GA-P55-USB3 incompatible with 2x4 GB RAM? Weird problems

[Aussie Allan]

 I think we are down too.........because the i3 runs like a charm on the suspect board......it point to the i5.......or BIOS/M/B compatibility with the i5

 go with what you talked about to further rule out the next bit!

 Aussie Allan

[lores]

I've got bad news: I've been testing my i5 760 on a cheap two-slot Biostar mobo with 2x2 GB Elixir and 2x4 GB TeamGroup (with my Nvidia 460 GTX + 500W OCZ PSU) - and both configurations seem (after initial tests) to work stably.

So: both the i5 and the 2x4 GB pairs, when isolated, behave as expected. When used on the Biostar mobo, the same. When the primary Gigabyte mobo is used with an i3 and one of the 2x4 GB pairs, the same. When the Gigabyte mobo is used with the i5 and one of the 2x4 GB pairs, or the 4x4 GB set, or the 4x2 GB set - it doesn't work!!!
It's still true that none of the isolating tests (memtest for ram, orthos for cpu, furmark for gpu) ever in any configuration show any errors.

Despair.

Any ideas?

(Unfortunately, I don't have any other mobo or any other i5 to test with).

[Aussie Allan]

  Well I think the MoBo's toast with the i5, But great we got a result...... before you RMA or replace the dogs Frisbee......I'll PM DM (Dark Mantis Moderator) to cast his eye through this thread and see if he can glean anything I missed..... wait for his reply before giving Frodo his new toy  

 Speak soon!

  Update:....the Boy's off line ATM....He'll get there though.........Aussie Allan

[lores]

Can't wait, thanks!

(Still testing the i5 + 2x4 GB TG + 460 GTX + OCZ 500W PSU on the Biostar mobo and, heck, hoping to see a BSOD...)


EDIT:
After hours of testing, I can say that the very same config, but with that cheap Biostar mobo instead of my GA-P55-USB3, is stable.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi sorry for the delay.  It would sound as if the motherboard is faulty, possibly bent pins on the CPU socket. Anyway it needs to be RMAd.

[Aussie Allan]

 I hold DMs opinion higher then a lot of motherboard technocrats.......so Frodo the Dog has a new Frisbee as far as we can say with out actually touching it

 At least, you can go over to shopping mode mindset and start looking afresh at all the goodies out there!......it's a mine field

  Aussie Allan

 P.S ... thanks for that DM

[lores]

Thanks for your advice. However, how can you explain that the GA-P55-USB3 works perfectly (in every stick combination!) when equipped with the i3 instead of the i5?
(I'm afraid that sending in a component for RMA and not getting it's faultiness confirmed can be quite expensive...).

[Aussie Allan]

 This is when I keep a new friend and get a "Karma", or get dragged in-front of the wall and shot!

  Little voice in my head says BIOS, but I checked and there's others out there that have and use this combination.

 All I can say is,.......... really nicely, document your findings in a logical form and present it to Gigabyte Customer Services/RMA......you could even drop this thread/post on them........you have more of a chance with Giga then any other board manufacture.

 To be Pro-active,   the only person Employed by Gigabyte is the Administrator (runn3R) on this forum, you could try PM,ing him and ask his advise as to the best way forward, He has the power to make the sun go down early!

 A lot of people out there think we (me,Dark Mantis, Absic,Bill,ect) are employed indirectly by Giga.........the only thing I have got so far from Gigabyte was a bollocking because some low-life bustered his PC and needed to kick someone in the teeth......

 Most of the time I/we don't even know what country where talking too as there's no flag half the time or any profile.

Hope you get a happy ending...........post back with what happens if you can !

 Aussie Allan

[lores]

OK. Yes, I've tried the F7 through F10g BIOSes and have also done a research and seen quite a few people running my config...
I will try to get hold of another i5 if I can...
Thanks.

[Dark Mantis]

If I remember rightly the i5 chip runs fine on another motherboard. If so it is down to this mobo or it's BIOS. You could try doing an extended clear of the CMOS followed by a loading of the Optimised BIOS Defaults.

Please follow these instructions exactly.

Remove the power cable from the mains supply and then press the power switch on the case for a few seconds just to drain any residual energy in the PSU capacitors.

Once done remove the motherboard battery for at least 6 hours before replacing it.
 
Next plug back into the mains supply and boot.
 
You will now need to enter the BIOS by pressing DEL and load Optimised BIOS Defaults.

Make any other changes to the BIOS settings to suit your self like disabling the floppy drive, disabling the full screen logo and making the HDD the primary boot device and then press F10 to save and exit.

If this fails to fix it still it would be worth checking for bent pins on the CPU socket also.

Take all the usual anti-static precautions.

Very carefully remove the heatsink and fan. Probably a slight twisting motion is best to release the two as the thermal paste can act like a glue.

Once off remove the CPU taking extreme care both physically and electrically(static) and place somewhere safe.

Make sure that the lighting is very good and even.

Now scrutinise the socket for any pins that are out of alignment, even slightly.
If in any doubt whatsoever take a couple of macro (close up) photos of the socket and post them on here for us to check.

Also look at the bottom of the CPU at the lands (little copper circles) and make sure that there is a mark in each somewhere near the centre.
If there are any missing marks or any of the pins are obviously bent then that is your problem.

Before refitting the CPU clean off all residue of the old thermal paste and the same on the heatsink and then apply a small amount (about the size of a grain of rice) to the centre of the CPU once it is inserted in the socket.

[lores]

@DM, thank you for your guide. Although I've tried CCMOS with DMI pool data purge already, I will give the extended clear another go. For that, if I understand correctly, will I need the PC to stay powered off for 6+ hours. I will try that tonight.

I had already inspected the socket and it had seemed all right to me. Plus: with the i3 in place of my i5, the rig was fully stable. I will have another glance at it soon, though.

Moreover, I'm hoping to grasp an i5 750 with a P55 motherboard (the Biostar mobo Biostar H55 HD was H55) tomorrow. I plan on swapping the CPUs: testing my i5 760 in the other P55 mobo and testing that i5 750 in my GA-P55-USB3. I will have to return that hardware on the same day - any advice as to further tests/configs?

[Dark Mantis]

You are very welcome. Try making sure that the BIOS that you have loaded supports the CPU as sometimes this can be a problem that is easilly missed.

Yes the power needs to be completely disconnected from the system for the whole time (overnight) and the battery removed at the same time. I know it sounds crazy but for some reason sometimes this will work even after the usual method has failed.

If it is a pin problem it is very easy to miss a slightly bent pin but that is all it can take. Some close up clear photos can help if you are unsure.

[lores]

I've flashed the BIOS versions F7 through the newest F10g (beta) and people are running such rigs on these BIOSes without problems, so I rule this out.

The rig used to be stable for six months; then I bought the Corsair and then the TeamGroup 2x4 GB pair which failed. The very first time for me to physically fiddle with the CPU after installing it 6 months ago was when I replaced it with the i3 (which worked!). So I don't suspect the pins. Still, I'll have a look at them tomorrow (hopefully replacing the i5 760 with that i5 750).

[lores]

Okay, I've got some news.

1. The extended clear didn't make a difference.

2. There are no bent pins on my mobo.

3. There are marks at the lands of my i5.

4. I've spent all day testing my rig with another one (a P55 mobo from Asus + i5 750; fully stable). Current results:
a. My rig seems to work flawlessly with any RAM when equipped with the i5 750.
b. The other rig (Asus) seems to work flawlessly with any RAM when equipped with my i5 760.
c. My rig reattains its instability when reequipped with my i5 760.
d. What the heck is this?!

I've now kept each CPU in the other mobo (my i5 760 in the Asus and the i5 750 in my Gigabyte) and am going to do further real life testing on both rigs. Any more advice?

[Dark Mantis]

The only thing I can suggest is to make sure that both rigs are as minimal as possible in what is attached to them. Try to use Motherboard, PSU, CPU, HSF,One stick of ram in first slot,  HDD, GPU, Buzzer, keyboard and mouse. This keeps the chances of other issues as low as possible.