[SOLVED] HELP!! New build troubleshooting

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
My pc: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FJVJ7W

I have the PC speced above in the pcpartpicker. I originally installed and ran windows with 32gb of ram and was stable for a few days. Then I started seeing BSOD's. I decided I would try to update my bios. Doing this resulted in failure to boot windows and boot loops. I decided to revert back to my stock bios, windows booted right back up. More BSOD's. So on to memtest86 (with 4 sticks). An hour in, I saw 215 errors on test 6. That was enough to see.

In an effort to find the bad ram, I reduced my ram by 50%. Stick 1 and stick 2 in DIMM slot 1 and dimm slot 2 (red slots). I ran memtest for 7 hours. ZERO errors

I then took those sticks out and put stick 3 and stick 4 into DIMM slot 3 and DIMM slot 4 (black slots). I ran memtest for 8 hours. ZERO errors.

I then took those sticks out and put sticks 1 and 2 back in, but this time into DIMM slots 3 and 4 (black slots). ZERO errors. This is where my test stopped, I put sticks 3 and 4 back in the red slot, removed stick 1 and 2, rebooted and right to windows without issues. Its been stable since.

This however does not satisfy me as I have 16gb of memory doing nothing and 2 open slots. I want them installed. I am currently out of ideas.

Is my motherboard bad?
Is it just memory voltage issues?
is my CPU bad?

Any further troubleshooting steps, ideas, opinions or anything else that can help is greatly appreciated!
 
Solution
Well, to put this post to rest finally, after months of error free running, zero restarts, zero BSOD's and normal CPU usage, my problem is resolved and my PC is stable.

The resolution was one of the following (not exactly sure which one or maybe a combination of both).

  1. I RMA'ed the CPU with AMD per their recommendation
  2. I reformatted the C: drive and then reinstalled windows (just to be sure everything was fresh)

Since then I have had zero problems!!!!
Probably not

May be

probably not

Checking the Gigabyte - GA-AB350-GAMING 3 ATX AM4 Motherboard RAM compatibility list, it doesn't include the RAM model you selected.. that may not mean the RAM is incompatible but you need to check the BIOS RAM voltage setting... if it's set on Auto voltage control, it should be reading 1.2 volts which is what the RAM model works with.... ither than taht will need to be adjusted to 1.2 V.

G.SKILL Flare X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Model F4-2400C15D-16GFX
Runs on 1.2 Volts... and that's what the BIOS should be supplying it.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232519

Other than that, I'd suspect the BIOS is corrupted and BIOS corruption can cause RAM issues, and specifically affect RAM slot functionality.

I'd recommend resetting the BIOS and if it doesn't help, Restore the BIOS preferably according to the Gigabyte specified method. https://goo.gl/yhgb7L

And if the Gigabyte BIOS Restore method doesn't work, use the method I use as specified below.

Try this BIOS reset method:
Follow this reset procedure exactly.
1. Remove AC power or turn off the PSU
2. Remove the battery
3. Move the BIOS jumper to pins 2 & 3
4. Press and hold the power button for 60 seconds
5. Install all RAM modules
6. Wait 10 minutes
7. Revert 1 through 3 and try the computer

Bios recovery:
1. Remove AC power or turn off the PSU
2. Remove the battery
3. Remove the BIOS jumper
4. Press and hold the power button for 60 seconds
5. Wait 10 minutes
6. Revert 1 through 3 and try the computer
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Thank you Chicano! I will give these steps a try tomorrow. I am currently running my 2nd test on 2 sticks of RAM, again in memtest86. The first 2 sticks ran for 9 hours with no errors. I should mention I am running memtest86 v4.3.7 because if I try to run the tests from the UEFI mode of memtest (v7 something) it starts the test then reboots... Not sure why that is...

I did speak with a G.skill tech today and he recommends I RMA my ram in exchange for a single 32gb kit (4x8gb) instead of 2 kits of 2x8gb. I do believe the 4x8gb kit is specifically listed as a supported RAM.

Anyways, am I on the right track?

Should I RMA the RAM just for piece of mind?

Should Memtest86 be working in UEFI mode? Since its not, is there another underlying issue with hardware somewhere?
 
Yeah you're on the right track.. if the G.skill tech recommends you RMA it... that's what you should do because you have two RAM kits and they have to be all from a kit for best compatibility. Even if they are the same model number they have differences that can cause issues.

About installing RAM modules from different kits
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2660350/installing-ram-modules-kits.html

RAM compatibility lists are probably released because of
• the voltage diferences on some RAM models,
• So that people don't buy models for server and workstations,
• So people preferably don't install cheap unknows brands, etc.
• But the brand you bought is quality RAM so that is not the problem.. except that it's from two different kits and it's always recommended to install from complete kits for perfect compatibility... so that's what you should do.

This page includes the B350 chipset in the compatible motherboard with the G.SKILL Flare X Series F4-2400C15D-16GFXR https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-2400c15d-16gfxr

The motherboard memory compatibility list doesn't include your RAM model because it was probably not available when the motherboard was released, so I suspect the causes are: As I said before, BIOS corruption that may be causing issues that are read as RAM errors.. so if you haven't done the BIOS reset I suggested, that should be done next to be sure you need to RMA the RAM modules. BIOS corruption can cause many issues that resemble hardware including RAM issues, and can be solved with either BIOS resets or Restores.

Should Memtest86 be working in UEFI mode? Since its not, is there another underlying issue with hardware somewhere?
• Memtest86 from version 5.0 was rewritten to work with UEFI so the reboots with version 7 in UEFI mode are probably due to some other cause.
• If Windows was installed in legacy BIOS mode mode
• I read somewhere (can't recall where) that Memtest86 I believe from version 7 was written to run only on UEFI... so it may be running and quits as soon as it detects errors, and may not work in legacy BIOS and detect nothing.
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Chicano,
I just wanted to update you. I installed all 4 sticks of memory last night and began another memtest86, this time on the UEFI verison 7.5. It kept rebooting if trying parallel test, so I did round robin and that worked fine. As of this morning, it went through 2 passes with 0 errors. I was going to let it finish all 4 passes and see what the results were, then try and restore my bios from my secondary as you suggested.

1. Should I be concerned that the Parellel test would not work (even though my motherboard is not listed on the memtest86 list of motherboards with that issue?)
2. I know I still have to restore my bios before I continue troubleshooting, but could this be a corrupt OS? Even though it runs stable with 2 sticks of memory and not 4?
3. Im getting worried at this point. I have 15 days left to RMA the CPU if that ends up being the culprit, but I feel if the BIOS restore doesnt fix the issue, then I need t replace the motherboard as the next step, correct?
4. Replacing the motherboard will more than likely eat up my 15 days left with NewEgg to RMA that Processor.

I know, a lot of questions and I can only troubleshoot one thing at a time, but I am just trying to get a broad understanding of what lies ahead, the steps I need to take after the bios restore and so on.
 

Mondoman

Splendid
Hi, sr! Chi is right that you need to make sure you are starting with uncorrupted BIOS, uncorrupted Windows install. Make sure to only use 2 sticks installed while you are doing that.

In terms of RMAs, my personal guess is that you will most likely get rejected on CPU or MB replacement under the theory that it works just fine with 2 sticks.

Gskill is my preferred brand for many years and I have had excellent customer service from them on the one time I needed replacement. Since Gskill themselves are suggesting you do a swap for the matched 4 sticks, I would definitely go for that. If they still give errors with 4 out of the box, my next step would be to boost the RAM voltage to 1.3V manually in the BIOS, and to 1.35V if that didn't work. It looks like DDR4 can be run pretty safely at up to 1.35V. Don't use an XMP profile, just change the RAM voltage, not the bus speed.

Caveat -- I'm not familiar with the Ryzens, so there may be additional voltage tweaks etc in the memory controller part of the BIOS that might help. Remember you are pushing the limits of the memory controller with 4 max-size fast DIMMs. I know in the past sometimes MB makers even noted that their fastest memory speeds were only supported for 2 DIMMs installed, not for 4.

Good luck! It looks like you have chosen good quality components for your build.

 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Thanks Mondo! I have a few questions based on your points. I understand what your saying I just want to make sure I take the right steps.

1. Start with an uncorrupted BIOS - I already know what to do here. I spoke with Gigabyte today, they said just clear the CMOS and reflash over the current BIOS. The tech suggested F8 since thats the last update that affects my system components and CPU.

2. Start with an uncorrupted windows. Does that mean your suggesting I start over by reformatting my SSD and reinstalling windows fresh? Is there really any other way to be sure my windows isnt corrupt? I installed via a flash drive, and in boot menu, I see Windows Boot loader as an option, so I assume I did the setup correctly and installed as UEFI. Right? Should I reinstall windows anyways even though it runs fine and stable with 2 sticks of memory?

3. I will attempt these voltage changes IF and only IF my replacement RAM chooses not to work or isnt stable.

4. My last question/concern is my MOBO. As far as I understand from the manual and speaking with the gigabyte rep, I CAN safely run my system with 4 sticks of memory (if they play nice with each other). Right now I have 2 separate kits, which is what both G.Skill and Gigabyte think the issue is.
 


Read the Memtest86 known issues... it can crash under different circumstances some being bad CPU or bad motherboard... BUT, a corrupted BIOS can make the system act like any of them.. all components are only as good as the BIOS lets them work... so it's very important you insure the BIOS is working correctly before proceeding.

Memtest86 runs by booting from a [strike]floppy,[/strike] CD, USB stick, so OS corruption shouldn't be a problem. Mondoman answered to your doubt on Windows running stable with 2 and not 4 RAM sticks.. so I'm sure he was referring to that specific issue that could be corrected from there with SFC /Scannow.. but we're talking about the memory test from the bootable device.

https://www.memtest86.com/support/index.htm

 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Well, I know I havent selected a best answer yet, but my process is still on going. I just wanted to come here and update everyone.

1. With all 4 sticks installed, I Let memtest86 v7.5 run for 16 hours 20 minutes in order to do 4 passes. It never did finish pass 4 and froze on pass 4 with 268 errors that all looked to be on Test 6, CPU 4.

2. I proceeded to then test the RAM individually (only in slot 1 so far) first running test 6 on CPU 4 for 4 passes, then another test on round robin (all cpus) and all tests. I let the full test run for 1 pass on each stick. 0 errors. That is not a guarantee, but somewhat reassures that my RAM is good.

3. I then did as Chicano suggested as well as followed the steps the Gigabyte tech laid out for resetting the BIOS. After doing so, I flashed F8 which is also what the gigabyte tech said to do. Seems as if the BIOS update was successful.

4. I left 1 stick of RAM installed and booted to windows, which has been running flawlessly since the BIOS upgrade. After rebooting and re-installing the chipset drivers from Gigabytes website, I ran the Passmark burnin test (which I understand to be similar to a stress test) in which it ran the CPU, GPU, and Memory at 100%. It ran flawlessly with 0 errors.

What I have not done yet is re-installed all 4 sticks of memory or ran a long term test on the memory again (individually or combined). I probably will not to be quite honest because after speaking with both Gigabyte and G.Skill, they both recommend I RMA the memory for a single 32gb kit rather than 2 separate 16gb kits. So now I just need to wait for my RMA email to come back from G.Skill. Once I get my replacement kit, I will run a memtest for 2 passes on each stick individually, then a much longer test on all 4 sticks combined. If all that is good, I will proceed to boot into windows.

At this point, if all is working, I will leave it alone. If I still have issues, I can only assume it is likely voltage or timing related since it seems my CPU and power supply are functioning properly in all cases except 4 memory sticks involved...
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Hey everyone. Finally got my RAM back from G.Skill. They replaced it with a 32gb kit as they said they would. Initial signs are good as it booted right into windows with all 4 sticks installed (something I couldnt do before without a blue screen). I am currently running a Memtest V7.5 (so only 4 passes). I will then run a longer test over night to make sure things are good on the memory side. Hopefully this is the end of my problems.
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
So ran MemTest v7.5, all 4 passes took 19 hours to complete with 0 errors! The computer runs pretty stable, however I have had a few BSOD still since the new RAM came back. I can benchmark it and run other tests with no errors or hiccups, however if I try to run Prime95 (only did it for stability testing as I am not overclocking), it fails instantly. on like 11 of 12 tests with "Hardware failure" errors. Do I really have a hardware failure or is this (like I have read) possibly just a RAM voltage issues? What other tests should I run? I heard running Prime95 in safe mode would at least determine if a driver is possibly the cause. Any help is greatly appreciated. I can supply you guys with more info upon request. The BSOD error that I did see was "SYSTEMN_SERVICE_EXCEPTION" win32kfull.sys
 
Yes, the Safe Mode test will probably determine it's a driver issue... which is very common in new Windows installs from Windows 7 on. I found this out from installing Windows versions starting with Windows 7 and continuing up to Windows 10, after experiencing BSODs, restarts or shutdowns frequently happening on new Windows installs while the motherboard and hardware included drivers were not yet installed.

Windows includes most default drivers so we tend to leave them working but Windows drivers are not the best for devices they don't manufacture... so, we have to use the drivers that come included in the motherboard CD/DVD and if they are outdated, the motherboard manufacturer has driver updates available at the product page Support > Downloads.

[SOLVED] win32kfull.sys Blue Screen Error
https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/solved-win32kfull-sys-blue-screen-error/
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
As far as I can tell, the Prime95 hardware issue and BSOD issues have been resolved by removing the gigabyte utilities. The drivers for those utilities are what I narrowed things down to, uninstalled the gigabyte software package in its entirety as well as updated my SSD firmware and have been stable and running since. I think my machine is finally stable! Thank you everyone for your help, especially you Chicano, you have had plenty of great advice!
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
As a final note, the solution to my issue is as follows:

1. My memory kits were not compatible with eachother, so I had to RMA them for a single 32gb kit
2. Update BIOS
3. Update SSD Firmware
4. Update Drivers
5. REMOVED gigabyte utilities as those drivers were the specific cause for some of my BSOD's according to driver verifier.

Thanks everyone!
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
This issue is back!!!!!!! I have had BSOD's periodically since I marked this as solved, however recently they have been popping up more and more. I am having issues with random BSOD's, 100% CPU usage, and instability in general. I did have RAM issues, sent that back to G.SKill and they sent me new RAM which did pass a memtest as previous stated a few posts up (4 passes, 0 errors). The issue seemed to be resolved for a short period, but now I am having similar issues again. The Blue screen crashes vary from time to time. I have seen CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, ATTEMPTED _EXECUTE_OF_NONEXECUTE_MEMORY, REFERENCE_BY_POINTER, SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION, DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, ERQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL and a few others.

The crashes ALWAYS seem to be at times that I am stressing the RAM or processor such as rendering 3D model, exporting raw images to JPEG from lightroom, or scrolling through images with windows photo viewer.

I ran memtest again last night and it came up with 980 errors on test 6, and then crashed after 1 hour 13 minutes saying “Unexpected Interrupt – Halting CPU3”

I am now running memtest V4.3.7 (the older legacy way) with 1 stick at a time in dimm slot 1. I am letting it run for about an hour per stick which gets roughly 2 passes in. I am on my last stick with 0 errors.

I have noticed I cannot run the UEFI version of Memtest when in Parallel mode or else it reboots almost instantly. Could that be a symptom or just an issue with memtest itself?

What else can I do for troubleshooting?
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
If the RAM checks out individually, but not all 4 together (even though they are a kit and were tested to be compatible with one another). I think we can then assume it is PSU, motherboard, or CPU, right?
 

That may be the case but all your hardware seems to be recent and from them the only possible cause seems to be the PSU as power issues can appear to be hardware related... but you can diagnose the PSU testing the PC with another one. If that doesn't clear things up, and you haven't updated the Windows drivers, that should be the next step because all those blue screen crashes are usually caused by driver issues and Windows drivers can cause them… I noticed driver crashes and restarts started being common from Windows 7... almost every new Windows I installed had driver crashes that stopped after I updated the drivers from the motherboard manufacturer.

So, if you are using the Windows generic drivers included in the Windows installer, update them with the motherboard manufacturer > product page > driver downloads.

Windows 10: Can I use UEFI instead of BIOS for memtest?
https://www.tenforums.com/drivers-hardware/103441-can-i-use-uefi-instead-bios-memtest.html

Possible issue with memtest86+ and parallel CPU mode
https://lime-technology.com/forums/topic/58432-possible-issue-with-memtest86-and-parallel-cpu-mode/

Memory Errors in Memtest86+ and MemTest86 with SMP enabled
http://linerate.blogspot.com/2014/03/memory-errors-in-memtest86-and.html

SMP with Round Robin




 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Ill read through your links when i get home. I know my drivers are up to date with manufacturer ones including my SSD, GPU, Ethernet, sound, and chipset. Are there any other major ones i forgot to mention or update? I took a 700 watt PSU from a spare work computer that im going to test with tonight.
 
What hardware device drivers should be updated?
https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000546.htm

Other than that, I would suggest doing a thorough BIOS Reset because BIOS corruption can cause symptoms such as failed loading of drivers during boot, and the issue that leaves the display blank and can be confused with a bad PSU, but it's probably the display driver not loading. And if BIOS corruption can cause that, my guess is it could also cause other apparent driver issues.
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Ok, ran 1 pass on each stick of RAM, no errors.

I ran memtest in uefi mode, it rebooted on me with all 4 sticks installed.

Ran prime95 stress test so i could monitor temps, CPU hit 64 degrees Celsius and blue screened.

Would running memtest and prime95 with the other known good PSU be my next step?

All drivers are manufacturer drivers.

On Bios F8 still, F23b is the latest version.
 
1. Yes, that would be your next step to clear doubts on the Corsair RMx 750W PSU.

2. The F8 BIOS, it is apparently from August 2017.. so it's not that old.. but the update may very well help... so keep it in mind. And if you haven't cleared the BIOS you should do it... that would be adviced before resorting to an update without making certain if clearing it was all it needed.

EDIT:
maximum working temperature is 95°C... so, the 65ºC temp doesn't seem to be what caused the blue screen, unless that temp is configured as max in a BIOS setting. Check the BIOS for some related setting.
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
F22 Bios reacted even worse to the point that it went into a boot loop and reflashed with the backup bios automatically. So im back to F7 now. Motherboard issue? Or is there more troubleshooting i can do?
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
Ok, so the other PSU didnt change anything. Then just out of curiosity, I removed 2 sticks of RAM and started Prime95 again, it has been running for nearly an hour, passing all tests so far! It fails nearly instantly with 4 sticks installed. I know the RAM is good, so that leads me to believe either an incompatibility with 4 sticks of RAM installed, a bad Motherboard, or a bad CPU. What is my next step?

Try flashing the latest BIOS again with only 2 sticks of memory installed instead of all 4?
 

srbecker58

Prominent
Sep 12, 2017
39
0
540
With 2 sticks of RAM, I am running F22 bios and passed 3+ hours of Prime95 as well as ran a Passmark Benchmark that stresses all the hardware and things are running extremely smooth and stable. Gigabyte says its either the memory controller in the CPU or the motherboard itself. I started an RMA on the board.

Any additional things I should try?