New BSOD with XMP Profile & Dual Channel

ShellShock · 18 Sep 2023 at 09:28

Last week I started getting random BSODs with my current build, which had been stable since June this year:

Motherboard	Gigabyte Z370-HD3 socket LGA1151, BIOS F14c
CPU	Intel Core i9 9900K 3.60GHz Coffeelake CPU overclocked to 4.60GHz socket LGA1151
PSU	Corsair RMx Series RM1000x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
GPU	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GAMING OC PRO 8GB (rev. 3.0)
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C18 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMK32GX4M2D3600C18), 3600MHz RAM Speed, CAS 18-22-22-42 Timings, 1.35v VDIMM
Cooler	Corsair Hydro Series iCUE H100i RGB ELITE Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

The BSODs happen with the memory in XMP Profile, dual channel. They do not happen in any of the following conditions:

With XMP Profile off.
When using just using one memory module; I tried both in slot 1, and no BSOD.
When not using dual channel, i.e., both memory modules but in the wrong slots for dual channel, and with XMP Profile on.

This motherboard has 4 memory lots. For dual channel I use slots 1 & 2. I tried slots 3 & 4 instead, supposedly also dual channel, but the BIOS would not POST - no beeps, just a blank screen.

The motherboard is the oldest component (October 2018), the memory and cooler were new June 2023. PSU is 11/2021.

I am starting to think the motherboard is faulty and it may be time for an upgrade (£££). Is there anything else I should try first?

mickyflinn · 18 Sep 2023 at 12:59

Did you try 36000mhz dual channel with your CPU not Overclocked ?

Download memtest and check for errors.

Another option is to add a bit more voltage when running at 3600mhz, try 1.375v

ShellShock · 18 Sep 2023 at 14:48

Many thanks. Based on your advice I re-enabled the XMP Profile, but also increased the DRAM voltage from 1.35 1.36 (I tried 1.375 but the BIOS rounded it up to 1.36). So far it has not BSOD (dual channel). I am going to run MemTest for a while.

The Asgard · 21 Sep 2023 at 06:00

Sometimes you do need to tweak the voltages with age, especially if things are on the edge of stability. You will have no problems with 1.4 if you need to go higher. Usually memory should be in the last two slots, check your motherboard manual.

ShellShock · 21 Sep 2023 at 08:09

It has been stable since I increased the voltage, which is great. When I changed it to slot 3 & 4 I might not have given it long enough to boot. I have since read that it can take several minutes for the BIOS to recognise the new configuration. Anyway, it is working fine now in slots 1 & 2, which I have always used. 1 & 2 or 3 & 4 are the dual channel slots - confirmed using CPU-Z.

ShellShock · 25 Sep 2023 at 11:06

I had another BSOD yesterday, after about 30 minutes of gaming, so I have boosted the DRAM voltage again to 1.37.

The Asgard · 25 Sep 2023 at 17:38

I would probably raise it to 1.38, .01 is very small, you don't want it on the edge.

JollyJamma · 26 Sep 2023 at 11:45

ShellShock said:
I had another BSOD yesterday, after about 30 minutes of gaming, so I have boosted the DRAM voltage again to 1.37.

Can you change other voltages too please? set SOC voltage and others to manual and a fixed value.

It does sound like a faulty component though - use Testmem 5 with Anta777 extreme setting found here to test your memory

Not being able to run your memory stable at non XMP settings is a big problem.

ShellShock · 5 Oct 2023 at 09:28

DRAM voltage is now 1.38 and still getting random BSODs, not under load. I don't know what SOC voltage is - I can't see it anywhere in the BIOS, and I wouldn't know what to set it to.

I guess I could do the Testmem 5 + Anta777, testing the modules and slots individually. However, googling for Testmem5 download throws up a lot of dodgy looking links.