Another "Windows 7 not seeing all my RAM" thread...

[wevsspot]

Look on the bright side. 16Gb should be more than enough memory for about 99.9% of users on the planet and you can keep the extra stick as a spare.

 

That probably doesn't help much - but I was just trying to find some sort of silver lining in there for you

[Onion]

You can sell off the extra ram and then get a full matching 32 gb kit when you upgrade.

[ir_cow]

No one suggested memtest86? Do it! If you see 16gb and passes than its not a board issue but rather a windows issue. I'm also supposed dust mention the windows reg issues that happens when you add more ram after install windows . It's rare but I guess it can happen .

[TRWeiss1]

Thanks guys! I'm trying to be optimistic about it as well, telling myself that I'll never even use the 16 gigs. Haha

 

horny, I did run memtest86. Memtest only sees 16 gigs, not the full 24... I'm booting from the memtest86 CD, and running the test that way. Is there any other way I should be running it? I've always booted from the CD.

[wevsspot]

Hey TR - you don't need to do anything special with Memtest. If it boots and starts the test then you're doing everything correctly. However, the fact that Memtest only shows 16Gb tells you something in and of itself. To point, there are many times when the BIOS, Memtest and even some Windows based apps (think CPUz) show the total amount of memory installed but Windows does not report the correct amount.

 

The fact that a DOS based app like Memtest doesn't detect all of the physical memory tells you that this is a board/memory/memory controller issue and not a Windows issue. Since you've been through a fairly well organized trouble shooting process already, this comes down to your cpu (onboard memory controller) or possibly the board itself.

 

The only other thing I can think of is to drop your memory speed way down to 1033Mhz or 1333Mhz and see what happens. Technically the i7 920 only supports a max memory frequency of 1033Mhz (but we all know that it will run memory much, much faster than that). However, with the amount and density of the memory you're running - it's possible that the onboard memory controller of your cpu just can't handle the load.

[Waco]

What wevvspot said.

 

Considering you also had issues getting less-dense sticks to run too I doubt this is anything related to software. It could be a BIOS bug, it could be your CPU (memory controller), or it could be your board itself.

 

Wev's suggestion of slowing the memory down is a good start -- the other thing you can try is loosening the timings a couple notches for each main and sub-timing setting. You could even try dropping to 800 MHz if it is supported just to see what happens. More RAM is almost always better than faster RAM anyway.

[TRWeiss1]

I'm leaning more towards the memory controller on my CPU. One other thing to point out... A coworker and myself have nearly identical systems. We both run an i7, we were running the same RAM, and we are running the same mobo. He has 12 GBs as well, and his system sees it just fine. When I had 12 GBs, my system was only seeing 8. Perhaps there was an issue with my CPU's memory controller right out of the box.

 

I'd doubt that it's a BIOS issue, simply based on the fact that I've tried so many different BIOS revisions. I agree with you guys, though. Clearly it is a mobo issue or CPU issue. I doubt it's the RAM itself, since it was seeing 2/3 of my old memory and it's seeing 2/3 of my new memory. The likelihood of the RAM being bad in both cases is very low, I'd think.

[Waco]

I'd try the slower speeds and timings and see if that gains you any traction...if not it might be worth temporarily trading chips if your coworker is willing. That'll rule out anything funny going on at least!

[TRWeiss1]

It's funny you mention that, because he did offer! I'd just hate to impose on him.... Of course I am so damn curious as far as what's going on, I just might do that. lol

[wevsspot]

A couple other things you can try;

 

You said earlier that you have been running your QPI/DRAM voltage at 1.3V from day one (if I remember correctly) so here are some specific things you might try on that front as well as a couple timing suggestions.

 

Clear CMOS and reload default values. Leave everything at stock except manually input the following;

 

AI Overclock Tuner - Manual

BCLK Frequency - 133

PCIe Frequency - 100

QPI/DRAM Frequency - 1333Mhz

QPI/DRAM Voltage - manually set to 1.40V

DRAM Voltage - manually set to 1.55V

Primary Memory Timings and Command Rate - 9-9-9-24 2N (2T)

tRFC -110

tFAW - 39 (recommended range 32 to 39)

 

Save changes, reboot and see if your memory is there.

 

The last thing I'd like to mention - it sounds as if you've been doing all of this testing with the motherboard installed in the case. To eliminate any potential short-circuiting between the motherboard and case I'd recommend removing the motherboard and try testing outside the case. This is probably unlikely, but it is one thing you could eliminate. There could be a grounding issue between the cpu backplate, a poorly finished solder point or even a motherboard standoff. Basically any part of the motherboard circuitry that is touching a metal grounding point.

[TRWeiss1]

Gents, as is turns out I've apparently had an issue with the memory controller on my i7 (since the controller is ON the CPU itself, not the mobo) since the day I bought it! Tried a friend's i7 and was able to see all the memory. However, I'm not going to be buying another old CPU. I decided to upgrade to the AMD FX-8350 8 core CPU, and just overhaul my system. This gives me a good excuse to do it. Thanks again for all the help!

[Waco]

I hope you didn't order it yet...your 920 at 4 ghz is likely faster in most applications and games than an 8350.

 

 

EDIT: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/697?vs=99

 

That's an 8350 versus a 975 Extreme (3.3 GHz Nehalem)...your 920 at 4 GHz would be quite a bit faster. At best, it's a sideways move to the 8350. It's definitely a step back in gaming performance.

 

 

A 3770K, on the other hand, even at stock destroys the 8350 in everything: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/697?vs=551