Colored lines when booting

[Kaiketsu]

My PC (on G1 Z87 Sniper) developed a weird issue at startup recently. Once the PC is fully powered down (PSU turned off), first boot always end with this:



The bios doesn't start.

I have to press the reset button. The 2nd boot works just fine.

Any ideas?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,
That looks like memory.

If you are OC'ing memory or CPU, stop and retest.

I would test the memory with memtest or similar as a precaution. 

Running windows 10?  start button...  type mdsched

This will allow you to test.

[Kaiketsu]

Well, I did both win10 test and 1 pass of memtest86. No errors.

I'm using custom values (in BIOS) for RAM because it doesn't autodetect the values my RAM should be using, but I'm not OC-ing it. I just put the values from the box the RAM came with.

It's GSkill Trident, 2x4GB, 2400Mhz, timings 10-12-12-31, voltage 1,65V.  I had to put those manually, picking 1,66V because Gigabyte bios doesn't allow odd numbers (there's only 1.64, 1.66, etc.).

The problem goes away if I reset after the colored row pops up. It doesn't reoccur until I power down the PC.

[shadowsports]

Ya, the board wants 1333/1600 mem, everything above this requires OC.  Only one BIOS available - F4

So this is a power on issue from cold boot.  Thanks for testing the RAM.

QVL isn't helpful in this case. Doesn't appear to be updated. 

GSET24D1 G.SKILL 4GB F3-19200CL11Q-16GBZHD DS v v v v
GSET24D2 G.SKILL 4GB F3-19200CL9Q-16GBZHD DS v v v v
GSET24D3 G.SKILL 4GB F3-2400C10Q-16GTX DS v v v v
GSET24E1 G.SKILL 8GB F3-2400C10Q-32GTX DS v v v v

I used Gskill's memory configurator:

http://www.gskill.com/en/configurator?manu=54&chip=1307&model=1672

This is the only 8GB Gskill Trident kit compatible with you system:

http://www.gskill.com/en/product/f3-2400c10d-8gtd

 Series Trident  - [Trident] F3-2400C10D-8GTD
 Memory Type DDR3 
 Capacity 8GB (4GBx2) 
 Multi-Channel Kit Dual Channel Kit 
 Tested Speed 2400MHz 
 Tested Latency 10-12-12-31-2N 
 Tested Voltage 1.65v 
 Registered/Unbuffered Unbuffered 
 Error Checking Non-ECC 
 SPD Speed 1600MHz 
 SPD Voltage 1.50v 
 Fan lncluded No 
 Height 55 mm / 2.17 inch 
 Warranty Lifetime 
 Features Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) Ready

Is this the kit you have?

It looks like a timing or voltage problem that rears its head on cold boot. 

First thing to try is using XMP Profile1 or Profile2.  One of these may keep your system from starting.  If so, disconnect from power and pull the MB battery or use clear CMOS. 

If these fail, you can try over clocking the CPU slightly to more closely match the speed requirements of the memory.  There is no single formula for this and it requires experimentation.  You can try lowering the memory voltage too.  If you don't have an unlocked CPU it might be impossible.

If this fails, your option is using different memory, different CPU or living with the issue.       

[Kaiketsu]

Thanks for the detailed response. It seems I didn't really check the compatibility properly, lol. I own this piece of RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231589

the parameters are the same as you listed though, it just looks different...



Interestingly, when I powered up my PC an hour ago, everything worked fine. BIOS went really fast (when this "bug" occurs, it takes several seconds for it to happen) and even the HUB worked fine. what I did:

BIOS:
1. disabling fast boot (it booted faster than with fast boot, anyway, lol)
2. enabling full memory test on boot
3. disabling xHCI
4. disabling the power saving feature that powers down USB when the PC is in state 5 (shutdown but with PDU turned on).
5. lowering CPU overclock from 4.4 GHz to 4.3 Ghz (i5-4690k with custom cooling).

Well, at least it booted up fine, but not sure whether it will work once I turn down the PDU for the night.

Perhaps that's the solution as well, keeping the PDU on 
Certainly seems a better idea to me than RMA'ing the mobo and being computerless for 2 weeks.

I will also enable xtreme memory profile, if the problem returns. Currently it's disabled (as by default).

my CPU is i5-4690k, running at 4.3 Ghz atm with all voltage settings on auto. That's not exactly by the Overclocker's book, as I am supposed to tweak the voltage, but it kinda worked fine without it so I just went with the flow. Since it doesn't even hit 60 degrees on 4,4 Ghz at full load, I'm thinking about 4,6 - 4,7 Ghz being possible. But first, I have to sort out this cold start bug of course.


EDIT: well.good news, after like 0,5h with PDU off, the system booted off normally without the RAM issues. But the USB hub still doesn't work untill replugged. Damnit.

[shadowsports]

Well, the kit you have is not compatible with your board, according to both Gskill and Gigabyte.

If you purchased from Newegg as a "recommended" upgrade, that's unfortunate.  I've noticed that they bundle hardware which is not compatible frequently.  Mostly memory that is not on the QVL for a MB.  We've helped a few members here who have found this out the hard way, buying a bundled upgrade only to discover there system wont boot because the MB has an older BIOS and doesn't support their CPU choice without flashing first.     

Hopefully you can find a satisfactory work around.  Good luck. 

[Kaiketsu]

Well, shame on me, but hey, good news - it seems to be working fine with the set of changes I described. Also, it sped up the boot time considerably! Before those changes, it used to take 5-10 seconds for BIOS info to appear at all, now it's lightning fast and it goes to windows instantly.

So I definitively "fixed" something.

A quick question, I checked with CPU-Z and all the RAM speed & timings seems to be working. It also doesn't crash in games and works nifty compared to my old 1600mhz ram setup. In that case, should I be worried due to the stated "lack of compatibility" between RAM and MOBO?

[shadowsports]

Hi,
No reason to worry about anything.  The issue has to do with timing..  Not voltage, etc, so if you have it working, somewhere between 1.64v~1.66v you are GOOD.  The XMP profiles use the JDEC standard programming on the modules.  If compatible, they set parameters and allow the memory to run above SPD stable and reliably.  Also allows the BIOS to dynamically control clock speed and voltage.  If you have found something that works consistently its safe to continue.

Look more closely at your USB settings in BIOS.  XHCI was primarily used for XP & W7 that didn't have native support for XHCI pre-boot.  Win8 and later has this support.  Don't recall the exact names, but there are additional USB settings you can mess with that might help with your HUB.  FastBoot and Ultra Fast boot are not needed if you are using an SSD or M.2 as a boot drive.  These two settings basically control (expand or limit) the diagnostics checks) that occur during POST.  Earlier generations also used this to decrease the detection time out for the bus on different interfaces.  Not so common (or needed) any longer now that SSD and M.2 are mainstream.