Question Is this really possible?

[Grid21]

4 years ago I bought 2 sets of 16 GB Corsair Vengeance RGB ram, that have the XMP profile to OC to 3000Mhz. But since I've bought those sticks, and 4 years later, I've had an issue with a random Black screen where the Screens go down, USB keyboard/mice lights go dark but the case fans, and lights on my AiO and Ram all stay lit. The first thing I have done was get a brand new Asus Prime X570-Prime from my previous board which was a ROG Strix X470-f Gaming board because at the time I thought I was having a chipset issue. But last night the issue came back again and today I've been doing testing on this ram 1 stick at a time, and so far 3 of the 4 sticks have failed the memory testing. But I have to ask, what are the astronomical chances of 2 sets of ram actually being defective? I called AMD and they felt that it couldn't be a CPU memory controller and felt it'd more likely to be ram issues. The only thing that gets me is, when I tried a set of Trident-Z Ram, granted it wasn't certified with the board, it too also failed the memtest86 test. So being realistic, who's at fault here? The CPU memory controller? Or was the memory just bad that year in 2018? I am at such a loss here and not being able to use my main workstation for what I need to is really frustrating.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

4 years ago I bought 2 sets

separate kits kits of memory that are not packaged together are never guaranteed to work properly together.
doesn't matter if they are the same exact make & model, even from the same manufacturing plant, they will not always sync properly or many times can't even boot together.

when I tried a set of Trident-Z Ram, granted it wasn't certified with the board, it too also failed the memtest86

the fact that you had an issue with another set can be a factor
but the fact that it isn't listed in the motherboard QVL kind of rules that kit out as a viable test.

was this a single set or also two kits put together?

 

[Grid21]

separate kits kits of memory that are not packaged together are never guaranteed to work properly together.
doesn't matter if they are the same exact make & model, even from the same manufacturing plant, they will not always sync properly or many times can't even boot together.

the fact that you had an issue with another set can be a factor
but the fact that it isn't listed in the motherboard QVL kind of rules that kit out as a viable test.

was this a single set or also two kits put together?

They were 2 kits bought separately. And the 2 corsair kits I bought, where on the QVL, but still, they are testing out as Failed according to Memtest86. So is it the memory? Or the CPU that's defective? I'm so confused and worried.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

So is it the memory? Or the CPU that's defective? I'm so confused and worried.

separate kits of memory that are not packaged together are never guaranteed to work properly together.
doesn't matter if they are the same exact make & model, even from the same manufacturing plant, they will not always sync properly or many times can't even boot together.

your best option is to purchase a new kit that is listed in the QVL and is a complete set.

 

[Grid21]

your best option is to purchase a new kit that is listed in the QVL and is a complete set.

Ok, but today I've been testing the ram sticks separately from each other, doing 1 stick of ram at a time, and each 1 stick I have test, is all failing the individual tests

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

each 1 stick I have test, is all failing the individual tests

what DIMM slot are you using for individual tests?
many boards have issue with any other than slot A_2 for single usage.

 

[Grid21]

what DIMM slot are you using for individual tests?
many boards have issue with any other than slot A_2 for single usage.

I'm using slot DIMM_A1. This is on an Asus Prime X570-Pro Motherboard.

EDIT: Apparently I need to use DIMM_A1* with the * symbol for a single stick of ram. But does that mean I have to do my testing all over again?

 

[sizzling]

I'm using slot DIMM_A1. This is on an Asus Prime X570-Pro Motherboard.

EDIT: Apparently I need to use DIMM_A1* with the * symbol for a single stick of ram. But does that mean I have to do my testing all over again?

I thought that didn’t look right. Page 1-5 of the English instructions says use slot A2

 

[Grid21]

I thought that didn’t look right. Page 1-5 of the English instructions says use slot A2

Ok ok, so let me get this straight, the kits of ram could be perfectly fine, but because I bought them at different times, they may not work together, but work fine if their individual kits they came in? So basically the kits I thought tested out bad could actually be fine, but not fine as a whole team/set on my motherboard?

 

[sizzling]

Ok ok, so let me get this straight, the kits of ram could be perfectly fine, but because I bought them at different times, they may not work together, but work fine if their individual kits they came in? So basically the kits I thought tested out bad could actually be fine, but not fine as a whole team/set on my motherboard?

Yes. Mixing RAM that was not bought as part of a single matched kit is not guaranteed to work together without issues. See the odd man out section here https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq...y-ram-and-xmp-profile-configurations.3398926/

 

[Grid21]

Yes. Mixing RAM that was not bought as part of a single matched kit is not guaranteed to work together without issues. See the odd man out section here https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq...y-ram-and-xmp-profile-configurations.3398926/

Ok, so should I just go out and buy new ram kits that's 32GB in total? Or see if Corsair could swap the kits for what I need or what do I do here?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

the kits of ram could be perfectly fine, but because I bought them at different times, they may not work together

it doesn't matter when or how you purchased them.

if they are not actually packaged in the same kit, together, there is no guarantee the modules will work together.

 

[Grid21]

it doesn't matter when or how you purchased them.

if they are not actually packaged in the same kit, together, there is no guarantee the modules will work together.

Ok, so what am I supposed to do? Would Corsair even help me replace the memory with a matched set of 32GB in total?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Would Corsair even help me replace the memory with a matched set of 32GB

only if they were still under manufacturer warranty and fault could be laid on the manufacturer for any problems.

you would need to file a separate RMA claim for each kit but they would probably find that fault lies with the buyer and deny both claims.
then you may be charged returned shipping fees for the items.

Corsair is not liable if you decided to do something that is not/has not ever been deemed viable with their hardware.

it's always possible that they may be willing to help just to boost their ratings/recommendations but i wouldn't count on it.

 

[Grid21]

only if they were still under manufacturer warranty and fault could be laid on the manufacturer for any problems.

you would need to file a separate RMA claim for each kit but they would probably find that fault lies with the buyer and deny both claims.
then you may be charged returned shipping fees for the items.

Corsair is not liable if you decided to do something that is not/has not ever been deemed viable with their hardware.

it's always possible that they may be willing to help just to boost their ratings/recommendations but i wouldn't count on it.

Well as it is, since I was plugging the wrong kits in the wrong slots, kits meaning as they came together, then I have to do all my testing OVER again. Is there anyway to get the kits to work together at all and not have to go through all this mess?

ALSO, I have to ask, the reason why I thought it didn't matter about mixing and matching ram is that JayzTwoCents did a video trying to bust the theory that you shouldn't mix and match ram and he was able to, at least it seemed in the short term, prove it didn't matter, but now I am finding it does seem to matter. Although why I am not completely sure yet even though it's been explained. It is just because the ram gets binned at different times, and the firmware version of the ram even though it may say the same version number?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Is there anyway to get the kits to work together at all and not have to go through all this mess?

the majority of the time, no.

there may be many instances around the web where you'll find people claiming their mix-matched kits worked.
but the majority of results show the opposite.

probably 5-10 comments a week here alone of others suffering similar issues, and many much worse, by mixing kits.

sometimes users find that lowering frequency and raising timing will provide better compatibility, but that would always be too much of a drawback for me.
has usually been pretty easy to unload used memory kits through my local markets.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I was plugging the wrong kits in the wrong slots

dual-channel kits should always be in slots A_2 & B_2.

 

[Grid21]

dual-channel kits should always be in slots A_2 & B_2.

Should I even bother continuing my testing then?

the majority of the time, no.

there may be many instances around the web where you'll find people claiming their mix-matched kits worked.
but the majority of results show the opposite.

probably 5-10 comments a week here alone of others suffering similar issues, and many much worse, by mixing kits.

sometimes users find that lowering frequency and raising timing will provide better compatibility, but that would always be too much of a drawback for me.
has usually been pretty easy to unload used memory kits through my local markets.

Alright, Crap this is REALLY irritating and it's not like I can just return these back to amazon because they were purchased over 3 to 4 years ago! And I need that 32GB of system ram. I hate to not run DOCP either because I liked that having the fast ram and not being able to use it at a slower speed is a stupid waste of money. I'll try calling Corsair and maybe they can work something out for me just this once.

 

[--SID--]

And the 2 corsair kits I bought, where on the QVL

What's the exact partnumber and version number of those kits?

 

[Grid21]

What's the exact partnumber and version number of those kits?

https://prnt.sc/vndPSyWTUO4N This is a link to the photos of the 2 sticks of ram.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

i'd consider looking into selling locally through Facebook Marketplace or other means.
or maybe even setting up an Amazon storefront if you have some other items you'd like to unload.
i've always had success selling off my older hardware and any review items i've acquired.

unload these and get some nice 3600MHz for your Ryzen build.
may offer a rather noticeable improvement in performance.