Overclocking RAM to Advertised Clock Speed Gives BSoD

[vxije]

When I first built this system, I tried enabling XMP, and started getting BSoDs somewhat randomly (usually ranging from every 30 minutes to every 8 hours or so). These seem to occur regardless of what I have running on the system at the time of the crash. I was annoyed by them for awhile, then finally realized that the overclocking could be the issue. I set my memory back to default settings in the BIOS and voila, I never get BSoDs anymore. I've tried a "Memory Try It!" preset that matched my specs and just like that, I was getting BSoDs again. I've updated my BIOS and tried overclocking again, and nothing changed. I'm out of ideas and I'd like to have my memory running at the proper speed.

 

UPDATE: I have taken 2 sticks of memory out, then enabled XMP, and now my system runs properly. But of course now the problem is that I'd like to utilize all of the RAM i bought and have it work with XMP.

 

Specs

CPU: i9-12900k 3.2GHz 16 core
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A ATX LGA 1700 (BIOS is MSI Click BIOS 5 version E7D25IMS.AG0)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5600Mhz - 64GB (4 x 16GB)
PSU: Corsair RM850 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2x 12G

[Eigenvektor]

Four sticks + XMP is always a bit of a gamble. The only speed guaranteed by Intel is 4800 MT/s for DDR5, nothing more (see ark page for 12900K). You can try lowering memory speeds a bit or do some manual tuning.

[RONOTHAN##]

38 minutes ago, Eigenvektor said:

The only speed guaranteed by Intel is 4800 MT/s for DDR5, nothing more (see ark page for 12900K).

Heck, even those numbers aren't accurate as 4800MT/s is only guaranteed on 1DPC motherboards. On 2DPC motherboards, the supported speed drops down to 4400MT/s, and if you try to use 4x16GB the officially supported speed drops to 4000MT/s assuming these are single rank sticks (Corsair has made a few dual rank 16GB sticks in the 5600 speed bin, in which case the supported speed would be 3600MT/s).

https://edc.intel.com/content/www/us/en/design/ipla/software-development-platforms/client/platforms/alder-lake-desktop/12th-generation-intel-core-processors-datasheet-volume-1-of-2/001/processor-sku-support-matrix/

 

Granted, you can almost always run higher speeds than the officially supported frequencies, but just for reference 4x16GB is less supported than 2x32GB. Support for it comes and goes depending on the BIOS revision, so trying a couple different BIOS revisions can sometimes help. Also, check the version numbers on each of the sticks you have (this will be something like ver. 3.43.02 or 5.33.01), since I'm guessing you bought 2 2x16GB kits, in which case you have a possibility that the sticks are different and therefore have compatibility issues with each other at high speeds, or you got sticks that are dual rank (this will be if the 2nd number is 33 instead of 43) you won't have a shot at 5600MT/s working. 

[vxije]

9 hours ago, Eigenvektor said:

Four sticks + XMP is always a bit of a gamble. The only speed guaranteed by Intel is 4800 MT/s for DDR5, nothing more (see ark page for 12900K). You can try lowering memory speeds a bit or do some manual tuning.

Great, I appreciate the info. I'll adjust my memory speeds and see which ones I can get to work.

[Beerzerker]

11 hours ago, Eigenvektor said:

Four sticks + XMP is always a bit of a gamble. The only speed guaranteed by Intel is 4800 MT/s for DDR5, nothing more (see ark page for 12900K). You can try lowering memory speeds a bit or do some manual tuning.

On top of that, your RAM's rated speed only applies to the RAM, not all the rest.

If your chip's IMC is weak it won't let it go that high for example or if it has a crappy BIOS version that too can slow it down - Sometimes the board itself just isn't capable of speeds the RAM itself is rated for.

It all works together and like a chain, you'll never get more from it than the weakest link can deliver.

[Nena Trinity]

UPDATE: I have taken 2 sticks of memory out, then enabled XMP, and now my system runs properly. But of course now the problem is that I'd like to utilize all of the RAM i bought and have it work with XMP.

 

THIS

 

There are a few things you need to keep in mind, 1 what type of memory layout does your board have? Daisy chain? Or T-Topology? I have a board that refuses to run XMP speeds above 2933MHz on 2 of the DIMM slots, why? BECAUSE ONE OF THE TWO TYPES MENTIONED ABOVE ONLY 2 OF THE DIMM SLOTS ARE THE FAST LANE!

2 can your CPU even handle 4 sticks at that speed? Well look at what the manufacturer promises and see how far above you go? More DIMMs = more stress on the CPU, more memory ranks is same problem so buying 2 sticks of double capacity might get you nowhere!