16GB Ram, 8.1GB Hardware Reserved, tried every fix, looking for any hope

[poopeyman]

Hi there,

This is a current part list for a build I'm working on upgrading: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QcmcVc . It currently uses an up-to-date 64 bit version of Windows 10 since there have been a few updates over the years.

This build has worked for many years with an i5-4690, but I recently picked up an i7-5775c because it was low-cost and I thought it would be a cool upgrade which could give some tangible improvements. I carefully replaced the CPU and it seemed that all was well, I started benchmarking with the new CPU, however I soon noticed that I only had 7.9GB of usable RAM:

https://gyazo.com/ef5c8e65f657529bdca473a8a65b46fe

However, Windows recognized my full 16GB of RAM, I just had 8.1GB of RAM "Hardware reserved". So, I started down the depth-first search of every google result I could find for similar issues. This issue did not occur in the past, however the exact time when it started may have been a few days ago when I upgraded the bios, but more likely it started when I actually replaced the CPU.

Screenshot of Resource Monitor:
https://gyazo.com/c75cfd2f979bbd1040ad1bd0d8055475
Screenshot of msconfig System Information:
https://gyazo.com/d19e9bc7972adc4614fb516c57093d50

I can provide more data if needed, let me know.

Things I have tried:

• I have the latest bios, I flashed it for compatibility with the new CPU
• I reset the BIOS to the default.
• I tried one-by-one enabling any BIOS setting that seemed like it might be related to memory. Particularly, I have the default display method set to PCI (not integrated graphics) and have the IGD multi-monitor feature off. The first and best theory that I have is that the memory is being reserved by the integrated graphics somehow, but these are the only BIOS options related to integrated graphics that I can find and they are electing not to use them.
• I tried disabling the Windows pagefile
• I tried un-setting the "max memory" checkbox in msconfig, however it was not checked in the first place.
• I tried every permutation of RAM stick ordering that I could, putting each stick in each slot and trying to boot, but the issue persists.
• I loosened the CPU cooler to relieve pressure from the board

I have also tried two of the four RAM sticks as individual pairs. When I any run any two of the RAM sticks, the issue does not occur; I get 8GB of RAM usable. This holds true for either of the two dual-channel slot pairs (2&4, 1&3). So, I have tried each combination of sticks individually in both slots 2 and 4 and 1 and 3 and they are fully functional, giving me 8GB of usable RAM in Windows. This, I assume, rules out a faulty RAM stick or a faulty slot. The only time that this issue occurs is when all 4 RAM sticks are in the board.

Moreover, many of the conclusions I have found for this issue point to it being a BIOS problem, but I can't think of any setting I can set in the bios that might fix it. Perhaps someone on this forum might know; maybe the RAM modules that I have are very slightly different somehow and I need to synchronize them when all 4 are in the board? I don't know.


Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks for the help in advance.