of those settings is at 1.65v even though I'm assuming the voltage for the kit is stickered to have a maximum of 1.6v.

On a relevant note, I'd change that PSU asap if I were you. Often times a bad PSU can also deliver dirty power to your system and cause premature death. I could point a finger at the board being on it's way out but the PSU is one factor you can't ignore.
 
Solution

lymecore

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Apr 30, 2017
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Thanks for your response.

I have not tried replacing the CMOS battery, that said the motherboard itself shows absolutely no signs of wear, works perfectly as far as I know, and all the settings including the time stays put.

I have already tried inputting the timings manually in the cases of both XMP profiles (also setting the profile to Manual instead of XMP). Indeed, the given voltage is 1.6v but I have tried up to 1.67 and everything in between.

As far as the PSU goes, yeah, I've been thinking about replacing it as it's almost 6 years old and was never a premium product to begin with, but frankly it shows no defects by itself, so I don't know. My feeling is that the issue lies with the BIOS support for the motherboard, as after all the latest release dates back to 2012.
 

lymecore

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Apr 30, 2017
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Update: Got my new sticks, however it seems to be all the same so far. I'm going through the same cycles now, trying to gradually increase dram/vccio voltage. Is it possible that the system agent needs a significant bump as well?
 

lymecore

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Apr 30, 2017
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For the time being the issue seems to be gone, running the new RAM at 1866Mhz with the timings of the 2133Mhz XMP profile, at 9-11-11-31. I got these stable settings by running the OC tuner in the BIOS.