Does the system fail to boot when DOCP is turned off?
Does the system fail to boot when DOCP is turned off?
The video above displays my early outcomes immediately after installing the 7200MT/s dual channel kit in my AM5 system; they appear to revert to 6400MT/s. I was worried it might not boot at all and trigger the orange LED (dram error), but it functioned as soon as I powered it on, at least for me.
Recently, I upgraded from a 64GB (16GBx4) 6000MT/s kit to another because I was transitioning from an Intel platform back to AMD. However, I wasn’t informed that AM5 only supports two sticks, so I ended up with just 32GB in dual channel at 6000MT/s. If I tried to use four sticks, it would force all four to run at 3600MT/s and cause issues.
I sold the previous kits and temporarily used a different 32GB (16GBx2) kit at 6400MT/s, which worked well with DOCP enabled or disabled during my wait for a new one.
Below are the details of the kits I ordered:
G.SKILL Trident Z5 Royal Series 48GB (2 x 24GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 7200 (PC5 57600)
DDR5 7200 (PC5 57600)
Timing: 36-46-46-115
CAS Latency: CL36
Voltage: 1.40V
I opted for the 48GB kit since the 64GB version was too costly and I wanted the Trident Z5 Royals.
As shown in the video, everything seemed fine until I adjusted the DOCP settings in the BIOS.
Below are the default values after installing the new kits:
But I was curious about what would happen if I turned DOCP on—seeing the following settings appeared:
I activated it, restarted, and pressed F2/Del before Windows loaded, then returned to BIOS. It booted smoothly and is now running at 7200MT/s.
The main problem arose when I tried to disable DOCP. The changes applied were:
After enabling DOCP again in the BIOS, my computer froze with an orange LED (dram error). No matter how long I waited or if I swapped the RAM sticks and rebooted, it still wouldn’t boot. Eventually, I had no choice but to remove the CMOS battery because I couldn’t access the clear CMOS pins on my motherboards.
Once I re-entered the BIOS, I re-enabled DOCP, and these are my current settings:
I’m unsure why disabling DOCP causes the system to fail to boot and display the orange LED. Isn’t this the default setting when I first installed the RAM? Shouldn’t it be the opposite—enabling DOCP should allow the system to run at 7200MT/s, which would then trigger the error and prevent stable boot due to AM5 compatibility?
My question is: should I continue running the system at 7200MT/s as it is, or should I adjust the settings? Disabling DOCP seems to be the reason my system won’t start properly.
I regret even tweaking the DOCP settings. It would have been better to leave them unchanged right after installation. Running at 6400MT/s was already recommended for DDR5 with AM5, and it’s stable. What should I do?
Thank you for any advice.
If you successfully posted after clearing the CMOS, it indicates your system is operating without DOCP enabled. However, you haven't shared the default configurations set after resetting the CMOS.
When you installed the new RAM without making any changes, it seemed to work by itself. Activating DOCP then applied the new RAM profile and resolved the issue. But when you turned it off, the board attempted to revert everything to its original defaults using "auto" settings, which likely included outdated parameters such as FCLK and timing values that didn't match the current "auto" configuration.
After resetting the CMOS, you should be able to toggle DOCP on and off. If you only changed DOCP, try restoring the original BIOS settings and inspecting the RAM values to confirm the true defaults. Attempt to boot in this mode, then re-enable DOCP. After rebooting, check functionality. If it works, disable DOCP in the BIOS without reloading the default configuration. If successful, the problem was simply residual data from your previous RAM setup.
Additionally, the typical standard speed for DDR5 is 4800 MT/s, not 6400. Other parameters like CAS latency and voltage are equally important. For better monitoring, consider enabling DOCP via the AI Tweaker instead of EZ-mode.
Hi, thank you for your message.
After running the system normally for a few hours at 7200MT/s, I decided to turn off DOCP in the BIOS and then reboot. It’s still stuck in boot lock with the orange LED error. I removed the CMOS battery and tried booting into BIOS, but the default speed is now 5600MT/s.
I didn’t restart Windows or load the PC, so I’m unsure if the orange LED issue will persist. Sorry for the fatigue—I’ll try again tomorrow.
While in the BIOS I manually adjusted the frequency to 6400 and then rebooted into Windows with just that change.
I’ll share more details with your exact steps tomorrow or later today. Thanks!
DOCP (similar to XMP and AMP) manages frequency, timing, and voltage configurations. The final section is likely causing the issue, as disabling DOCP may reset several voltage settings to their default values. These defaults won't function properly with the devices operating at higher frequencies and timings than the base level.
The review in Tom suggests your RAM might be too fast for a 7700X, but a 9700X could actually be a solid example. "We didn't test this model on our Ryzen 7000 platform since it doesn't achieve the necessary top speeds to fully unlock the device's potential, and buying it for standard DDR5-5600 transfer rates wouldn't make sense. Current AGESA code and silicon restrictions have placed AMD's Ryzen 7000 processors at a disadvantage when it comes to memory support. Nevertheless, high-quality samples featuring a strong IMC (integrated memory controller) usually back DDR5-6400 to DDR5-6600. For our specific Ryzen 7 7700X, DDR5-6400 is the upper limit, so DDR5-7200 isn't feasible. Although my previous Kingston DDR5 RAM runs at 4800MT/s without DOCP, I'm beginning to question whether your significantly faster RAM actually defaults to DDR5-5600, as suggested. 5600MT/s could be unsuitable for older AM5 7000 systems, whereas 4800MT/s might be safer, but it should still work with a newer AM5 9000 CPU. It might be useful to verify the mobo RAM QVL (Qualified Vendor List), though it may not list the latest DIMMs." With XMP/EXPO/DOCP turned off, most DDR5 RAM would likely default to 1.10V. If DOCP is enabled, voltage should rise to between 1.20 and 1.30V, although some manufacturers might push it higher for added speed. https://gadgetsranked.com/what-is-safe-voltage-for-ram/ "Various RAM types exist, each with distinct voltage needs. Below are common categories and their typical voltage ranges: DDR3 RAM: 1.5V – 1.65V DDR4 RAM: 1.2V – 1.4V DDR5 RAM: 1.1V – 1.3V It's important to remember these are general guidelines, and the exact voltage requirements for your specific RAM may differ based on the maker and model." No matter the speed you select, it's advisable to start MemTest86 from a USB drive and perform an extended scan (several hours) to ensure stability. If any errors appear—even just one—the RAM isn't stable and you should adjust settings (lower speed, relax timings, or manually raise voltage carefully). If you change the DOCP setting, repeat the full MemTest scan."