64GB RAM with Asus Z390-I Gaming MB

phototim

phototim

phototim

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Hi,

I would like to upgrade my PC from the current 16GB of RAM to 64GB. I have an ASUS Z390-I Gaming motherboard with 2 RAM slots. When I bought it in 2018, 16GB per RAM module was the norm and this motherboard had compatibility with new 32GB "double capacity" RAM sticks from Zatak and G-Skills.

Now it's normal to have 32GB sticks of RAM (i.e. the Corsair Vengence LPX or Hyper X Fury) but my question is, are these 2x32GB RAM stick compatible with my motherboard or can I ONLY use the specific sticks from Zatak or G-Skills (both of which seem hard to find)? Are these new 2x32GB sticks basically the same as the Zatak/G-skills "double capacity" and should work ok?

The compatibility list from ASUS is not updated (it does not even list the Zatak or G-SKills) and I cannot find any information about it online.

If it matters, the PC is used for Lightroom/PS image editing.

Thanks in advance.
 
It's a bit iffy for 8th/9th gen and seems to depend on the CPU, the motherboard and the BIOS.

Intel generally list U0 stepping CPUs as compatible with 128GB, while B0 stepping CPUs (usually the i3s) are limited to 64GB.

Afaik, the BIOS update would be dated post Jan-2019.

I've seen these new RAMs (at least, 16GB sticks) work fine in a 8th gen board.

Compatibility Between 16Gbit DRAM, Motherboards, BIOS version, and CPU Microarchitectures

Not all systems are compatible with this new high-density DRAM. Most current chipsets such as AMD Ryzen, Intel 9th gen (and newer) are compatible. There are a few caveats with legacy Intel systems (8th Gen and older microarchitectures) which may work with a BIOS upgrade.

Intel Servers
Purley with Cascade Lake (Xeon x2xx Series) is compatible.
Purley with Skylake (Xeon x1xx Series) is not compatible.

Legacy Intel Desktop and Laptops
For 8th Gen and older Intel platforms, check with your system or motherboard manufacturer for the latest BIOS to see if you can use 16Gbit based memory.

AMD Platforms
All AMD platforms supporting DDR4, from server to desktop to mobile, are compatible with 16Gbit based memory modules. A BIOS update may be required, however. Check with your system or motherboard manufacturer for details.
Click to expand...

https://www.kingston.com/unitedkingdom/en/memory/the-benefits-of-16gbit-ddr4-dram

Edit:
This might be the one you're looking for:

Version 2203
2019/03/22 7.97 MBytes
ROG STRIX Z390-I GAMING BIOS 2203
Updated uCode for the latest Intel processor
Supported JEDEC standard DDR4 32GB memory
Click to expand...

https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z390-i-gaming-model/helpdesk_bios
 
Last edited:
Hi,

Thanks a lot for your help! I have an 8th Gen i7 8700K. It's unclear to me whether the BIOS update would allow me to run 64GB of ram with this processor or whether there still might be compatibility issues and the BIOS update is more for the MB? There doesn't appear to be any other info attached to the ASUS BIOS update. Its a lot of money to spend to find out it doesn't work.
 
phototim said:
Hi,

Thanks a lot for your help! I have an 8th Gen i7 8700K. It's unclear to me whether the BIOS update would allow me to run 64GB of ram with this processor or whether there still might be compatibility issues and the BIOS update is more for the MB? There doesn't appear to be any other info attached to the ASUS BIOS update. Its a lot of money to spend to find out it doesn't work.
Click to expand...

Yeah, unfortunately it's not very clear. In the press release * Asus specifically mentions 9th gen CPUs (which according to Intel, do not all support 128GB!), but Intel has updated their database to include support for 128GB, for all U0 stepping 8th gen CPUs, like the 8700K.

My bet is that with the latest BIOS, it's more likely to work than not, but it's not my money.

* https://www.asus.com/News/sM0xuUsZdoY7mp1z/
 
Annoyingly, that press release says "The Z390 motherboards are compatible with the latest 32GB memory modules listed in the qualified vendors list (QVL) below." and then does not give a QVL list below! It seems pretty bad that they don't update this list. My memory is actually faulty (I think, I'm no expert but blue screen "memory_management" error and 160+ errors with the Memtest) and I need to replace it anyway. I guess warranty replacement from Corsair will give me back 2x16gb stick which is not really useful so looks like I have to take the risk. I was originally wondering if those 2 specially developed ram modules (for the limited range of ASUS boards) from G.skills and Zadak were a different architecture than the current 32GB sticks that are now available.

I will update the firmware tonight to make sure that works and then figure out what to do for the memory.

Thanks for your help so far.
 
phototim said:
Annoyingly, that press release says "The Z390 motherboards are compatible with the latest 32GB memory modules listed in the qualified vendors list (QVL) below." and then does not give a QVL list below! It seems pretty bad that they don't update this list. My memory is actually faulty (I think, I'm no expert but blue screen "memory_management" error and 160+ errors with the Memtest) and I need to replace it anyway. I guess warranty replacement from Corsair will give me back 2x16gb stick which is not really useful so looks like I have to take the risk. I was originally wondering if those 2 specially developed ram modules (for the limited range of ASUS boards) from G.skills and Zadak were a different architecture than the current 32GB sticks that are now available.

I will update the firmware tonight to make sure that works and then figure out what to do for the memory.

Thanks for your help so far.
Click to expand...

From what I read on the anandtech review, yes, they are different, because they use the old 1GB chips (32 per module), whereas the newer memory like the Kingston article refers to are high density 2GB chips (16 per module).
 
So to wrap up this thread for anyone seeking the same info...

I updated my BIOS to the most up to date version and went ahead with throwing in 64GB (2x32GB) of corsair 3200MHz ram. it is recognised and appears to work just fine. I have set the XMP to run it at 3200. The boost in power is significant. With 16GB lightroom would use around 9-10GB and I could never figure out if it was happy with that or was making do due to the amount available. Now with 64GB it easily munches up 15-20GB without too much effort.

So in conclusion, it seems that this motherboard will run 2x32GB sticks of ram just fine with the BIOS update (did not try without).
 
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