1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
603
October 31st, 2023 03:53
XPS 8930 mixed RAM issue? Upgrade to resolve?
XPS 8930
Hey folks,
A while back I added another 16GB (2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz) of RAM to my XPS 8930.
I think they might be causing instability in the system, as whenever I'm above 16GB of RAM usage, things begin to crash... sometimes.
As DDR4 prices have normalised lately, I'm thinking of replacing all 32 GB (4 x 8GB) with a G.Skill 64GB Kit (4x16GB) DDR4 Ripjaws V C18 3600MHz
CPU-Z shows the channels running quite differently now. Bad?
Will the swap eliminate my issues, you think?
No Events found!
mredge
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
December 8th, 2023 00:45
Thought I'd loop back and give all you helpful contributors an update.
I bought the 16 GB x 4 as described above (G.Skill F4-2666C19S-16GIS Aegis).
Besides all being matching, I think the key was to ensure they are also SPD 2666.
With zero XMP on the XPS 8930, buying faster RAM with slower SPD would be a downgrade, as the SPD speed is what it would run at in this Dell.
No more Adobe app freezes and everything seems to be running much more reliably.
ps. As with any new RAM installation, I did run another full memtest to make sure it was all good as well.
JOcean
9 Legend
•
12.6K Posts
0
October 31st, 2023 13:43
There is no point going to 3600 as the XPS does not have XMP capabilities. And mixing RAM makes is never a good idea on a Dell which are picky about RAM makes in the first place. The most compatible RAM is from Crucial here and if you want 32GB of RAM make sure to purchase a 32GB kit of matched RAM. And notice that your pics show 2666 (which the XPS RAM will run at) and 3200. With 2 different speeds, your RAM will run at the slowest speed of the available RAM.
Vic384
4 Operator
•
3.2K Posts
1
November 1st, 2023 00:41
@mredge Since you did not specify the part number of your Corsair memory, I am guessing the actual memory has an SPD speed of 2133 MHz. This is based on your CPU-Z results of 1064.1 MHz DRAM Frequency. Since your Dell PC only uses SPD speed your Corsair memory is actually causing your system to run slower than the spec max of 2666 MHz.
If you suspect system instability due to memory you should try running something like MemTest86, https://www.memtest86.com/.
If you are planning on buying new memory make sure the specs indicate the SPD speed is at least 2666 MHz, most manufacturers specify the max XMP speed and some do not even list the SPD speed. Crucial memory, in my experience, lists the SPD speed when advertising memory speed.
mredge
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
November 1st, 2023 10:42
@Vic384 some terrific info there which is very helpful. I cannot find much RAM with SPD above 2133. Though it certainly looks like the native 2 X 8gb ddr4 achieves it without XMP.
I think I now know what to shop for. 4 X 16gb at 2666 SPD should be what I look for.
In the meantime I've switched the new and old dimm channels, in case that helps the bios set better defaults before I can arrange a purchase.
Thanks all for your input. I'll post outcomes when I have them!
(edited)
Vic384
4 Operator
•
3.2K Posts
0
November 1st, 2023 12:35
@mredge While your Corsair memory limits your speed, I would still run MemTest86 to verify the RAM compatibility problem.
mredge
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
November 1st, 2023 22:13
@Vic384 I've run memtest86 a number of times and never had an error.
Based on the helpful feedback from everyone, I've found some G.Skill RAM I think is suitable for a 4 x 16GB install (AUD$55 per stick).
G.Skill F4-2666C19S-16GIS Aegis
16GB
2666MHZ SPD
DDR4
PC4-21300
19-19-19-43
https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/memory/ddr4-desktop-memory/88483-f4-2666c19s-16gis
Vic384
4 Operator
•
3.2K Posts
1
November 2nd, 2023 00:19
@mredge Since MemTest86 passes it is possible you may not have a RAM compatibility issue, but an OS/application memory use issue. I guess you will not know for sure until all your memory is the same.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
1
November 2nd, 2023 00:49
FWIW, I recently tried to upgrade my XPS 8930 from 2x 8 GB (Dell OEM Hynix) by adding 2x 8 GB from Crucial together with the OEM RAM, but it wouldn't boot. Also wouldn't boot when only the Crucial RAM was installed in slots 2 and 4, counting from CPU.
I kept getting 4 beeps (Memory or RAM failure), no matter which way I tried. Crucial couldn't figure it out and I ended up sending it back. Haven't tried any other RAM upgrades...