Functional RAM is present in every slot, yet it fails to operate under certain channel setups.
Functional RAM is present in every slot, yet it fails to operate under certain channel setups.
Hi everyone, I’ve been using my PC for years with a 32GB (two 16GB) DDR5 GSKILLs at 6000MHz. Since I work in coding and we’re frequently testing AI models—especially with limited GPU options—I upgraded to more RAM to run larger models locally. Now I own two 64GB units (two sets of the same GSKILL Trident Z5). They all share the same serial number, so it looks like they’re identical.
But I’m running into problems. The system won’t boot with four sticks. Sometimes it boots into BIOS and even with XMP disabled, it refuses to go beyond BIOS. I assumed there was a hardware issue, so I ran a memory test from the BIOS, which came back clean. Then I tried using just two sticks (carefully picking ones from the same batch). In those slots it worked fine—even with XMP enabled.
However, when I tried the sticks in the secondary slots (A1, B1), it still detected them but kept crashing and entering safe mode after errors. The system still shows up when using the primary slots. Since this is my first build and this is the first upgrade, I’m unsure if it should work that way. If it does, it might point to a motherboard problem (which would be disappointing given the expected overclock potential), or maybe something else entirely. The rest of the hardware—Intel 12900K, ASUS Maximus Z690, and the 3090 GPU—is all set up correctly. I’m really hoping for some guidance here.
they seem to be low CL rams, both Hynix, and I’m pretty sure M and A Die are quite alike—so that’s not a big deal. The board itself appears to be the problem rather than anything else. It struggles with running 4 sticks, which isn’t helping. Plus, the IMC is also mediocre and can’t handle decent tri/quadrank speeds.
Are you using the newest BIOS version? Recent improvements for 4 sticks from both AMD and Intel could assist you, especially if you're experiencing posting issues. Running with 4 sticks has been challenging since the introduction of DDR5, as Intel only officially supports a 4000 MHz single-rank controller for the 12th generation, or 3600 MHz for dual-rank. Consider lowering the BIOS frequency to improve stability.
I accessed the BIOS and enabled the CPU performance optimizer. After disabling it, everything functioned normally at 4000MT with all cores active. I’m still unsure about its long-term stability, but DeepSeek is running smoothly. Thank you for the assistance, though I’m keen to have a 128GB drive instead of two sticks.
It looks like you're exploring performance possibilities. Level1Techs has covered this before, noting that with 192GB (four 48GB drives) on 14th generation CPUs, you can typically reach about 5200, though the exact results for 12th generation hardware aren't clear.