Windows and Bios showing less RAM than what is actually installed. Problem solved.... then reappeared O_O

[Tommy Sea Dog]

Greetings all

I've been reading these forums quite a lot looking to solve my issue silently, but haven't found a situation similar to mine, so i gotta get wordy.

I recently bought three Corsair XMS3 CM3X2G1333C9 sticks, 2gb each, to upgrade my RAM from 6 to 12. My mobo is an Asus P6TD deluxe, and the other three 2gb sticks are Corsair XMS3 CM3X2G1600C8

(processor is an i7 Quad Core 3.07)

Problem is, both bios and windows 7 64 only detect 10 gb (it just says "installed memory: 10 gigabytes", none of that (X usable) stuff.

Everest also tells me i only have 10gb of installed memory, however, it DOES detect all 6 sticks in the SPD section, so i don't think it's a connector issue (stick placement is: "old-new, old-new, old-new").

When i tried powering down the PC and switching sticks, it did work: both Bios and Windows detected 12 gb. I rebooted right away and it showed 12 gb again.

However, when i shut down the PC for the night and boot it up the day after, it's back to 10 gbs.

I found out that if i shut down, disconnect the power for a little (by just pressing the back button), wait a few moments, then reconnect and boot, both windows and BIOS correctly show 12 gbs again. So it really isn't a problem with stick placement: it might have something to do with either the BIOS setting or power (i have a 650W power supply).

A factor in this weird phenomenon might be that three days ago i installed a new GPU, an AMD Radeon Dual-x R9 270x (yeah i know but i prefer economic solutions) to replace the HD 6850 i had for the last couple years.

I could even get used to switching off the power a couple seconds before i boot every morning for the rest of this pc life, but it doesn't feel like a healthy habit. Also i'd gladly avoid messing around with Bios upgrades.

I still haven't tried anything software-related, but based on the average of the threads i've read here, driver updates are rarely the answer.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Vic 40]

Try to replace the motherboard battery and reset to optimal default values.Also check time and date when you've done that.
Motherboard battery=
https://ikbenstilcomputers.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/650x650/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/2260/2260_-_ikbenstil_moederbord_batterij_cr2032_3v.jpg
can't be to expensive.

 

[Tradesman1]

Might also want to clean the connectors on the DRAM and probably raise the DRAM voltage - maybe + 0.05, if problem persist, since you have mixed sets might also need a little more voltage to the MC - but simply try DRAM voltage first

 

[Tommy Sea Dog]

Might also want to clean the connectors on the DRAM and probably raise the DRAM voltage - maybe + 0.05, if problem persist, since you have mixed sets might also need a little more voltage to the MC - but simply try DRAM voltage first

Pardon my noobishness but all my BIOS voltage options have always been on [auto] and i never tinkered with power settings before, so i'd like to be 101% sure before i proceed.

Everest tells me the voltage setting for my ram is 1.5 V. (which is also the sticks printed value) Does that mean, per your advice, that i should increase it to 1.55?

Also, i see two DRAM-related points in my bios: DRAM core and DRAM bus. Which one should i work on? (i realize it's a silly question and that the answer is definitely DRAM bus, but that's what 101% sure is about. I absolutely cannot risk losing use of this PC at the present time).

Finally, i could see no "MC" in the menu. Is it short for something?


Thanks to Vic who suggested i switch mobo battery but i've watched videos of it's removal and it's not visible. Besides i'd rather try solving it by messing around in the BIOS before i attempt something that drastic

(anyway: this mobo has been working for about 4 years and a half now. I leave the PC on averagely 14 hours a day, but mostly i'm not at it and it runs downloads and the like. I never did anything too stressing. I mean yeah, i did play demanding games at times and worked with extremely high resolution pictures, but no hardware-ravaging stuff like week-long renderings. I supply this info to help determine if this might in fact be a battery issue)

 

[Tommy Sea Dog]

UPDATE: i've just had an epiphany

The new RAM i installed only came in kits of 2x2 gb, so i bought two, and having 3 free slots, i installed 1 whole kit and only one stick from the other.

This might be the origin of my issue, with the timings and whatnot. Although, to the limited extent of my knowledge, it doesn't explain why, if i disconnect and reconnect the power before booting, both BIOS and windows see all 12 gigs....

 

[Vic 40]

After 4.5 years is it possible that the battery has lost to much power.You can check it's voltage in the bios i think under "power" or like this,

Download the next program=hwinfo32,

http://www.hwinfo.com/download32.html

You can open hwinfo32,after that open the sensor window by marking sensors=V,after that click run.In this window is the voltage to the battery shown too,it should be about 3.3V.Look for "Vbat".

For the voltage to the ram is the option indeed the "dram bus",it should be set at 1.55V as you say.

 

[Tommy Sea Dog]

Ok, so trying different RAM combinations really doesn't help. By now i think i can be sure that if i tried a hundred of them, the PC would detect all 12 gigs every single time, only to go back to 10 the morning after. I'd have to wait 12 hours every single time to verify each combination O_O

The key here is something that happens overnight, when i leave the PC off (albeit with power, naturally) for a sufficient amount of time for the aforementioned THING to occur.

I am willing to try the DRAM BUS voltage thing, but i would like you guys to assure me that 1.55 instead of 1.5 won't fry the PC or the like (and ALSO that they won't shorten hardware life. I really never cared for overclocking).


UPDATE: ok so increasing to 1.56V did not do anything. I'm now trying a new RAM combination after taking a look at the mobo online manual. But i can't be sure of anything until tomorrow.


On a side question: is it normal that the effective clock rate shown for the mobo is 1066, while all my RAM sticks are 1333?