[SOLVED] Finding Motherboard with 8 Mem Slots for AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Zen 3

amerifax

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>Finding Motherboard with 8 Mem Slots for AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Zen 3 <<
I'm trying to find a board that works with my G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3333 CL16 Kit F4-3333C16Q2-128GTZR and my Video Card
Asus Strix GTX980-DC20C-4GD5.

I have not been able to find this. I do video processing, and AMD is looking good.
Bob
 
Solution
What you have is a heap of $$ tied up in ram that's only halfway usable, and not for your intentions. The wife agrees.

The bad part being that even with all that cost, it's going to cost a whole lot more to actually get to use it for your intentions. Which I'll assume (personal experience) the wife won't be happy at all with.

So. Obvious answer that'll make everyone happy is to sell all your current ram. I'd split it up every which way, sell 2x sticks or 4x sticks, someone will be happy with 32Gb or 64Gb at a reduced price from brand new.

Use the proceeds to get 1 kit of 4x32Gb and a 5900x/5950x on an x570 mobo. Then take the wife out to dinner. It's a win-win situation.

You clear off the shelf. She's happy.
You put the cash to good...

Eximo

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PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Threadripper 2970WX 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($719.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X399 Taichi ATX sTR4 Motherboard ($495.27 @ Amazon)
Total: $1215.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-08 12:48 EDT-0400


OR

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor ($589.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X570-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($150.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($589.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1329.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-08 12:49 EDT-0400
 
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What Intel CPU would be current and Fast. I don't want the top, fastest, but it should take my 8 slots of 128.
You have to go the Gskill support page for your RAM
https://www.gskill.com/qvl/165/166/1536566284/F4-3333C16Q2-128GTZR-EOL-QVL
and look on the QVL.
You see that this RAM has been tested on X299 platform, and that GSKILL lists the grand total of 9 motherboards (3 Asus, 3 Gygabyte and 3 ASrock)

For example for the Asus PRIME X299-A, you can see the compatible CPUs
 
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Eximo

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I don't think Intel is the way to go here. CPUs are expensive on a core for core basis, and they are actually fairly outdated now. Threadripper gives you PCIe 4.0 at least.

i9-10940X is the only one reasonably priced, and then you give up two cores from your original plan. I suppose you could stalk around on ebay for one of the older 18 cores and see how that goes.

HEDT from Intel is mostly dead. AMD looks to be leaning that way as well with Threadripper Pro now being the future option, and with no support for the old socket.
 

amerifax

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PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Threadripper 2970WX 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($719.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X399 Taichi ATX sTR4 Motherboard ($495.27 @ Amazon)
Total: $1215.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-08 12:48 EDT-0400


OR

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor ($589.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X570-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($150.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($589.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1329.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-08 12:49 EDT-0400
 

amerifax

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CPU: AMD Threadripper 2970WX 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($719.95 @ Amazon). How does this differ from the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Zen 3? Is it newer? The Trreadripper name seems different. Keep in mind I'ma bit of a greenhorn. I do video editing. So rendering speed is important. I'm also looking at as many M.2 as reasonably possible.

Also, looking at ROG CROSSHAIR VIII EXTREME for that very reason. I'm going to check out the ASRock tonight.

Does the ADM Threadrippeer and the Ryzen 5950X fall into this class:
AMD Ryzen™ 5000 and 3000 Series Desktop Processors.

Thanks for the help Eximo.
Bob
 

Eximo

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Correction, you would need the Threadripper 3960X for PCIe 4.0 support, which is another price category up.

I think the best option is to sell your RAM and buy 32GB Dimms for AM4.

That or hold out for Zen 4 and AM5 and get yourself some DDR5. Could do the same with Intel now, but 16 cores 24 threads isn't quite the same as 16 cores 32 threads.
 

Eximo

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CPU: AMD Threadripper 2970WX 3 GHz 24-Core Processor ($719.95 @ Amazon). How does this differ from the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Zen 3? Is it newer? The Threadripper name seems different. Keep in mind I'ma bit of a greenhorn. I do video editing. So rendering speed is important. I'm also looking at as many M.2 as reasonably possible.

Also, looking at ROG CROSSHAIR VIII EXTREME for that very reason. I'm going to check out the ASRock tonight.

Does the ADM Threadrippeer and the Ryzen 5950X fall into this class:
AMD Ryzen™ 5000 and 3000 Series Desktop Processors.

Thanks for the help Eximo.
Bob

Sort of

Zen Ryzen 1000 series, Threadripper 1000 series
Zen+ Ryzen 2000 series, Threadripper 2000 series
Zen2 Ryzen 3000 series, Threadripper 3000 series
Zen3 Ryzen 5000 series, Threadripper PRO 5000 series
Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 series, no announcement yet on Threadripper I believe.

There are caveats, like the 2200G and 3200G both being Zen+, and the 4000 series desktop and the 6000 series laptop matching to Zen 3...

There are also Epyc class chips which are AMDs server platform, where you can get truly ludricrous core counts.

AMD makes basically a single chip. The older quad core CCX and the 8-core CCX. Coupled with a I/O chip they make their entire lineup.

5950x is two 8-core Zen 3 dies.
2970WX is actually 3 8 core Zen+ dies and a dummy (dead) chip, so much older.
3960X would be 3 8core or 4 6 core Zen2 dies, quite an improvement, but they are still over $1000.

To get the same thing from a Threadripper PRO you would be spending like $4000 on just the CPU...and they are OEM only, so you would have to buy a whole desktop. And your consumer grade memory probably wouldn't work anyway.

Intel CPUs haven't changed all that much since 6th gen up until now. Cascade Lake would be the i9-10940X or higher, and that is about three years old already.
 

amerifax

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>Can I ask why you're in possession of an 8x16GB kit of RAM and nothing else? <<
I have a Rampage V Extreme that went bad - EATPWR 24 pin connector has a missing pin on board. Also the Intel CPU was 3 pins bent. The CPU came back from Asus bent.

Actually, I have 2 sets. Both 128 8-Slot.
G.Skill TridentZ 8-F4-3333C16Q2-128GTZKW, 3333MHz
Corsair Platinum 8-CMD64GX4M8A2400C14, 2400MHz
Also
Cosair Vengeance 4-CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10
Plus many more odds and ends.
Bob
 
I have a Rampage V Extreme that went bad - EATPWR 24 pin connector has a missing pin on board. Also the Intel CPU was 3 pins bent. The CPU came back from Asus bent.

Actually, I have 2 sets. Both 128 8-Slot.
G.Skill TridentZ 8-F4-3333C16Q2-128GTZKW, 3333MHz
Corsair Platinum 8-CMD64GX4M8A2400C14, 2400MHz
Also
Cosair Vengeance 4-CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10
Plus many more odds and ends.
Bob
So you don't have actual matched sets of RAM just a hodgepodge of random? That's not going to work the best.
 
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amerifax

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Am a bit confused? Yes. Yesterday I read 2 articles and used them for my info and figured I was all set.
For the CPU, I based my decision on the following:
PC Guide - Editor's Choice (AMZ Ryzen 9 3950X)
From <https://www.pcguide.com/cpu/guide/best-video-editing/>

And for the motherboard: Tech News Today-Motherboards With 8 RAM Slots Overview (
Asus Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI)
From <https://www.technewstoday.com/8-ram-slot-motherboards/>

At that point, everything looked good. But as of this topic, my head is spinning a bit. I do appreciate all the help, but the more I read, the more I'm confused.
Bob
 
And for the motherboard: Tech News Today-Motherboards With 8 RAM Slots Overview (
Asus Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI)
From <https://www.technewstoday.com/8-ram-slot-motherboards/>
That's a threadripper board. See Asus' webpage for CPU support.
 

Eximo

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Different sockets. Threadripper chip is about the size of the palm of your hand.

Though for a Zen 2 chip you could get the Threadripper 3960X, that would be basically 1.5 Ryzen 3950X with a little less clock speed.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Threadripper 3960X 3.8 GHz 24-Core Processor ($1895.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI TRX40 PRO WIFI ATX sTRX4 Motherboard ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2294.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-08 16:39 EDT-0400


Not exactly a cheap option.

Putting all that memory up for sale might get you enough to offset buying new 32GB DIMMs for a Ryzen 5950X AM4 build.
 
Let's go over some technical aspects of DDR4 and why you're not going to find an 8 slot board for mainstream consumer CPUs.

The important thing to note is that mainstream CPUs, that is Ryzens from AMD and most Core processors from Intel (the ones not for some variant of LGA-2033) have two memory controllers. For example, this is a block diagram for a Zen 3 and 500 series chipset:
ASRock-Rack-X570D4U-2L2T-Block-Diagram.png


Also similarly with AMD's APUs, we only see two memory controllers:

AMD-Ryzen-4000-Renoir-APU-Block-Diagram-1030x579-1.jpg


Looking at the pinout for DDR4 288-pin DIMM slots (https://www.micron.com/-/media/clie...-sheet/modules/parity_rdimm/asf9c512x72pz.pdf), we can note that there are a few pins labeled as "Chip select". These are used to address different RAM modules connected to the same memory controller. And if you continue looking through this, you'll notice there are four chip select lines (pins 84, 89, 93, 237). Thus there should be the possibility for four DIMMs per memory channel right?

Well if we look further down at the actual description of the pins:
Chip select: All commands are masked when CS_n is registered HIGH. CS_n provides external rank selection on systems with multiple ranks. CS_n is considered part of the command code (CS2_n and CS3_n are not used on UDIMMs).
UDIMMs are "unbuffered" DIMMs. i.e., the RAM modules that are in consumer computers. Which means that pins 93 and 237 are not connected in anyway, limiting the number of DIMMs per memory channel to two. Or in the case of consumer motherboards, a maximum of four DIMMs.

If you want 8 RAM slots, you're going to need to find an HEDT board.

EDIT: I noticed they talked about "ranks" and yes this is related to the single-rank/dual-rank setup in memory modules. And digging into this further, sites report that the only valid combination for a consumer board with dual rank memory, if you want dual channeling, is using two modules. You cannot have a dual rank, 4-module setup. Or at least, you can't do it with all of the memory accessible

(I wonder if this is a cause for why people ask why half their RAM is unusable?)
 
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amerifax

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You have to go the Gskill support page for your RAM
https://www.gskill.com/qvl/165/166/1536566284/F4-3333C16Q2-128GTZR-EOL-QVL
and look on the QVL.
You see that this RAM has been tested on X299 platform, and that GSKILL lists the grand total of 9 motherboards (3 Asus, 3 Gygabyte and 3 ASrock)

For example for the Asus PRIME X299-A, you can see the compatible CPUs
>For example for the Asus PRIME X299-A, you can see the compatible CPUs <<
Yes. I see.
Bob