The motherboard emits loud noises following the RAM installation.
The motherboard emits loud noises following the RAM installation.
You have an older MB Gigabyte Z68A-D3H-B3 with two 4GB Kingston RAM sticks. You recently added two 8GB (16GB) MT36JSZF1G72PZ-1G4 servers, installed them in the same slots, and the PC began beeping for four seconds before restarting repeatedly. Your BIOS is up to date, but specs suggest compatibility: it supports up to 32GB with 4x1.5V DDR3 DIMMs. Because your OS is 32-bit, more than 4GB installed may show less memory than expected. The RAM supports various speeds and profiles, including XMP. Do you think this setup works?
It seems this RAM isn't meant for your motherboard. I'm not very familiar with the details, but from what I learned, it's an RDIMM module. If your board doesn't show compatibility for that type, it won't fit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_memory
Did you consider resetting the BIOS after installing these drives? That can sometimes assist the system in properly configuring them. Failed boots usually don’t clear RAM clock settings and requires a slight adjustment to trigger the process. No, not every motherboard supports ECC RAM either. Most boards that do will have an ECC option in the BIOS, so make sure it’s turned on if available. The information above is generally accurate.
If you're not using a xeon chip such as the e3 12xx series, then ECC won't function properly. It's unclear whether registered ECC will work even with an xeon, and the RAM configuration is crucial. This setup uses 2x4 memory, which is incompatible with non-xeon processors and differs from your existing 1x8 or 2x8 configurations. Mixing different channel types shouldn't cause issues, but testing is recommended. ECC and standard RAM likely won't work together. You might want to upgrade to more typical 4GB modules if you plan to expand further. This board could handle over 2300 MHz, but many hardware components are limited to around 21.33x for memory. Running above 2300 would require a higher memory frequency, which some boards support. ECC modules aren't cheap, but they're worth testing for performance gains. If you're considering higher-end options, keep in mind that some boards have strict memory limits and may not sustain speeds beyond certain thresholds.
I don’t even open the BIOS to reset it with the new RAM inside. Should I clear it using the old sticks first, then power it off, replace the RAM, and restart? Or is there another way? Probably my hard drive doesn’t support ECC, but I still want to try to get it working. After all, I used them before and didn’t lose much money.
Ensure all power is cut from the system before proceeding, typically by unplugging the power cord from the PSU. Removing power will stop any remaining settings even after battery removal. Allow the CMOS battery to discharge for about 15 minutes to clear data. During this period, set the BIOS jumper to "Clear." After 15 minutes, reset the jumper back to its original "Hold" position and reinsert the battery. Reconnect power and verify functionality.
Beerzerker, I followed those steps but nothing changed. The same beeping continues, suggesting the motherboard dislikes the RAM. I’ll switch to non-ECC for my desktop and let you know.