Can a stable OC lead the PC to restart independently?
Can a stable OC lead the PC to restart independently?
Win10 home may restart a computer without notice, regardless of what you're doing after an update. The anniversary patch was meant to address this by warning users that their PC will reboot in about 30 minutes. This depends heavily on whether your 'quiet hours' are configured correctly.
Black_Ho1e:
Just one more question about the ram 2x4Gb configuration. Does it mean two 4GB sticks, or a single 8GB stick? If you use two sticks, you should place them in slot 1 and 3 or 2 and 4, not slot 1 and 2. This setup can cause resets if the RAM isn't seated properly in the correct slots. It’s likely you have two 4GB sticks if this is the issue. Also, your RAM isn’t designed to exceed its rated speed—your overclocking is affecting that. It’s rated for 1333 MHz, so if the CPU is also being overclocked, you’ll need to adjust the settings to bring the RAM back down to 1333 MHz. I’ll wait for your reply. Sorry for all the changes...
I have to adjust the ram speed manually in the bios, not rely on auto. I attempted this, but on manual I could only change it to lower or higher than 1333Mhz. There was no option to keep it at exactly 1333Mhz, so I chose auto, which increased it along with the cpu OC as usual.
Are you verifying the software or starting in UEFI BIOS? Unless the board lacks that configuration, that’s the only way you wouldn’t be able to set a specific MHz. For instance, my motherboard can only clock at (DDR4 timings) 2100, 2400, 2600, 2800, 3000. Now my board is reporting these as the overclock numbers we tested it for. I wouldn’t want to set RAM timings at 2166 or 3200 because those aren’t recommended and could cause instability. It might seem stable sometimes, but it would likely crash and reset everything. That’s what RAM issues cause. Crash and reset!! You should research your board more. And the slots you have are correct. Use either the two black slots or the two grey slots. They just have them numbered correctly. I was thinking what I meant was to skip a slot between them, but I didn’t explain it clearly.
Black_Ho1e:
You're verifying the software or starting in UEFI BIOS? If your board doesn't support that configuration, that's the only reason you wouldn't be able to set a specific MHz. For instance, my motherboard can only clock at (DDR4 timings) 2100, 2400, 2600, 2800, 3000. Now my board is reporting these as the overclock numbers it tested. I wouldn't want to set RAM timings at 2166 or 3200 because those aren't recommended and could cause crashes, resetting everything. That's what RAM issues do. Crash and reset! I need to look into your board more. The slots you have are correct—use either the two black slots or the two grey slots. They just have them numbered correctly. I was thinking maybe I should skip a slot between them, but I didn't explain that clearly. Thanks. I'll check my manual for those RAM settings later. So far, I've been using my PC OC'ed to 4.6GHz with the RAM on Auto, and it reached up to 1444Mhz or something, but nothing's broken. I'll keep you updated if anything happens.
Several things I've noticed are not quite right.
For one, you can use any ram in any slot. What happens is you have 4 slots all running at single channel but there's only 2 buss links (forget the exact name). So if you put a ram stick in slot 1 and slot 2, you run both sticks in single channel mode. Still see 8Gb, runs fine, no crashes. If you separate the sticks, 1-3 or 2-4 you run both sticks in dual channel mode. Usually somewhere about 10% better performance as the sticks aren't competing in the same channel. There is a thing called flex mode, which was Intel first, then adopted by amd which when using 3 sticks, like 1-2-4 or 1-3-4, you'll get 2 sticks in dual, and the odd stick in single. In dual channel, both sticks will run at the speed and timings of the lowest stick.
In boards rated for certain speeds like 2100, 2400, 2600 the ram will run the speed clocked down, so 2133 will run at 2100, 2400 will run 2400 and 2666 will run 2600. This can mean a slight loss in performance as the timings won't change, but the loss is minimal. This again, won't crash the system.
What can crash the system is overclocked ram that can't handle the OC or doesn't have enough voltage to run right. So if your 1333 @1.5v is OC to 1444 by the buss multiplier of the cpu, try adding 0.05v to the dram voltage. Might take a full 0.1v. If this improves things slightly, you can also relax the timings a notch, so instead of 8-8-8-21 2T, run 8-9-8-23 2T or as much as 9-9-9-27 2T which is good for 1600MHz ram.
Several observations have come to my attention. It seems you can use any RAM in any slot. However, there are 4 slots operating on a single channel, yet only 2 bus connections exist. If you place a RAM stick in slot 1 and slot 2, both sticks will run in single channel mode. This still provides 8Gb and functions properly without any crashes. If you separate the sticks, using combinations like 1-3 or 2-4, both sticks will operate in dual channel mode. Typically, this results in about a 10% improvement in performance since the sticks aren't competing in the same channel. There is a feature called flex mode, introduced by Intel first and later adopted by AMD. With 3 sticks such as 1-2-4 or 1-3-4, you'll have 2 sticks in dual channel and the third stick in single channel. In dual channel mode, both sticks will run at the speed and timing of the slowest stick.
In boards designed for specific speeds like 2100, 2400, or 2600, the RAM will run at the speed clocked down. For example, a 2133 will operate at 2100, a 2400 at 2400, and a 2666 at 2600. This can lead to a slight performance drop as the timings remain unchanged, but the impact is minimal and won't cause system crashes.
The system may crash due to overclocked RAM that cannot handle the overclock or lacks sufficient voltage. If your 1333 @1.5v is overclocked to 1444 by the CPU's bus multiplier, consider increasing the DRAM voltage by 0.05v. This might require adjusting to 0.1v. If this slightly improves performance, you could also adjust the timings slightly, for instance from 8-8-8-21 2T to 8-9-8-23 2T, or even 9-9-9-27 2T for better compatibility with 1600MHz RAM.
I might consider trying this later, just in case something goes wrong, which hasn't happened yet.
Regarding whether my RAM is in dual channel mode, I'm unsure. How can I verify that? By the way, the sticks are from different manufacturers—one Kingston and the other Markvision. Does this difference matter?
It's rarely a beneficial approach to combine ram sticks. Occasionally they function smoothly without any issues. At other times, their performance may suffer, requiring minor adjustments in voltage or timing to achieve proper synchronization. In some cases, they simply refuse to cooperate. This applies to any ram stick. I've encountered identical vendors, models, dimensions, and speeds—yet the sticks failed completely. Varying brands is key. Mixing unknown manufacturers with standard IC chips against high-performance heatsinks of other brands creates significant mismatches in size, speed, and compatibility. All four sticks performed well when used together. The outcome remains unpredictable until tested. Therefore, it's strongly advised to purchase ram from a single kit—either two or four sticks. These bundled sets are thoroughly tested and guaranteed to work together. Alternatives fall short.
Karadjgne shares his experiences about mixing different types of ram sticks. He notes that sometimes they perform well without issues, but other times they require adjustments in voltage or timing to function properly. He emphasizes that compatibility varies widely, citing instances where identical products from different vendors didn't work as expected. He recommends purchasing ram in a single kit, preferably with 2x or 4x sticks, as this ensures compatibility and reliability. For dual channel setups, he suggests using 1-3 or 2-4 slots, depending on the CPU model, to optimize space and performance. He also mentions that using black slots (slots 1-3) for dual channel configurations can help maintain better airflow and compatibility.