[SOLVED] XMP not stable

[Flipwax]

I upgraded my PC earlier today w/ an i9 9900k & 3080. I've been having nothing but trouble since. First problem was the PC would freeze after bios/before windows with the 9900k in the system. It only started working after I put my 9700k back into the system and updated the BIOS. Now the system is running with the 9900k, but the RAM is stuck at 2133mhz. XMP enabled just sends the PC into BIOS safe mode claiming the changes are unstable. Not looking to OC the RAM, just want the advertised speeds (which were working prior to upgrading the CPU).

PC:
I9 9900k
ASUS Strix z390-E
(2x16) 32gb G.skill Trident Z RGB 3200mhz
EVGA XC3 Ultra 3080
EVGA 750w G2 PSU

I've tried the following:

Swapped out GPU/CPU/RAM (Still have old parts)
Updated BIOS
Took the battery out of the motherboard.
Set the RAM to 3200mhz in BIOS

 

[Darkbreeze]

32gb G.skill Trident Z RGB 3200mhz

2 x16GB or 4 x8GB? Exact memory kit model?

Exact PSU model and how long it has been in use?

 

[Flipwax]

2 x16GB or 4 x8GB? Exact memory kit model?

Exact PSU model and how long it has been in use?

2x16GB and the PSU is EVGA 750w G2. System is almost 2 years old (built 02/2019).

 

[Darkbreeze]

How long has that PSU been in service though? It's been out of production for a number of years, so it's definitely more than 2 years old. The G3 has been in production since 2016, so the G3 has to have been out of production for probably four years. Even so, that's not long for a unit that comes with a 7-10 year warranty.

If you have access or can purchase a cheap volt/multi meter you can test the PSU to verify condition. Never rule anything out, especially the PSU, until you can actually rule it out. Especially since you're running a graphics card that can pull 320w by itself and that might magnify any weakness in the power supply IF one exists. Not saying it is, but can't ever rule it out without proper testing.

Also, WHICH DIMM slots do you have the memory installed in?

More important might be checking to see, for certain, that you didn't bend any pins on the motherboard when you swapped CPUs.

 

[Flipwax]

How long has that PSU been in service though? It's been out of production for a number of years, so it's definitely more than 2 years old. The G3 has been in production since 2016, so the G3 has to have been out of production for probably four years. Even so, that's not long for a unit that comes with a 7-10 year warranty.

If you have access or can purchase a cheap volt/multi meter you can test the PSU to verify condition. Never rule anything out, especially the PSU, until you can actually rule it out. Especially since you're running a graphics card that can pull 320w by itself and that might magnify any weakness in the power supply IF one exists. Not saying it is, but can't ever rule it out without proper testing.

Also, WHICH DIMM slots do you have the memory installed in?

More important might be checking to see, for certain, that you didn't bend any pins on the motherboard when you swapped CPUs.

PSU was purchased new 02/05/2019 from Amazon. RAM are in slots 2 & 4. I checked the pins earlier, but didn't notice any that are bent. Will try to take a picture and get a better view that way.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It takes very little in terms of a bent pin on the CPU (AMD) or motherboard (Intel) to create problems. Even 10-20% out of position can sometimes make a difference. Again, it may well not be related but the coincidence of having swapped CPUs when the problem began begs at least entertaining the possibility in order to rule it out.

Still waiting on the model of the memory kit. Exact model.

 

[Flipwax]

It takes very little in terms of a bent pin on the CPU (AMD) or motherboard (Intel) to create problems. Even 10-20% out of position can sometimes make a difference. Again, it may well not be related but the coincidence of having swapped CPUs when the problem began begs at least entertaining the possibility in order to rule it out.

Still waiting on the model of the memory kit. Exact model.

G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32GB (2x16)
F4-3200C16D-32GTZR
CL16-18-18-38 1.35v

I'll have to check the pins tomorrow. Hopefully I didn't bend any pins.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, the good news is that those sticks are on the G.Skill memory configurator validation list for that motherboard. So compatibility isn't the issue for certain.

What BIOS version did you update to, out of curiosity? Your 9900k should have been supported since version 1005, so unless you were on a very old BIOS version, your BIOS version probably wasn't the reason the 9900k wasn't being recognized or working properly prior to updating. Probably the partial reset of the BIOS that happened because you updated, is why it began working.

Check for bent pins. Be aware that you are going to have to clean and repaste once you remove the CPU. The paste is not reusable after removal of the CPU cooler.

Once it's back together, if there are no bent pins, make sure you are ACTUALLY using slots 2 and 4. Often we see people thinking that 2 and four are counted from the edge of the motherboard in, but should actually be from the CPU socket moving outwards to the right. Note that ASUS has begun switching the locations of the A2 and B2 slots, from what all other board manufacturers are using. They are still the second and fourth slots, but unlike everybody else, ASUS is putting the A2 slot closest to the edge of the motherboard, rather than two slots over from the CPU.

If they ARE in the right slots, try removing the DIMM in the B2 slot, leaving only the DIMM installed in the A2 slot which is closest to the edge of the motherboard. Then do a hard reset of the BIOS. See if a single DIMM will run at the XMP profile properly. If it will, shut down, remove that DIMM and swap it out for the other one, restart and see if it still works properly with the second DIMM installed.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 30 seconds. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

 

[Flipwax]

Well, the good news is that those sticks are on the G.Skill memory configurator validation list for that motherboard. So compatibility isn't the issue for certain.

What BIOS version did you update to, out of curiosity? Your 9900k should have been supported since version 1005, so unless you were on a very old BIOS version, your BIOS version probably wasn't the reason the 9900k wasn't being recognized or working properly prior to updating. Probably the partial reset of the BIOS that happened because you updated, is why it began working.

Check for bent pins. Be aware that you are going to have to clean and repaste once you remove the CPU. The paste is not reusable after removal of the CPU cooler.

Once it's back together, if there are no bent pins, make sure you are ACTUALLY using slots 2 and 4. Often we see people thinking that 2 and four are counted from the edge of the motherboard in, but should actually be from the CPU socket moving outwards to the right. Note that ASUS has begun switching the locations of the A2 and B2 slots, from what all other board manufacturers are using. They are still the second and fourth slots, but unlike everybody else, ASUS is putting the A2 slot closest to the edge of the motherboard, rather than two slots over from the CPU.

If they ARE in the right slots, try removing the DIMM in the B2 slot, leaving only the DIMM installed in the A2 slot which is closest to the edge of the motherboard. Then do a hard reset of the BIOS. See if a single DIMM will run at the XMP profile properly. If it will, shut down, remove that DIMM and swap it out for the other one, restart and see if it still works properly with the second DIMM installed.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 30 seconds. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

I was using v1704 I believe. Looks like resetting the BIOS did the trick. Everything posts fine & XMP is working. I did not notice any bent pins when I removed the CPU earlier either. I took a few pics of the pins, but not sure how to post them here.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to help! It is greatly appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Cool man. Glad to hear it was an easy fix, so to speak. You are more than welcome. Take care.