7950X plus two 16GB Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 modules at CL30 don’t work well with EXPO.
7950X plus two 16GB Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 modules at CL30 don’t work well with EXPO.
Recent update: Open box motherboard is no longer in use; all references to that type are now outdated. Specifications: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, Asus ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO (Latest BIOS 1602) – Open Box, 32GB G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 (30-38-38-96), F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5NR, Windows 10. Greetings, I’m facing stability problems with any EXPO profile active. Previously, the system wouldn’t boot with EXPO enabled. After updating BIOS, it still didn’t work well. It would start and then freeze after a few minutes. During those moments, I’d hear static in my headphones while playing music—suggesting a possible hardware fault? Oddly, at speeds over 4800 with EXPO module active, crashes persisted. My EXPO setting is DDR5-6000, but lowering it manually didn’t fix the issue. At 6000 speeds, after power-on, the orange LED code 15 stays lit for about a minute before cycling through other lights and performing checks. The board I purchased was an open-box model from microcenter, so it’s been returned by several users. This raises the possibility that the hardware itself might be the cause. Here are some troubleshooting steps I’ve tried: Adjust CPU voltage range to 1.0V–1.25V; kept around 1.1V–1.18V with minimal problems but still static and freezes. Tighten CCD VDDG between 800–950 (850 default); lower or raise values increased instability, often causing freezes before Windows loads. Modify DRAM voltage to 1.3–1.4; no noticeable improvement. Experimented with EXPO I, II, and Tweaked settings. Others seem to run at 6000 without issues, so it might be my motherboard. Changes in BIOS settings have helped a bit, but stability remains inconsistent unless I stick to EXPO 4800. Note: Still encountering crashes with a brand new board, though less frequently, and the static sounds persist.}
You mentioned the motherboard you purchased was an open-box model from MicroCenter, which has already been returned by some customers. While I appreciate MC, their return policy isn’t reliable. Please return it and consider buying a genuine new board.
Thanks for the response. I understood the potential problems with the mobile module, so I’m running tests within the 15-day window after their open-box return policy. Just wanted to confirm I’m not making mistakes or expecting impossible outcomes before figuring it out, especially since Zen 4 is something I’m still getting familiar with.
If you're encountering these issues, I’d suggest sticking with the motherboard, particularly since you’re investing in the X670E path. The recent AGESA updates have significantly boosted RAM performance, but reaching 6000 with an EXPO-rated setup seems challenging—especially if audio quality is affected by noise. You might want to verify the post is set to 4800 or a stable frequency and run a memory test program to check for errors. I’ve used a 7900X with an Asrock X670E board and 2x32GB 6000 G Skill Trident Z5 RAM; after defaulting to 4800, updating the BIOS and fine-tuning didn’t cause any issues, even without an EXPO kit. Your configuration should work well if these steps are followed.
I've received my new motherboard and encountered similar problems. I'll mention that the crashes are much rarer, and I even managed to run Expo II with decent stability (the only crash was during Windows Restarting... screen). Still, the audio crackling persists, especially when stress testing the memory.
Experimenting with the three expo configurations under very shaky conditions—often due to excessive or insufficient SOC or VDDP voltage—the crackling occurs even without stress testing. On the most stable setup I have now, it still shows up during stress tests and may crash occasionally within 5 to 30 minutes.