[SOLVED] Dual Rank Ram usable as Single Rank after failure?

[PC_Philipp]

Hi,

yesterday my PC restarted a few times without BSODs or anything until it wouldn't start at all (nothing on my screen).
In the troubleshooting progress I figured out that one of the two RAM Bars (Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x16GB 3200MHz (CMK32GX4M2B3200C16) ) is faulty.
Without the bad one of the two it starts up fine and everything seems normal.

Now to the Q:
I am not sure if I should buy another set of 2x16GB RAM and replace the one installed now or can I use the remaining one of the two as single rank? (Tested it with Benchmarks, Games etc: no crashes or anything)
I am aware that I have only 16GB RAM instead of 32GB now and that it runs only on 2133MHz according to CPU-Z instead of 3200MHz with the Dual Rank XMP2.0 Profile.

1. Is it safe to operate it that way or do I risk the life of the 2nd RAM with that because it was built for Dual Rank?

2. How much difference does that make in terms of performance?
I know that Ryzen CPUs want/need faster RAM for good performances because of the clock sync.
As there is no Game out there yet that needs more than 16GB of RAM I am not that concerned with memory usage bottlenecks.

To answer the performance aspect here are my PC Parts:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x16GB 3200MHz (CMK32GX4M2B3200C16) - Now only 1x16GB Single Rank
GPU: Nvidia RTX2080
Mainboard: MSI B450 Gaming Pro
SSD: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB

 

[MeanMachine41]

Your Corsair RAM have a lifetime warranty so remove the failed DIMM. You can manage with single Rank for a while with minimum performance loss.
Request a Cross shipping arrangement so as not to have to purchase another kit till your RMA is fulfilled. RMA the full kit.
Have you tested using Memtest86 to check for errors?

 

[PC_Philipp]

Hey,
thanks for the tip I'll RMA the full Kit then. Didn't know that was possible.

I did not run Memtest86 because I did not know how to.
If I plug in the failed DIMM the PC does not even boot. Is there a way to test it without having to boot it?

p.s.: The MSIB450 Mainboard has "EZ Debug LEDs" whith some failure LEDs for CPU DRAM etc.
When booting they light up one after the other like its testing them 1by1. The last LED is "Boot" and it lights during the Boot Period. After Windows is started the LEDs are all dark by default.
Now when I plug in the faulty DIMM the DRAM LED lights up and it doesn't continue so it never Boots up. Sometimes it gets stuck into a restart loop before even getting there.

 

[MeanMachine41]

Hey,
thanks for the tip I'll RMA the full Kit then. Didn't know that was possible.

I did not run Memtest86 because I did not know how to.
If I plug in the failed DIMM the PC does not even boot. Is there a way to test it without having to boot it?

p.s.: The MSIB450 Mainboard has "EZ Debug LEDs" whith some failure LEDs for CPU DRAM etc.
When booting they light up one after the other like its testing them 1by1. The last LED is "Boot" and it lights during the Boot Period. After Windows is started the LEDs are all dark by default.
Now when I plug in the faulty DIMM the DRAM LED lights up and it doesn't continue so it never Boots up. Sometimes it gets stuck into a restart loop before even getting there.

Here's how to run Memtest86. You will see that the test runs from a USB and independant from windows.
This vid tells you all you need to know:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_xFNojChNA


Your post script is as it should be and normal for troubleshooting. The restart loop is Bios trying to set/train your RAM with safe SPD values. If your RAM has an XMP profile then Bios will instruct the SPD chip to set a programed profile that should work. Sometime it does not work and the OC is rejected resulting in the DRAM_LED staying lit.
With OC RAM you have to change Primary and sometimes Secondary timings and DRAM voltage to get them to work. OC RAM are generally outside JDEC specifications so require Bios intervention.

 

[PC_Philipp]

Hi,
I am sorry I think it is not that clear what i wanted to say.
I generally know how to run MEMTEST86 and I tried to get it to work again yesterday.
Without the faulty RAM it worked without any problem (Changed Boot Order and MEMTEST86 was executed successfully)
The problem I have is once I plug in the faulty RAM I do not even get to the BIOS and MEMTEST86 is never executed.
There is just nothing happening once the faulty RAM is plugged in.

 

[MeanMachine41]

Hi,
I am sorry I think it is not that clear what i wanted to say.
I generally know how to run MEMTEST86 and I tried to get it to work again yesterday.
Without the faulty RAM it worked without any problem (Changed Boot Order and MEMTEST86 was executed successfully)
The problem I have is once I plug in the faulty RAM I do not even get to the BIOS and MEMTEST86 is never executed.
There is just nothing happening once the faulty RAM is plugged in.

OK then RMA the full kit, Corsair have a lifetime warranty, Check with Corsair if they still do Cross shipping to save downtime,

 

[PC_Philipp]

Ok - thanks a lot for your help!