[SOLVED] Had a hardware failure, looking for advice on next step

striker2237

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I have an older system that I have run overclocked since I got the parts as far as they could be while remaining stable and I encountered an issue today that required me to downclock the ram to about half the old speed to get the system to stay running and not crash from memory errors/leaks. I have not been following the hardware world since I built this system and would like insight as to what I should do given the overall situation.

System is a Rampage IV Black with a 4960x@4.8 ghz with 48 gigs of ram that I had at 2200 but are rated at 1600, GPUs are dual 980ti Lightings at 1500mhz but they have never given me issue and OCed where I wanted them to without fighting me. I also have a sound card in between the two GPUs so please keep that in mind when recommending a new board. They have been running like this since new.

I am temped to just buy a new CPU and ram kit that is not a combination of two mismatched ones like I was running and just continue on for a while, I am unfamiliar with the latest hardware but am considering maybe upgrading to the newest 2011-3 or whatever the latest version that supports quad channel memory and 40 PCIE lanes. I am open to AMD or any hardware setup that accomplishes the same or increased performance but I was planning to wait DDR4 out completely and only upgrade everything when DDR5 releases, hence my temptation to just replace the CPU and ram for now but I will be rolling the dice on a used 4960 since there is no way I am going to drop $1000 on a new one and there is as always the risk it won't hold good speeds. Please let me know what my options are guys
 
Solution
I have an older system that I have run overclocked since I got the parts as far as they could be while remaining stable and I encountered an issue today that required me to downclock the ram to about half the old speed to get the system to stay running and not crash from memory errors/leaks. ...

48 gigs of ram that I had at 2200 but are rated at 1600, ...

I am temped to just buy a new CPU and ram kit that is not a combination of two mismatched ones like I was running and just continue on for a while, ...

I don't see why you'd be looking to replace your CPU. From your description. It seems most likely one or a couple RAM modules are damaged. You can run MEMTEST86+ on one module at a time until you locate the culprit or...
I have an older system that I have run overclocked since I got the parts as far as they could be while remaining stable and I encountered an issue today that required me to downclock the ram to about half the old speed to get the system to stay running and not crash from memory errors/leaks. ...

48 gigs of ram that I had at 2200 but are rated at 1600, ...

I am temped to just buy a new CPU and ram kit that is not a combination of two mismatched ones like I was running and just continue on for a while, ...

I don't see why you'd be looking to replace your CPU. From your description. It seems most likely one or a couple RAM modules are damaged. You can run MEMTEST86+ on one module at a time until you locate the culprit or culprits.

It's unlikely your CPU is burned out. Especially if you've kept temps and voltages in check. CPU are quite hardy. Even if all the RAM clears testing. A motherboard issue is far more likely than a CPU issue. If its lasted this long.

I wouldn't consider even a used replacement as those CPU run about $275. Which is nearly enough for a Ryzen 3600 and X570 motherboard. Sure it's 16 PCIe lanes and dual channel memory. But its 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 3200Mhz to 3600Mhz memory. Very few tasks show improvement with quad channel memory which is usually quite small. I'd expect the much faster DDR4 memory to cover any differences. The CPU is faster and much more energy efficient. Unless you actually use all those PCIe lanes. They are a waste. Dual GPU can sit quite comfortably in a PCIe 3.0 x8/x8 configuration let alone a PCIe 4.0 x8/x8 config. Speaking of GPU you could dump those dual GTX 980 Ti for a nearly straight swap for a single RTX 2070. Which will outperform those two GPU in nearly every game. Except perhaps an extremely rare game highly optimized for SLI. For the most part it would be superior and use a lot less power. Plus every new part has a new part warranty.

So, my advice is. Find and replace the faulty RAM module. If it's any worse. It makes more sense to dump your parts and build something new. From both a cost and energy usage perspective. As you mention nothing about using it for workstation tasks. Loaded up with multiple high speed NVMe SSD, fiber optic networking and other high bandwidth devices. Spending extra for 40+ PCIe lanes and quad channel memory is impractical.
 
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striker2237

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It crashes on each of the 8 sticks, the higher the clock the faster it occurs and the less sticks the faster as well. I am able to get an hour out of it by running all of them at 1333

If that's the case I will just build a 9900k or 3950x based system with a 2080ti, I don't want to upgrade yet but you are confirming that it's basically not worth the parts cost

I'll go back and test with memcheck since I forgot that existed
 
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striker2237

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Well it's only seeing 36gigs right off the bat, doesn't bode well, in terms of a new GPU the 2080ti is obviously the best but where do I currently sit factoring in the overclock I am using? Do the newer cards have a lot of headroom to play with or not as much?
 
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