Conflicting MemTest86 results depending on XMP profiles

[Verbotron]

Hi all.

I came across some conflicting results on MemTest86 and would like to have you guys' insights on it. I've just bought a 16GB 3200 MHz-rated memory module from Kingston (HX432C18FB/16) to pair with another one I had already installed in my rig. Since then I started experiencing system instability - program crashes, freezes and BSOD's. As the recent memory installation became the obvious suspect, I went onto running MemTest86 (free version) in order to check if the guess was right.

Within the very first minutes of the first pass of the test I've got my screen flooded with red warnings. This first test had the memory speeds set at 3200 MHz via the XMP profile available in the SPD tables. Before considering the case closed I've decided to lower memory speeds by using a less aggressive XMP profile and ran a second test - this time at 2933 MHz - and see what happened. And it went without a hitch, zero errors.

So this is my (probably newbie) question: it might be that I've got no faulty memory modules at all, but instead a memory controller which is simply not up to the task? I mean, I'm running these modules under a Ryzen 5 1600 (non-X) environment - a processor I know is offiicially rated for 2666 MHz memory speeds only. Please have my test results: https://1drv.ms/f/s!Aivf2gMwkA3js4Yk6SiXxcnDz_NDag

Thanks.

[David (PassMark)]

Did you manually select the RAM speed, or did you just select automatic in BIOS (or just turn on XMP and allow the system to select the XMP profile?).

The motherboard's firmware should automatically select the appropriate speed for the RAM to run at. There is no problem buying fast RAM, then running it at a slow speed (except that maybe you wasted some money buying speed you can't use).

But if you manually force higher speeds than the CPU (or RAM) is rated for then you are asking for problems. You are basically overclocking the machine which can lead to the system being unstable if you go to far.

[Verbotron]

Did you manually select the RAM speed, or did you just select automatic in BIOS (or just turn on XMP and allow the system to select the XMP profile?).

The motherboard's firmware should automatically select the appropriate speed for the RAM to run at. There is no problem buying fast RAM, then running it at a slow speed (except that maybe you wasted some money buying speed you can't use).

But if you manually force higher speeds than the CPU (or RAM) is rated for then you are asking for problems. You are basically overclocking the machine which can lead to the system being unstable if you go to far.

As mentioned in the opening, I'm just choosing between the available XMP profiles via the DOCP setting in the BIOS. No manual configurations at all at this point.

Thanks.

[David (PassMark)]

I haven't done an extensive survey of motherboards, but it doesn't make sense to me that the motherboard would allow you to select a XMP profile that it can't support. But you could make the same argument about overclocking as well. The BIOS allow the user to pick overclock settings that have nearly no chance of working. You did buy a motherboard that supports overclocking, so anything is possible. I don't know how much that MB tries to protect you from setting bad parameters.

[colesdav]

As mentioned in the opening, I'm just choosing between the available XMP profiles via the DOCP setting in the BIOS. No manual configurations at all at this point.

Thanks.

Hi,

Talk to me on here: https://community.amd.com/thread/238460

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Speak soon.