Cant get Supermicro X11SSH-F Server Motherboard LGA1151 to post with 4 sticks of RAM

[Sliderman]

hey people, first post here so be gentle. I recently got into wanting to do a truenas build as it dawned on me about data loss and how im not really covered and plus some other perks like using it for Plex etc etc.

Anyway my issue is my first mother board which i bought 2 now and both have same issues. First board it posts fine with 2 sticks of ram in the upper slots but thats not even the proper config for the board but if i put the ram in proper slots 1 and 3 lets say it wont post but 1 and 2 it will and ofc 1234 wont post if all are filled.

So i bought a second identical board and this one wont even post no matter what so pretty much im sending the boards back and just gonna start fresh, i have all my hard drives and other stuff but im over this board and seems to be a common issue. The board is this one along with the ram in following links


Board - https://www.ebay.com/itm/295325608500

Ram - https://www.ebay.com/itm/234725655382

also CPU - https://www.ebay.com/itm/334557557040


While creating this i was gonna ask for help trying to figure out the ram issue but since ive seen so many ppl have this issue and it go unresolved i would rather just do a different board build so my question i guess would be what are some recommendations you guys would suggest for a MB, Ram and CPU if current one is not good enough.

Main uses will be Plex and storing data and personal back ups and would like it to support transcoding as well for Plex media of course, thank u for any help and suggestions.

 

[Ericloewe]

While creating this i was gonna ask for help trying to figure out the ram issue but since ive seen so many ppl have this issue and it go unresolved i would rather just do a different board build so my question i guess would be what are some recommendations you guys would suggest for a MB, Ram and CPU if current one is not good enough.

Your hardware choices are fine, you're just stuck with something defective or incompatible. So, in order, you need to check/let us know:

1. Is the DRAM listed as compatible and is it from a reputable manufacturer?
2. What happens if you move the DIMMs around to different sockets? Did you try always the same DIMMs in the same sockets or did you move them around?
3. Have you tried other DIMMs?
4. How does the CPU socket look? Any bent pins?
5. Is the CPU good? Worst case, you'll need to try a different, compatible CPU (same or different model, Skylakes should be a dime a dozen these days).

 

[Sliderman]

Your hardware choices are fine, you're just stuck with something defective or incompatible. So, in order, you need to check/let us know:

1. Is the DRAM listed as compatible and is it from a reputable manufacturer?
2. What happens if you move the DIMMs around to different sockets? Did you try always the same DIMMs in the same sockets or did you move them around?
3. Have you tried other DIMMs?
4. How does the CPU socket look? Any bent pins?
5. Is the CPU good? Worst case, you'll need to try a different, compatible CPU (same or different model, Skylakes should be a dime a dozen these days).

Thanks for the reply, i didnt go into to many details as i was planning on starting over but to answer your questions

1. Yes it is compatible but it was bought off ebay but the seller was high ranked good reviews etc etc
2. I tried every combo i could and none would work except the 2 slots furthest from CPU which i believe is B1 and B2, the manual recommends A1 and B1 for 2 ram sticks but even that would not post but...if i put them in B1 and B2 it would post fine in the one motherboard and all would work fine with just 2 sticks, any more was a 5 beep 1 long beep error and i checked each ram stick solo and each one booted fine.
3. Did not try other DIMMS since all mine seemed to of worked
4. No bent pens
5. PC booted up fine and worked with 2 sticks so CPU was def good as i ran it for couple hours with just 2 sticks messing with truenas feeling it out.

From what i googled though this board has just bad luck using 4 sticks of ram as seen a few posts about it spread around but if you think its a good board and im just unlucky i can try a different buyer from ebay, the one im using is the one i linked for both boards but im also down to try another board too just as long as it meets the needs and doesnt have to be cheapest just as long as its reliable and trust worthy im down as i am eager to get some backups started.

 

[Sliderman]

I couldnt see how to edit my post but this is the memory i used for the board

LOT 4 Micron 32GB (4X8GB) DDR4 RAM 1Rx8 PC4-2400T-ED1-11 MTA9ASF1G72AZ-2G3B1ZI

LOT 4 Micron 32GB (4X8GB) DDR4 RAM 1Rx8 PC4-2400T-ED1-11 MTA9ASF1G72AZ-2G3B1ZI | eBay

It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure that the item is compatible with your computer/laptop.

www.ebay.com

Does that seem compatible or did i miss read something?

 

[Ericloewe]

5. PC booted up fine and worked with 2 sticks so CPU was def good as i ran it for couple hours with just 2 sticks messing with truenas feeling it out.

The memory controller for the other channel may be bad. At this stage, it's either that or damage on the motherboard (damaged pins or broken traces or something), so it's a matter of testing either of them separately to figure out who the culprit is.

From what i googled though this board has just bad luck using 4 sticks of ram as seen a few posts about it spread around

Not any more than any typical motherboard. It's a somewhat dirty non-secret that DRAM isn't as compatible as the specs would have you believe and for some combinations of products, their signal margins just do not align well (see the big chaos that was the X10 Kingston memory debacle).
In fact, since you only have one channel working and one completely dead, this strongly suggests that the combination works and you just have a defective CPU or motherboard.

 

[Sliderman]

The memory controller for the other channel may be bad. At this stage, it's either that or damage on the motherboard (damaged pins or broken traces or something), so it's a matter of testing either of them separately to figure out who the culprit is.

Not any more than any typical motherboard. It's a somewhat dirty non-secret that DRAM isn't as compatible as the specs would have you believe and for some combinations of products, their signal margins just do not align well (see the big chaos that was the X10 Kingston memory debacle).
In fact, since you only have one channel working and one completely dead, this strongly suggests that the combination works and you just have a defective CPU or motherboard.

I had taken the advice off reddit and followed someones elses recommendations to the board and the RAM they selected but when i try to find compatible ram myself the RAM they linked im not sure is compatible granted it did boot with 2 sticks but maybe 4 sticks make them not compatible? Not sure if thats a thing but its why i posted link to the RAM just to see if u think its compatible cause i could buy another set of RAM if you wanna double check it to make sure its compatible as the odds of 2 Boards having same issue with same slots i find slim and could be RAM related maybe.

 

[rvassar]

Not any more than any typical motherboard. It's a somewhat dirty non-secret that DRAM isn't as compatible as the specs would have you believe and for some combinations of products, their signal margins just do not align well (see the big chaos that was the X10 Kingston memory debacle).

If you only knew... Imagine firmware training algorithms fiddling with per DIMM voltage's to clean up the "eye" and connect with the memory at boot time. And it's that crazy way back in the DDR3 days... And we keep slapping un-certified DIMM's from disparate manufacturer's in our motherboard's and just expect them to work, like it's 1994... You have no idea how much effort goes into this stuff...

In fact, since you only have one channel working and one completely dead, this strongly suggests that the combination works and you just have a defective CPU or motherboard.

Agree. Check CPU & socket for thermal grease contamination of course...

 

[Sliderman]

If you only knew... Imagine firmware training algorithms fiddling with per DIMM voltage's to clean up the "eye" and connect with the memory at boot time. And it's that crazy way back in the DDR3 days... And we keep slapping un-certified DIMM's from disparate manufacturer's in our motherboard's and just expect them to work, like it's 1994... You have no idea how much effort goes into this stuff...



Agree. Check CPU & socket for thermal grease contamination of course...

The cpu works fine as i stated that with just 2 sticks of ram everything works just fine on one of the boards and i let it run for a few hours with truenas and testing it out seeing how it all works but any more than 2 sticks of ram it will not post and i get the 5 beep 1 long beep error. The 2nd board wont post with any ram so i think that board is a dud maybe but ive been reading still for a bit and seen some people recommend to manually change the speed of the ram in bios to match that of the ram sticks to fix the issue but i dont even wanna rebuild it all just to test but part of me wants too.

I just wanna make sure the ram is compatible that i linked as from what i checked it is but wanna be 100%

 

[Ericloewe]

I had taken the advice off reddit and followed someones elses recommendations to the board and the RAM they selected but when i try to find compatible ram myself the RAM they linked im not sure is compatible granted it did boot with 2 sticks but maybe 4 sticks make them not compatible? Not sure if thats a thing but its why i posted link to the RAM just to see if u think its compatible cause i could buy another set of RAM if you wanna double check it to make sure its compatible as the odds of 2 Boards having same issue with same slots i find slim and could be RAM related maybe.

You would not (typically, I'm sure there's a crazy scenario that contradicts this) have both slots working in one channel and nothing on the other channel in that scenario.

The cpu works fine as i stated that with just 2 sticks of ram everything works just fine on one of the boards and i let it run for a few hours with truenas and testing it out seeing how it all works but any more than 2 sticks of ram it will not post and i get the 5 beep 1 long beep error.

The CPU is not a monolithic entity. It's entirely possible for the memory controller on one channel to be damaged without affecting the other channel, which would result in exactly what you're seeing.

ive been reading still for a bit and seen some people recommend to manually change the speed of the ram in bios to match that of the ram sticks to fix the issue but i dont even wanna rebuild it all just to test but part of me wants too.

If you're at that point, you've already lost. Manually tweaking DRAM settings is not the sort of thing you want to do on a whim and everything is expected to work automatically. If it doesn't, that's something that needs to be addressed properly.

 

[Sliderman]

You would not (typically, I'm sure there's a crazy scenario that contradicts this) have both slots working in one channel and nothing on the other channel in that scenario.

The CPU is not a monolithic entity. It's entirely possible for the memory controller on one channel to be damaged without affecting the other channel, which would result in exactly what you're seeing.

If you're at that point, you've already lost. Manually tweaking DRAM settings is not the sort of thing you want to do on a whim and everything is expected to work automatically. If it doesn't, that's something that needs to be addressed properly.

Honesty im just a bit flustered as to get all the parts in finally took about a month and was excited and thats now turned to frustration, granted i didnt plan on it being smooth but buying 2 boards and one having issues and other even worse and wont post issues i did not expect from the seller so ya i been googling every scenario possible to fix the issue and i just put the board back in and the bios frequency didnt even fix it anyway and knowing it could be cpu related and have to send cpu back or boards back i just wanna send it all back and start over from different seller probably.


Anyway i gotta head to bed before work in the morning, i appreciate the help so far and ima just send everything back quite honestly, i bought 6 10tb drives and couple samsung m.2s so ill just hold those until i can rebuy main components again.

 

[ChrisRJ]

Have you tried a second power supply? It's just that two boards showing the same problem, is an indicator that the problem is somewhere else (like with the CPU).

 

[rvassar]

Have you tried a second power supply? It's just that two boards showing the same problem, is an indicator that the problem is somewhere else (like with the CPU).

Or other common components... CPU, RAM, etc... Any thermal paste on the pads/contacts? You can carefully clean the contact surfaces with 70% isopropyl alcohol. You'll want the full ESD mat & wrist strap if it comes to this.

 

[Sliderman]

Have you tried a second power supply? It's just that two boards showing the same problem, is an indicator that the problem is somewhere else (like with the CPU).

Did not try another PSU as the one i purchased was new from EVGA and only had that PSU

 

[Sliderman]

Or other common components... CPU, RAM, etc... Any thermal paste on the pads/contacts? You can carefully clean the contact surfaces with 70% isopropyl alcohol. You'll want the full ESD mat & wrist strap if it comes to this.

ya it could of been several things and its just ugh trying to narrow it down, i sent the one board back that wouldn't even post but the ram sticks worked fine when i tested each one solo in 4th slot so i think ram was good or at least good enough for 2 slots but idk if it was a compatibility issue with using 4 sticks as the ram i posted in first post was recommended by a poster off reddit so i assumed it was compatible, what do u think if u look at the ram and MB?

 

[Sliderman]

This is the same board as the one i got off ebay correct ?

SUPERMICRO MBD-X11SSM-F-O Micro ATX Server Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy SUPERMICRO MBD-X11SSM-F-O Micro ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1151 Intel C236 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

Ebay one im referring too - https://www.ebay.com/itm/295325608500

Thinking of just buying it new even though its a bit more in cost

 

[Ericloewe]

That's a slightly different model, but works just as well.

 

[Sliderman]

That's a slightly different model, but works just as well.

Ya im willing to fork out the extra just to have a new one even though that don't guarantee no issues but it does improve odds and ebay seller i bought others from is the cheapest as the others on there used are just as expensive as a new so figure go with new.

Just looking for ram now, any recommendations for ram on that board as would like some input from from ppl that know what should work and your board is almost similar so maybe u know which ram would work for sure, was looking for 4 sticks for now total 32gb unless i should do 64gb

 

[Sliderman]

That's a slightly different model, but works just as well.

Actually i did find the previous ebay one new on ebay for around same price as that one on new egg, seems difference is this one on ebay thats new comes with a m.2 slot while the newegg one does not.

Ebay one - https://www.ebay.com/itm/2544517078...AOiwcd1uRuBJZpIwXibEqZKxE=|tkp:Bk9SR_D-3pGfYQ

Think i may grab it over newegg one maybe just wanna make sure i get right ram for it

 

[Sliderman]

Figure i give update, one from ebay linked worked perfectly but i returned all previous parts and re purchased else where, got my own ram and cpu and everything running perfect first try, only minor issues i had personally was it was not booting into truenas after install so had to sort boot order and that was it.