[SOLVED] Same RAM can't configure XMP on Asus Z170-AR

[ghadam23]

Hi everyone,
I have an ASUS Z170-AR that I bought a few years back paired with Corsair 3000MHZ 2x16GB in white (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15) it was version 3.x. Recently I had bought the exact same model and colour and decided to put it into my system, of course this now was a version 5.x. I say x as I cant remember the exact number as it is in my system right now. Anyway I can't seem to set XMP on both to 3000MHZ. Right now they are running at 2133MHZ.

I know it's not really ideal to buy RAM at different times even though they are the same model but wondering is there anything I can do to get XMP? Am I stuck to 2133?

Anyway this is what i've done so far:
2 sticks previously installed correctly on DIMM_A2 and B2. I then put the new sticks into A1 and B1. When I reboot I got a memok error so I followed the instructions to press the button and let it reset. It would not reboot on Profile 1 but worked fine with it disabled. I then reset the CMOS and updated the BIOS and intel chipset and motherboard chipset including LAN and even onboard audio firmware. Do I need to mix them in pairs of A1 A2 & B1 B2 instead?

Now for some reason I can select profile 1 but in windows 10 it still shows as 2133MHZ. This model RAM is on the QVR for the mobo. 2 same model RAM definitely won't be able to go 3000MHZ? Everything else is clocked on stock on my setup.

Edit: I should say that in my troubleshooting process I tested the new RAM sticks by themselves in dual channel, and they were able to run at 3000MHZ, so they are not a faulty pair.

 

[geofelt]

Your new ram is not matched with the old.
Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards, can be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.
The only thing that might help is to increase the ram voltage in the bios by small steps and perhaps you can get it to work.
You could contact Corsair ram support to see what they can do.

 

[ghadam23]

As I suspected, thanks for that i'm not very handy with tinkering. Checked with cpuZ apparently both sticks are made by different manufacturers. Is there any harm with running them like this in 2133? The timing figures are slightly off between them too by default according to CPUZ

 

[geofelt]

Run memtest86.
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.
You can download the free edition here:
https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

As to speed, your performance will hardly be impacted.
Here is a study on ram scaling:

Skylake Memory Scaling with Kingston Predator DDR4-3000

Armed with a massive 32GB high-end Kingston HyperX Predator DDR4-3000 memory kit, we investigate how DDR4 frequencies and latencies affect real world performance on Intel’s latest mainstream desktop platform. October 13, 2015 by Lawrence Lee Product Kingston HyperX Predator DDR4-3000 32GB...

silentpcreview.com

Spoiler... virtually no difference in real app performance or fps.

 

[ghadam23]

Cheers for the helpful info

 

[ghadam23]

Run memtest86.
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.
You can download the free edition here:
https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

As to speed, your performance will hardly be impacted.
Here is a study on ram scaling:

Skylake Memory Scaling with Kingston Predator DDR4-3000

Armed with a massive 32GB high-end Kingston HyperX Predator DDR4-3000 memory kit, we investigate how DDR4 frequencies and latencies affect real world performance on Intel’s latest mainstream desktop platform. October 13, 2015 by Lawrence Lee Product Kingston HyperX Predator DDR4-3000 32GB...

silentpcreview.com

Spoiler... virtually no difference in real app performance or fps.

So this is very weird. I have found a solution to make them both work.

I put the old memory in A1 A2 and the new in B1 B2 slots instead of the usual A1B1-A2B2 slots as recommended and my computer rebooted on XMP fully functional on the first bootup without having to retrain by using the memok button.

I checked with CPUz and all looks to be at 3000mhz and just finished the recommended memtest86 this went for about 5-6 hours with 0 errors on XMP. Restarted my system several times to make sure nothing is off, so far I can't seem to find anything unordinary. Windows also registers at 3000mhz.

Very weird indeed. Anyway I am just glad I can run at its rated 3000mhz safely and thank you for the help. As to others having the same issue as I did I suggest doing the same, no harm in trying out I think.