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GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM

GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« on: December 05, 2013, 04:51:42 pm »
Using the GA-z87mx-D3H, I was going through the setup with the CD after installing Windows 7. I tried installing the Intel USB 3.0 Driver when it threw an error and my entire machine locked up. At the time, I had 2 Corsair XMS3 4GB sticks installed for a total of 8GB.

After a forced reboot, I started getting bluescreen during the "Loading windows" screen with the "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" errors. I updated my bios to F5 with no luck.

It boots just fine with just one of the sticks for a total of 4GB (both sticks work individually), but as soon as I try using both it doesn't boot and starts getting those blue screens. Any ideas as to what can cause this or how to fix it?

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2013, 05:36:31 pm »
Are the sticks from one kit?

You should run a memtest to see if that helps. I'm in a bit of a pickle with memory myself but my blues creens happen a lot less consistently than yours - it could be a whole day before it happens, but I'm 90% certain it's because I'm using a 12GB kit that I bought for my i7 920 (Socket 1366) + a new 4GB stick I bought for this build to bring it to 16GB. I took the chance because I am on a budget knowing full well that it could very easily be a bad match. I had one just about an hour ago, "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL." That was 20 or so minutes after 2 hours of stress testing + HD video encoding (simultaneously) with nothing going wrong, when I had stopped the tests and decided to watch a TV show that I'd downloaded.

So run memtest86 or memtest86+. Do as many passes as you can, perhaps overnight when you don't need your computer. If you do like maybe 3 passes and there are no errors, perhaps something happened to your Windows 7 install and a repair install or reinstall could fix it. But try the memtest first overnight to see. I passed my tests but I didn't run multiple passes as I had no time. I'd say if I let it run through much longer it would come up with something but the fact that one pass didn't parallels the theory that if it takes sometimes a day to blue screen that the instability isn't as severe as it could be, but minor instability is still instability. So give it a go and see how your system fares.
« Last Edit: December 05, 2013, 05:39:29 pm by DECEiFER »

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2013, 06:19:54 pm »
Currently running first pass of memtest86 and we are up to 1179 errors...I suppose I should try to return this RAM and get some new sticks -.-

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2013, 06:25:13 pm »
I'd say so. That seems pretty conclusive.

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2013, 06:26:30 pm »
Currrent re-running with one stick at a time in stead of both. Both get up to 23ish errors pretty fast. Id say I need to return both the RAM and the MOBO together just to cover all my bases.

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2013, 06:31:33 pm »
It's possible that the motherboard could be at fault. However, if you can test it with another kit (should you have access to one though yourself, a family member, a friend, anyone) then you could rule it out.

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2013, 08:11:48 pm »
Just so we are on the same page, memtest doesnt have anything to do with the main hard drive right? Just uses the CPU and memory to test right?

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2013, 08:32:54 pm »
That's right. Are you having disk issues also?

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2013, 10:44:11 pm »
Well now this is very strange. This computer was at one of my other offices and I decided that in order to better diagnose and more efficiently replace the bad mobo/ram I would take it home.

The thing is that as soon as I got home (meaning the computer was in my car, unplugged, for an hour), everything booted up fine. I even ran another memtest using 2 sticks and got 0 errors.

I do know that one of the solutions I tried was updating the BIOS from F3 to F5 and I did, and did the recommended power cycle afterwards. Is it possible that I did not leave the computer off long enough for it to clear out the charge/memory?

Re: GA-z87mx-D3H wont boot with more than 1 stick of RAM
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2013, 11:13:21 pm »
That's very strange indeed. I'd proceed with skepticism. Keep an eye on it and run these tests regularly. As long as you're within warranty you can still return the RAM/motherboard at another time.

I really wish I could answer your question. Would a CMOS reset have done the same? Is it because of a simple discharge of the capacitors, like a 15-minute or longer break with the power cut off completely? It's hard to know. You could be okay, though. But as I said, keep an eye on it and regularly test. Good luck!