Testing Out New RAM

[Soloam]

Hello, I was able to get my hand on a 32 GB RAM ECC and on a great time, my machine was lacking some RAM. This RAM is not on the list of the compatible ones from my motherboard, what is the correct procedure to test if they will work? I normally run MemoryTest for 1 day, and if no errors are found I'm good to go. Do you guys think that 1 day is safe? Or should I use more that One Day?

Another question, my motherboard only supports 32GB, at the moment I have 2 dims of 8GB ECC 1600 memory. I now have 4 dims of 8GB 1333 ECC. Should I keep my 8+8 (1600) plus 8+8 (1333) or replace my old ones and use 8+8+8+8 (1333)?

Thank you all

 

[joeschmuck]

I'm not sure how fast your RAM can test on your motherboard but I'd recommend at least 5 full passes of the test. That could be 1 day or 5 days. That would make me feel like my RAM is stable, however I would also run a CPU stress test for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to ensure the system is stable becasue the RAM directly connects to the CPU so you never know if this could be an issue unless you test for it, with the hard drives connected to ensure maximum power draw from the power supply.

Another question, my motherboard only supports 32GB, at the moment I have 2 dims of 8GB ECC 1600 memory. I now have 4 dims of 8GB 1333 ECC. Should I keep my 8+8 (1600) plus 8+8 (1333) or replace my old ones and use 8+8+8+8 (1333)?

Well this is a good question but the answer is simple, only use the 1333 MHz modules. If you mix then you have a great chance to have issues with your system. The user manual also states this for your motherboard.

 

[Ericloewe]

Well, if there are several different speed ratings, any sane BIOS will setup the IMC to operate at the highest speed supported by all DIMMs, so that's not inherently a problem.

 

[Soloam]

I'll test it out and see.

One thing that I never know who to check is how to tell in te MemoryTest that ECC is "active" or being used and what status should I look for? What is a red flag?

Thank you all

 

[joeschmuck]

Well, if there are several different speed ratings, any sane BIOS will setup the IMC to operate at the highest speed supported by all DIMMs, so that's not inherently a problem.

That is putting a lot of faith in the BIOS. If the OP placed two 1600 MHz modules in Channel A and then two 1333 MHz modules in Channel B, I wouldn't be surprised if they ran at those speeds if the controllers are truly independent, but then you have interleaving where you use both channels to split the data across them in order to improve RAM throughput but that could lead to issues because the 1600 MHz RAM will have data read well before the slower 1333 MHz data, and write speeds would be different as well. Anyway I would advice against mixing RAM speeds unless you manually manipulate the RAM speed settings in the BIOS. But since you have four 1333 MHz modules already, and only four slots, I still recommend using just the 1333 MHz RAM. Set the 1600 MHz RAM aside for some other system or for a troubleshooting aid if you ever have a RAM issue.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ericloewe]

That is putting a lot of faith in the BIOS.

Well, it only needs to work long enough for the system to boot into the setup menu, where this stuff can be manually overridden if needed, to establish sanity.

 

[joeschmuck]

Well, it only needs to work long enough for the system to boot into the setup menu, where this stuff can be manually overridden if needed, to establish sanity.

I thought you were implying that the BIOS will handle it all on it's own, no user reconfiguration. Many people are not familiar with RAM timing adjustments as you and I are, nor voltage adjustments. During my overclocking days (well behind me now) there were so many tiny tweaks to make things work stable and even that .01 volt makes a difference. And since the OP is asking this question, I assume tweaking the system is likely out of the comfort zone, but maybe not.

 

[Soloam]

I would prefere not to go OC route.. I had my share of adventures with BIOS settings, I don't what to play around in my main system :) I think I'll just use the 4 1333.

Thank You

 

[Redcoat]

One thing that I never know who to check is how to tell in te MemoryTest that ECC is "active" or being used and what status should I look for? What is a red flag?

I paid to get the Pro version of Memtest86 in order to get the ECC fault injection function. However, on my AsrockC2750D4l I could not determine of it actually injected the faults and corrected them. I went on the Passmark support forum to get clarification - answer as follows:

"Got the log. Your hardware supports ECC injection. So no problem there.

But the DRAM Control Operation (DCO) register is showing that the ECC injection has been disabled in your BIOS firmware. You may want to check your BIOS setup to see if there is an option to enable ECC injection. Otherwise, you would need to flash a custom BIOS to prevent the ECC injection feature from being disabled.

In the next release of MemTest86 we'll decode the bits in the DCO registers to provide a clearer indication in the log that the injection feature is disabled in BIOS.
At the moment this string appearing in the log shows the feature was disabled. "DCO=C0101201"

The warning message in the next release will be,

**Warning** DRPLOCK is set to 1. DRPLOCK must be cleared by the BIOS to enable error injection."

In a further email one of their people explained that it was not uncommon for a mobo manufacturer to disable this function and not have an ON switch for it in the BIOS as it could then be turned on by malware and exploited.

So, if you want to be sure you don't waste your money on the Pro version I guess you need to contact your mobo manufacturer and ask about the status of the DCO register.

 

[Chris Moore]

Hello, I was able to get my hand on a 32 GB RAM ECC and on a great time, my machine was lacking some RAM. This RAM is not on the list of the compatible ones from my motherboard, what is the correct procedure to test if they will work? I normally run MemoryTest for 1 day, and if no errors are found I'm good to go. Do you guys think that 1 day is safe? Or should I use more that One Day?

Another question, my motherboard only supports 32GB, at the moment I have 2 dims of 8GB ECC 1600 memory. I now have 4 dims of 8GB 1333 ECC. Should I keep my 8+8 (1600) plus 8+8 (1333) or replace my old ones and use 8+8+8+8 (1333)?

Thank you all

Model numbers matter. Are you sure the 'new' memory isn't registered RDIMM memory?

 

[Soloam]

This is the new memory:

I just got the "bad" news that I can only get 3 modules, so I would have to use 2 of them with the ones that I have, or only use 3 of the new ones.

At the moment I have this ones Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL11 ECC Unbuffered CT2KIT102472BD160B.

What is the best approach?

 

[Chris Moore]

At the moment I have this ones Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL11 ECC Unbuffered CT2KIT102472BD160B.

The memory pictured is Registered ECC (actually LRDIMM) memory. This which is not compatible with the Xeon E3 processor (and accompanying chipset) that you have. To use this memory, you would need to replace your system board and processor. I did that myself recently so I could upgrade beyond the 32GB cap imposed by the system board and processor I had before, but it is around $300 to do that. The good thing about doing it is that Registered DDR3 is less expensive and more plentiful on the used market. The Xeon E5 processor you would need to go to would also allow you to upgrade easily to 128GB of memory for a not horrible price, around $450. I went to 64GB myself.
Would you like a suggestion for a system board and processor?

 

[joeschmuck]

The memory pictured is Registered ECC (actually LRDIMM) memory. This which is not compatible with the Xeon E3 processor (and accompanying chipset) that you have. To use this memory, you would need to replace your system board and processor.

Wow, bad news. They look used so hopefully you didn't spend too much money on them.

 

[Soloam]

No, they where a "present" no money spend but I was hoping to save money because the crusial price went sky rocket ... They cost now twice as mutch from what I spend in the first time! I really need more memory and it seemed like a good opportunity! @Chris Moore what is the solution? Why isn't that route more used in the forum? What's the catch?

Thank you

 

[Chris Moore]

No, they where a "present" no money spend but I was hoping to save money because the crusial price went sky rocket ... They cost now twice as mutch from what I spend in the first time! I really need more memory and it seemed like a good opportunity! @Chris Moore what is the solution? Why isn't that route more used in the forum? What's the catch?

Thank you

Just to give you a point of comparison, this Registered (RDIMM) ECC memory is 32GB for only $160 with free Shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/32GB-2X16G...SRW-F-X9SRW-3F-X9SRL-F-X9SRL-B16/272519006563

However this Un-buffered (UDIMM) ECC meomory is 32GB for $275.50, also free shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hynix-32GB...UDIMM-Memory-NON-ECC-CL11-Module/352223047321

Price is wildly variable and you can easily find more expensive examples of either component. This is just for illustration.

The point is, if you want a lot of memory and you don't want to pay a lot for it, your best value is to invest in a Xeon E5 processor and system board because they are able to use the Registered memory. The modules like you received as a free gift, they are selling for about $45.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hynix-8GB-...Hz-ECC-REG-Registered-Server-ram/112618011504

Buy one more so you have four, and put the set in this system board:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SuperMicro-X9SRL-F-Motherboard/163070216187

With a CPU like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SR1A8-Inte...8-Core-CM8063501375101-Processor/192524131095

Then you have a rocking system and it will only cost $350... The advantage, long term, is that you can always upgrade to a faster CPU or one with more cores AND you can upgrade the RAM too. If I recall correctly, that system board will accommodate up to 512GB of memory, but you can easily afford to buy 128GB because it is only about $475 where if you wanted to get that much UDIMM memory, it would be over $1000...

I have been suggesting this type of build to anyone that asked for several months now because of the price of memory.

 

[Soloam]

@Chris Moore that seems cool. Way isn't this systems more recommended at start here on the forum? Basically I could sell my MB, CPU and Memory and with the money buy a better system with more memory? No catch? I was looking at a solution to upgrade my CPU also, I would like to go 8 core 16 threads. Maybe this is the route?

Thank You

 

[Chris Moore]

That is what I did.
The E5 Xeon processor is doing everything my old E3 did and then some. Plex transcode that was running 95% utilization before are not even 50% now.
This is slightly older hardware, so it isn't in the hardware guide, but it is fully functional.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Chris Moore]

Way isn't this systems more recommended at start here on the forum?

The why is because it is used hardware and the availability can't be guaranteed. There have been times when these components were either not available or the price was not competitive. Right now, mostly because of the price of memory, the cost of the X9 generation Xeon E5 systems is very attractive, especially since there is a lot going for those systems in regard to running FreeNAS.
The hardware guide that is posted on the forum is more directed to the user that either needs (for business) or wants to buy a brand new component and wants to ensure that it is compatible.

 

[Soloam]

That CPU seems to be a good option to what I what, I will analise this and check what I need. I'll be on the USA next month (I'm from Europe), and probably I'll take advantage of the trip to get me some "new" hardware. Probably I'll still get back to you to some advice .

Thank You

 

[FlyingPersian]

It's a shame we don't have these prices in Europe! The motherboard costs at least twice as much here, and the CPU also almost twice as much, and it comes from China.
I was looking at the same thing, I've been running 16GB of RAM for a long time now, which is way too less. Just ordered the same RAM as the OP to upgrade to 32GB. It's still 12GB short of what I want it to be since I'm upgrading to 48TB, but I guess it's good enough :P