Question Gigabyte mb compatibility problems with processor and RAM?

[Sparky974]

Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 with AMD FD6100WMGUSBX FX-6100 Processor and Corsair Vengeance CMZ32GX3M4A1866C9. I am attempting to upgrade the RAM from 16MB 1600MHz Vengeance to 32MB 1866Mhz Vengeance. Gigabyte website and user's manual state that 1866MHz memory (and above) can be used if an AM3+ processor is installed -- the FX 6100 Processor is AM3+. When the new RAM is installed the computer hangs in POST -- no errors. I then reinstalled one1600MHZ stick and the machine booted into the BIOS. I removed this module and reinstalled one 1866MHz stick with the same results ... hung in POST. Cleared CMOS and attempted it all again with the same results. (RAM checks out oh in a friend's machine.) What am I missing here?

 

[jeremyj_83]

Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 with AMD FD6100WMGUSBX FX-6100 Processor and Corsair Vengeance CMZ32GX3M4A1866C9. I am attempting to upgrade the RAM from 16MB 1600MHz Vengeance to 32MB 1866Mhz Vengeance. Gigabyte website and user's manual state that 1866MHz memory (and above) can be used if an AM3+ processor is installed -- the FX 6100 Processor is AM3+. When the new RAM is installed the computer hangs in POST -- no errors. I then reinstalled one1600MHZ stick and the machine booted into the BIOS. I removed this module and reinstalled one 1866MHz stick with the same results ... hung in POST. Cleared CMOS and attempted it all again with the same results. (RAM checks out oh in a friend's machine.) What am I missing here?

It could be that your CPU or motherboard doesn't like trying to run at 1866MHz. At this point in time that system is probably 10 years old and thing could have degraded.

 

[Sparky974]

It could be that your CPU or motherboard doesn't like trying to run at 1866MHz. At this point in time that system is probably 10 years old and thing could have degraded.

I don't think so ... It doesn't even pass POST with the 1866MHZ RAM installed, and therefore does not have the opportunity of "trying to run at 1866MHz". ( BTW, this is a new build. The motherboard and CPU were purchased new seven years ago. Due to major issues in my life at that time, I was never able to complete the build ... now retired, I have the time. )

 

[Eximo]

Not sure which revision of the motherboard you have, but the memory support list doesn't show any 8GB sticks as being supported, only 4GB sticks.

https://download.gigabyte.com/FileL...70a-d3.pdf?v=286aaf62ed300dda877bf2c745025871

Also this huge note:

Only one DIMM per channel is supported for DDR3-1866MHz and higher speed as using an AM3+ CPU.

So basically, you couldn't possibly get to 32GB without getting 16GB DIMMs which are also likely not supported.

No idea why you would 32GB of memory for an FX-6100 in the first place, very few tasks I can think of that would need that much.

I suggest returning the memory. Donating the system to charity, and picking up something a little more recent.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10105F 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.90 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B560M DS3H AC Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($89.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $244.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-29 15:33 EDT-0400

 

[Sparky974]

Not sure which revision of the motherboard you have, but the memory support list doesn't show any 8GB sticks as being supported, only 4GB sticks.

https://download.gigabyte.com/FileL...70a-d3.pdf?v=286aaf62ed300dda877bf2c745025871

Also this huge note:

Only one DIMM per channel is supported for DDR3-1866MHz and higher speed as using an AM3+ CPU.

So basically, you couldn't possibly get to 32GB without getting 16GB DIMMs which are also likely not supported.

No idea why you would 32GB of memory for an FX-6100 in the first place, very few tasks I can think of that would need that much.

I suggest returning the memory. Donating the system to charity, and picking up something a little more recent.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10105F 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.90 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B560M DS3H AC Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($89.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $244.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-29 15:33 EDT-0400

Thank you for your research and reply. I will try to answer each item as there are some discrepancies with what I have learned.

* The motherboard is ver. 3.0 and Gigabyte says for this mb " 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32GB of system memory. "
Also: " Support for DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules. "
" To support a DDR3 1866 MHz (and above) memory, you must install an AM3+ CPU first. "

* The QVL list for RAM memory that you referenced is the original that was released for the ver. 1.0 mb in 2012. The ver. 3.0 mb was released in 2015. and we now know by the specifications that it does support 32GB RAM and speeds of 1866 MHz and higher. This was in response to the introduction AM3+ processor and was accompanied by the release of BIOS ver. FD in 2015, which included a modification to memory capability.

* I do have a need for 32GB RAM ... I do some very intense graphic and photo editing and on my current system16 MB can max out after several layers and then it is going to the scratch drive which slows everything down.

*I thank you for your replacement suggestions, but .... the FX 6100 is a six core processor which is what is suggested for my software. A quad core may not work as well. The B560M mb has some good points ... but it does not have the number and type of PCIe slots that I require and it has no RAID support. And, as to the memory suggestion ... well, believe it or not, there are many out here who have no need for components developed for gaming purposes.

 

[Eximo]

Thank you for your research and reply. I will try to answer each item as there are some discrepancies with what I have learned.

* The motherboard is ver. 3.0 and Gigabyte says for this mb " 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32GB of system memory. "
Also: " Support for DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules. "
" To support a DDR3 1866 MHz (and above) memory, you must install an AM3+ CPU first. "

* The QVL list for RAM memory that you referenced is the original that was released for the ver. 1.0 mb in 2012. The ver. 3.0 mb was released in 2015. and we now know by the specifications that it does support 32GB RAM and speeds of 1866 MHz and higher. This was in response to the introduction AM3+ processor and was accompanied by the release of BIOS ver. FD in 2015, which included a modification to memory capability.

* I do have a need for 32GB RAM ... I do some very intense graphic and photo editing and on my current system16 MB can max out after several layers and then it is going to the scratch drive which slows everything down.

*I thank you for your replacement suggestions, but .... the FX 6100 is a six core processor which is what is suggested for my software. A quad core may not work as well. The B560M mb has some good points ... but it does not have the number and type of PCIe slots that I require and it has no RAID support. And, as to the memory suggestion ... well, believe it or not, there are many out here who have no need for components developed for gaming purposes.

An 11 year old six core is going to be vastly slower than a recent model quad core, and nothing says you have to stop at a quad core. i5-10400, i5-11400, i5-12400 are also available and are relatively cheap. If you are photo editing on an FX-6100 you are missing out on a decade of CPU improvements, instruction sets.

No such thing as a 'gaming' component. They are either decent quality or not. You can safely ignore motherboard marketing gibberish, we are looking at VRM quality and features.

If RAID is a requirement, that is easily selected with a higher end motherboard. If you need more PCIe lanes that is also easy to deal with by picking a higher end motherboard.

I stand by replacing it rather than trying to force an old system into a role it isn't suited for. I would even go so far as to say to pick up a decent HP, Dell, or Lenovo workstation rather than a consumer desktop.

I should add that the FX line up chips aren't true quad, six or eight core processors. Each pair of cores shares an ALU and other internal resources. They are more like AMD's early version of SMT, so dual, tri, and quad cores. There were very limited tasks in which an FX processor outperformed a similarly priced quad core from Intel at the time, let alone 5 or 7 generations of AMD and 10 generations of Intel later.

If you like AMD, Ryzen is still a good choice as a workstation processor. 5950X is pretty much unrivaled when it comes to small scale production work with its 16 cores at a quite reasonable price.

 

[Sparky974]

An 11 year old six core is going to be vastly slower than a recent model quad core, and nothing says you have to stop at a quad core. i5-10400, i5-11400, i5-12400 are also available and are relatively cheap. If you are photo editing on an FX-6100 you are missing out on a decade of CPU improvements, instruction sets.

No such thing as a 'gaming' component. They are either decent quality or not. You can safely ignore motherboard marketing gibberish, we are looking at VRM quality and features.

If RAID is a requirement, that is easily selected with a higher end motherboard. If you need more PCIe lanes that is also easy to deal with by picking a higher end motherboard.

I stand by replacing it rather than trying to force an old system into a role it isn't suited for. I would even go so far as to say to pick up a decent HP, Dell, or Lenovo workstation rather than a consumer desktop.

I should add that the FX line up chips aren't true quad, six or eight core processors. Each pair of cores shares an ALU and other internal resources. They are more like AMD's early version of SMT, so dual, tri, and quad cores. There were very limited tasks in which an FX processor outperformed a similarly priced quad core from Intel at the time, let alone 5 or 7 generations of AMD and 10 generations of Intel later.

If you like AMD, Ryzen is still a good choice as a workstation processor. 5950X is pretty much unrivaled when it comes to small scale production work with its 16 cores at a quite reasonable price.

The six-core CPU is more about the number of threads available than it is about flat-out speed. For graphics-intensive work the more threads the better. CPU improvements and instruction sets really aren't powerful motives to run out and buy the latest hardware either, as recently increasing graphics and image editing capabilities are due more to the software itself rather than the hardware

Sorry, but my comment about "gaming hardware" was in response to the suggested RAM (Silicon Powered Gaming" I should install into the suggested motherboard.

Yes, RAID and add'l. PCIe lanes are a requirement and I am well aware that both can be had on higher-end boards and more cores can be had with higher-end CPUs. However, I do know that this set-up will do more than I want for the immediate future. And the add'l. cost to me will only be the RAM.

Not everyone needs or can afford the latest and greatest. Sometimes it is enough to determine what you really need for your own purposes and go with that. I came here, like so many others looking for help with a specific problem and instead was told my system was junk and basically cannot do what I expect of it. I was then told I should forget it and should buy all new motherboard/CPU/RAM components.

While I respect your general knowledge of the issues, your continued efforts to prove to me that my system is garbage for the intended purpose is extremely annoying, incorrect, and certainly not helpful.

With that, I truly hope you have a good day, sir.

 

[jeremyj_83]

The six-core CPU is more about the number of threads available than it is about flat-out speed. For graphics-intensive work the more threads the better. CPU improvements and instruction sets really aren't powerful motives to run out and buy the latest hardware either, as recently increasing graphics and image editing capabilities are due more to the software itself rather than the hardware

Sorry, but my comment about "gaming hardware" was in response to the suggested RAM (Silicon Powered Gaming" I should install into the suggested motherboard.

Yes, RAID and add'l. PCIe lanes are a requirement and I am well aware that both can be had on higher-end boards and more cores can be had with higher-end CPUs. However, I do know that this set-up will do more than I want for the immediate future. And the add'l. cost to me will only be the RAM.

Not everyone needs or can afford the latest and greatest. Sometimes it is enough to determine what you really need for your own purposes and go with that. I came here, like so many others looking for help with a specific problem and instead was told my system was junk and basically cannot do what I expect of it. I was then told I should forget it and should buy all new motherboard/CPU/RAM components.

While I respect your general knowledge of the issues, your continued efforts to prove to me that my system is garbage for the intended purpose is extremely annoying, incorrect, and certainly not helpful.

With that, I truly hope you have a good day, sir.

The QVL list for the RAM states "Only one DIMM per channel is supported for DDR3-1866MHz and higher speed as using an AM3+ CPU." That motherboard supports 32GB RAM but only in 4x 8GB DIMMs. That means you are installing 2 DIMMs in each memory channel so it will not work. That can easily be the reason why the system won't post.

The CPU you have is referred to as a 3 module / 6 thread CPU. With the "heavy equipment" line of CPUs AMD did something called Clustered Multithreading (CMT) instead of Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). With CMT you end up have 2 cores for integer calculations but only 1 core for floating point. Hence your CPU being 3 modules / 6 threads. With SMT you have a full core that can run multiple threads if there are sufficient resources (4 core / 8 thread for example). The AMD "heavy equipment" CPUs were slower clock for clock and core for core than the Intel CPUs at the time. This is why software would say you need an AMD FX 6100 (3 module / 6 thread) or Intel i5-760. The Intel CPU was that much faster at the time that even the added threads of the AMD weren't enough to keep up. You current FX 6100 is only about as fast as the Zen 1 based Athlon 300GE with 2c/4t.
https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2833?vs=2670
My 10 year old desktop with an i7-4770k is vastly faster than the FX 6100 at any task.
https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2833?vs=2659
What I am trying to say is that just because you have more threads doesn't mean it will be faster at something. Per core performance makes a huge difference. Even if you went to the slowest of the Ryzen 3000 series, the 3100, you would increase your CPU power a lot.
https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2833?vs=2709
These newer CPUs will churn through the data faster for video editing than the current one which will save you time. Not to mention the newer motherboards support RAM of 64GB or 128GB depending on the board.

 

[Eximo]

You mistake me in saying people need the latest and greatest (and my suggestions were anything but, except at the last explaining available options). People generally present their budgets and requirements up front to get as good an answer as possible. Yes, you want the memory to work in that board with that CPU, but it doesn't look like it wants to.

Not being able to boot with that memory is a real problem. If the board had one of those MemOK buttons, I would say try that. It isn't defaulting to a mode that the motherboard or CPU like. If you still want 32GB of memory in that board, I suggest dropping down to 1600 or 1333 with something that DOESNT have an XMP or DOCP profile. Pushing boards to their maximum supported memory always has issues. Either maximum speed isn't possible, or (as in your other post, voltages need to be increased)

You could try putting in the old memory, setting the voltage high, even setting the memory timings manually, saving the changes and then swapping in the new memory. Worst case you'd have to reset the BIOS to get it back to working with the old memory.

I can only restate that spending money on large DDR3 sticks when the era of DDR4 is ending isn't the wisest thing. Someone would probably love that FX-6100 as a nice web browser or something, and you could enjoy a lot faster/smoother editing for minimal cost.

 

[Sparky974]

The QVL list for the RAM states "Only one DIMM per channel is supported for DDR3-1866MHz and higher speed as using an AM3+ CPU." That motherboard supports 32GB RAM but only in 4x 8GB DIMMs. That means you are installing 2 DIMMs in each memory channel so it will not work. That can easily be the reason why the system won't post.

The CPU you have is referred to as a 3 module / 6 thread CPU. With the "heavy equipment" line of CPUs AMD did something called Clustered Multithreading (CMT) instead of Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). With CMT you end up have 2 cores for integer calculations but only 1 core for floating point. Hence your CPU being 3 modules / 6 threads. With SMT you have a full core that can run multiple threads if there are sufficient resources (4 core / 8 thread for example). The AMD "heavy equipment" CPUs were slower clock for clock and core for core than the Intel CPUs at the time. This is why software would say you need an AMD FX 6100 (3 module / 6 thread) or Intel i5-760. The Intel CPU was that much faster at the time that even the added threads of the AMD weren't enough to keep up. You current FX 6100 is only about as fast as the Zen 1 based Athlon 300GE with 2c/4t.
https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2833?vs=2670
My 10 year old desktop with an i7-4770k is vastly faster than the FX 6100 at any task.
https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2833?vs=2659
What I am trying to say is that just because you have more threads doesn't mean it will be faster at something. Per core performance makes a huge difference. Even if you went to the slowest of the Ryzen 3000 series, the 3100, you would increase your CPU power a lot.
https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2833?vs=2709
These newer CPUs will churn through the data faster for video editing than the current one which will save you time. Not to mention the newer motherboards support RAM of 64GB or 128GB depending on the board.

The QVL list you quoted is the initial list for the first release of the mb. Since that time there have been four revisions of the mb released and three BIOS revisions. One of the board revisions and at least one of the BIOS revisions expanded the memory options. Furthermore , I am using only one RAM module in channel one for troubleshooting purposes. So that destroys the next part of your statement.

At this point, I am not interested in what anyone thinks I should be using instead of the CPU I have. I am comfortable that this will do the job quite well and I do not have the cash to invest in a new MB/CPU/RAM combo.

I don't care how fast the "newer CPUs will churn the data ... for video editing" because, as I wrote, I do photo image editing and some graphics.

All I was hoping when posting my question here was that someone would know or help me find the answer to my problem. Instead, I feel like the guy who takes his car into the dealer for an oil and filter change. The sales force swoops down on him telling him that the car is a piece of crap. not suitable for driving, and he should consider a new one.!

 

[Sparky974]

You mistake me in saying people need the latest and greatest (and my suggestions were anything but, except at the last explaining available options). People generally present their budgets and requirements up front to get as good an answer as possible. Yes, you want the memory to work in that board with that CPU, but it doesn't look like it wants to.

Not being able to boot with that memory is a real problem. If the board had one of those MemOK buttons, I would say try that. It isn't defaulting to a mode that the motherboard or CPU like. If you still want 32GB of memory in that board, I suggest dropping down to 1600 or 1333 with something that DOESNT have an XMP or DOCP profile. Pushing boards to their maximum supported memory always has issues. Either maximum speed isn't possible, or (as in your other post, voltages need to be increased)

You could try putting in the old memory, setting the voltage high, even setting the memory timings manually, saving the changes and then swapping in the new memory. Worst case you'd have to reset the BIOS to get it back to working with the old memory.

I can only restate that spending money on large DDR3 sticks when the era of DDR4 is ending isn't the wisest thing. Someone would probably love that FX-6100 as a nice web browser or something, and you could enjoy a lot faster/smoother editing for minimal cost.

I did not "present [my] budget and requirements up front" because I was not asking about replacing my system or even individual components. My question was posed in the hope that someone had run across this problem before and possibly had a suggestion that might help. Oh, and I do not consider the purchase of a new MB/CPU/RAM to be wiser than using what I have if it will do what I need it to.

 

[jeremyj_83]

The QVL list you quoted is the initial list for the first release of the mb. Since that time there have been four revisions of the mb released and three BIOS revisions. One of the board revisions and at least one of the BIOS revisions expanded the memory options. Furthermore , I am using only one RAM module in channel one for troubleshooting purposes. So that destroys the next part of your statement.

At this point, I am not interested in what anyone thinks I should be using instead of the CPU I have. I am comfortable that this will do the job quite well and I do not have the cash to invest in a new MB/CPU/RAM combo.

I don't care how fast the "newer CPUs will churn the data ... for video editing" because, as I wrote, I do photo image editing and some graphics.

All I was hoping when posting my question here was that someone would know or help me find the answer to my problem. Instead, I feel like the guy who takes his car into the dealer for an oil and filter change. The sales force swoops down on him telling him that the car is a piece of crap. not suitable for driving, and he should consider a new one.!

The fact that you have V3 and the QVL is from V1 is irrelevant. The fact remains that 1866MHz is ONLY supported with 1 DIMM per channel. Even if you get 1866MHz to work with 1 DIMM it still will not work with all slots populated. Had you listed and or looked at the QVL ahead of time you might have been able to save yourself time. Overall the simple answer is the system is so old that I can no longer work with 1866MHz RAM. You might be able to get 1600MHz to work at 32GB.

Eximo and I are not trying to sell you on a brand new car. We have tried to explain that the RAM doesn't work and give reason why. We have also pointed out that the system is old and getting 32GB RAM is much easier in a DDR4 platform. Eximo even gave a budget example as is common when people have a system as old as yours and said system isn't working correctly.

 

[Sparky974]

The fact that you have V3 and the QVL is from V1 is irrelevant. The fact remains that 1866MHz is ONLY supported with 1 DIMM per channel. Even if you get 1866MHz to work with 1 DIMM it still will not work with all slots populated. Had you listed and or looked at the QVL ahead of time you might have been able to save yourself time. Overall the simple answer is the system is so old that I can no longer work with 1866MHz RAM. You might be able to get 1600MHz to work at 32GB.

Eximo and I are not trying to sell you on a brand new car. We have tried to explain that the RAM doesn't work and give reason why. We have also pointed out that the system is old and getting 32GB RAM is much easier in a DDR4 platform. Eximo even gave a budget example as is common when people have a system as old as yours and said system isn't working correctly.

Sorry. Jeremy and Eximo! I am finally in touch with a Gigabyte technician who reaffirms that this MB is spec'd as able to run this CPU and RAM. The RAM can populate all four memory slots and will run at 1866MHz or above. The key is to have a rev. 3.0 motherboard along with the latest BIOS (FEi). These provide the MB with the capability of properly utilizing 1866MHz RAM. We have not found the reason this is not happening with my machine yet, but at least my assertion as to the suitability of this combination is correct.