# [Solved] Can't get Asrock B450M Pro4 to post with all memory slots populated



## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

Hi,

I can't seem to get the system to post at all using the stock settings. I'm using four sticks of 8gb, which are all the same brand and model (tho on closer inspection, the new pair has slightly different cooling case). The only way I managed to make the system boot is by reducing the ram speed to 2133 and bumping the cpu NB voltage by +150mV. The board voltage settings seem to be really limited. Any higher values are highlighted in red, so I'm not sure if it's a good idea to set those. I'd love it if I could just get it to run at stock settings without using any crazy voltages.

I tried updating the MB to the latest supported BIOS (seems that for 2400G that's 3.50) with no difference.

This is what HWinfo is telling me:






I tried dinking around with the dram calculator for ryzen and after randomly inputting some of the values, it recommends I bump the ram voltage to 1.35 (it is supposed to be running 2666 at 1.2v stock). Is that a good idea?






Thanks for any and all assistance!

*Edit:*
Here's what's available in the bios:


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## Vya Domus (Jul 21, 2020)

I had the same issue, to be perfectly honest I don't know what did the trick, only thing I remember is that I had to use slots 2 and 4.


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## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

Vya Domus said:


> I had the same issue, to be perfectly honest I don't know what did the trick, only thing I remember is that I had to use slots 2 and 4.



Hah, had the exact same problem when I originally set up the pc ~1.5 years ago with just two sticks - couldn't get it to boot reliably and be stable until I found some random reddit post that said to use slots A2 and B2 (also the mobo manual was absolutely horrendous). The problem now is that I'm trying to use all 4 slots, which is starting to look like a bad idea on this mobo... 

I've used Asrock for a long time but I think I'll try something else for the next build


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

You need to install Thaiphoon Burner first and read the memory information, as the DRAM calculator is giving you wonky info right now without doing that.


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## Apocalypsee (Jul 21, 2020)

1.35V for DDR4 is safe you can try that first.


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## AsRock (Jul 21, 2020)

Apocalypsee said:


> 1.35V for DDR4 is safe you can try that first.



And if that fails maybe a little extra.


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## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

@TheLostSwede this is what Thaiphoon Burner is showing me for all slots:





The only thing that changes between them is the serial number and the manufacturing date, which seems logical. I see something about "8Gb A-Die (20nm) in there but not sure what's the equivalent in the dram calculator. If I set it to "Micron A-die", it now recommends 1.2V.


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## BoboOOZ (Jul 21, 2020)

Your memory channels are not functioning properly, the most common issue is that CPU is improperly seated in the socket, so some pins do not make good contact in the socket.
If not, it might come from the MB or the processor, but it will be tough to find out.

Just try to boot with only one stick of RAM on each of the banks to see if it is indeed an issue with the channel and not the type of ram/ quantity of RAM.

Just as an example, I have permanently lost memory channels on my 3600x due to improper application of liquid metal. But it might be just unequal mounting pressure on your cooler.

And of course, leave all settings at default, until you manage to understand what's happening with the memory channels.


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## theonek (Jul 21, 2020)

or just mobo with all slots populated can't run on higher frequency than default 2133. i have seen ryzens to do so with some of memory kits due to some kind of incompatibility. On the other side intel has no such issues....


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

HalfAHertz said:


> @TheLostSwede this is what Thaiphoon Burner is showing me for all slots:
> 
> View attachment 162833
> 
> The only thing that changes between them is the serial number and the manufacturing date, which seems logical. I see something about "8Gb A-Die (20nm) in there but not sure what's the equivalent in the dram calculator. If I set it to "Micron A-die", it now recommends 1.2V.


You need to export the data as an HTML file and import it into the DRAM Calculator.
Hit Report, scroll down and click on Show delays in nanoseconds.
Then File, Export to, Complete HMTL report.
Import that file into the DRAM calculator and you'll get numbers you can use.


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## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> You need to export the data as an HTML file and import it into the DRAM Calculator.
> Hit Report, scroll down and click on Show delays in nanoseconds.
> Then File, Export to, Complete HMTL report.
> Import that file into the DRAM calculator and you'll get numbers you can use.



I attached the complete html report as a zip.
Here's what I get now in the Dram calculator:





Should I be using the "Micron A-die" option?

@theonek you're probably right, this could very well be the limit of the current setup. I was just hoping I could tweak the settings a bit and bring it back to the rated stock speed. The only reason I got this mobo + case combo was because I wanted to be able to fit 4 dimms in the long run. Otherwise my original plan was to go with an mitx board and a small case...

Edit:
found some info on the ram sticks here:

__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/overclocking/comments/cfp99g
It's not micron A-die but should be good enough to do 2666 at 1.2v just fine. One of the posters recommends using the "Micron E/H-die" preset.


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## Assimilator (Jul 21, 2020)

2400G is Raven Ridge which is 1st-gen Zen which has a known weak memory controller, so it's no surprise you are having issues running 4 sticks.

My first question is, you are having problems with RAM... yet you didn't touch the RAM voltage at all. Why not?

Put NB voltage back to default, set RAM voltage to 1.35v, try to boot.

If that doesn't work, you can push NB voltage up but you shouldn't need any more than about +100mv (default is 1.0v, max is 1.2v, you have it at +150mv which is already rather high). You can also try pushing the RAM voltage up but anything over 1.45v is a bad idea.


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## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

Assimilator said:


> 2400G is Raven Ridge which is 1st-gen Zen which has a known weak memory controller, so it's no surprise you are having issues running 4 sticks.
> 
> My first question is, you are having problems with RAM... yet you didn't touch the RAM voltage at all. Why not?
> 
> ...



I didn't touch it, because I have no experience with this 
I just tried with 1.35V ddr voltage and +50mV NB voltage and everything else left on auto, and couldn't get it to post. It just gets stuck in a boot loop (memory training? ) and I powered it off after 3-4 minutes.

I'll try re-seating the CPU over the weekend and see if that helps in any way.


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## BoboOOZ (Jul 21, 2020)

HalfAHertz said:


> I didn't touch it, because I have no experience with this
> I just tried with 1.35V ddr voltage and +50mV NB voltage and everything else left on auto, and couldn't get it to post. It just gets stuck in a boot loop (memory training? ) and I powered it off after 3-4 minutes.
> 
> I'll try re-seating the CPU over the weekend and see if that helps in any way.


I repeat this is very important :
Just try to boot with only one stick of RAM on each of the banks to see if it is indeed an issue with the channel and not the type of ram/ quantity of RAM. 
With *default *settings in BIOS.


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

BoboOOZ said:


> I repeat this is very important :
> Just try to boot with only one stick of RAM on each of the banks to see if it is indeed an issue with the channel and not the type of ram/ quantity of RAM.
> With *default *settings in BIOS.


That doesn't work on a lot of current systems, the memory has to be loaded the right way, or the system won't boot at all.


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## BoboOOZ (Jul 21, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> That doesn't work on a lot of current systems, the memory has to be loaded the right way, or the system won't boot at all.


I would be shocked if that were the case. You should just get a "not optimal warning", but it should boot.

I have a current system, I boot from bank 2 and 3, it works fine, it's just not the best way to go about it.

Having just one ram stick is the most basic case for the system, it should work on any channel.


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

BoboOOZ said:


> I would be shocked if that were the case. You should just get a "not optimal warning", but it should boot.
> 
> I have a current system, I boot from bank 2 and 3, it works fine, it's just not the best way to go about it.


Why would you even want to run in dual single channel mode?  That makes no sense at all...


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## BoboOOZ (Jul 21, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> Why would you even want to run in dual single channel mode?  That makes no sense at all...


Because I  ruined 2 memory channels on my CPU., so it is the only way I can use my 16GB of RAM.

But why would you is another story, here we're trying to find the root of the problem. The first thing to investigate is if al memory channels are usable.


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

BoboOOZ said:


> Because I  ruined 2 memory channels on my CPU., so it is the only way I can use my 16GB of RAM.
> 
> But why would you is another story, here we're trying to find the root of the problem. The first thing to investigate is if al memory channels are usable.


And with that track record, you're giving advice to others?


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## Assimilator (Jul 21, 2020)

HalfAHertz said:


> I just tried with 1.35V ddr voltage



Why did you not mention that to start with? Why does your BIOS screenshot not show that?

I don't mean to be rude, but if you're asking for help, at least tell us *everything* you've done so far, so that we don't waste our time suggesting things that you've already tried.

---

As for your BIOS screenshot, I've just noticed that your BIOS seems to have discrete settings for SOC voltage ("SOC Voltage VID" at top of screenshot) and NB voltage ("Vcore NB Voltage Offset" at bottom). I don't know why because AFAIK these are the same on Ryzen, so I'm not sure if you're changing the correct thing, or if they are the same setting, or whatever - perhaps others more familiar with this board, or MSI Ryzen boards in general, can assist.

Either way I'd still suggest dropping the NB voltage back to default and pushing the RAM voltage up to 1.4v or 1.45v as a first step. If that still doesn't work then you can experiment with upping the SOC voltage but I'd be very careful there.

You should also check the memory QVL for the board, if your memory isn't on there you are probably out of luck. Unfortunately some sticks are just not compatible with Ryzen, particularly 1st-gen Ryzen, the fact you mentioned you already had trouble getting this system stable with only 2 sticks makes me suspect this may be an issue.

Honestly your best bet might be to try find a pair of 16GB sticks instead. This is a budget board with limited voltage options, combined with a CPU with a known weak IMC, combined with crappy memory (Nanya is very low quality even this is supposedly Hyper-X) - you may never be able to get it to run all 4 sticks of your current memory.

Ignore Thaiphoon Burner or DRAM Calculator unless you absolutely cannot get the memory to work by upping voltages.

Finally, why are you still on Windows 1903 when 2004 has been out for a while?


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## Caring1 (Jul 21, 2020)

theonek said:


> or just mobo with all slots populated can't run on higher frequency than default 2133. i have seen ryzens to do so with some of memory kits due to some kind of incompatibility. On the other side intel has no such issues....


2400G  APU is limited as to the Ram speeds it can support. 
Problem solved, you're welcome.


*Raven Ridge Memory Support**Speed*2 DIMMs - Single Rankup to DDR4-29334 DIMMs - Single Rankup to DDR4-21332 DIMMs - Dual Rankup to DDR4-26674 DIMMs - Dual Rankup to DDR4-1866


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## BoboOOZ (Jul 21, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> And with that track record, you're giving advice to others?


Yes, because I have a brain and I learned a lot from those 3 days of debugging. And after that, I went and seen some videos in order to understand the issue.

The memory channels disappearing is a problem Linus gets often when he plays with processors, it's pretty well known.


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## Assimilator (Jul 21, 2020)

BoboOOZ said:


> The memory channels disappearing is a problem Linus gets often when he plays with processors, it's pretty well known.



wat


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

BoboOOZ said:


> Yes, because I have a brain and I learned a lot from those 3 days of debugging. And after that, I went and seen some videos in order to understand the issue.
> 
> The memory channels disappearing is a problem Linus gets often when he plays with processors, it's pretty well known.


Ah, so by watching some videos on the internet, you're now an expert, ok, good to know...
I hope you can help the OP work out his problems then. GL HF.


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## ThrashZone (Jul 21, 2020)

HalfAHertz said:


> Hah, had the exact same problem when I originally set up the pc ~1.5 years ago with just two sticks - couldn't get it to boot reliably and be stable until I found some random reddit post that said to use slots A2 and B2 (also the mobo manual was absolutely horrendous). The problem now is that I'm trying to use all 4 slots, which is starting to look like a bad idea on this mobo...
> 
> I've used Asrock for a long time but I think I'll try something else for the next build


Hi,
Are you using a 4 stick kit or just added 2 more sticks ?
Just adding two more sticks is usually problematic.


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## BoboOOZ (Jul 21, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> Ah, so by watching some videos on the internet, you're now an expert, ok, good to know...
> I hope you can help the OP work out his problems then. GL HF.


Did I say anywhere that I was an expert? I just pointed out that there is a well-known issue that may be causing this, and you have to check it before checking voltages, makes, etc, otherwise you are wasting your "expert" time.


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## ThrashZone (Jul 21, 2020)

BoboOOZ said:


> Did I say anywhere that I was an expert? I just pointed out that there is a well-known issue that may be causing this, and you have to check it before checking voltages, makes, etc, otherwise you are wasting your "expert" time.


Hi,
Sticks dropping off is simply incompatibility
Reseat memory 
Reseat cpu look for bent socket pins
Don't use mixed kits or 2x kits to make one 4 stick kit these haven't been test to work together.
Lastly defective memory rma.


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## Assimilator (Jul 21, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> 2400G  APU is limited as to the Ram speeds it can support.
> Problem solved, you're welcome.
> 
> 
> *Raven Ridge Memory Support**Speed*2 DIMMs - Single Rankup to DDR4-29334 DIMMs - Single Rankup to DDR4-21332 DIMMs - Dual Rankup to DDR4-26674 DIMMs - Dual Rankup to DDR4-1866



Source?


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## Caring1 (Jul 21, 2020)

Assimilator said:


> Source?


 Tom's








						AMD Ryzen 5 2400G Tests: How Much Does Memory Impact Gaming?
					

Eager to coax more performance from AMD's Raven Ridge-based processors, we reinstalled our Ryzen 5 2400G to see how it reacts to different memory frequencies, timings, and DIMM configurations.




					www.tomshardware.com


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## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

*@ThrashZone I'm using two kits of two memories, each is 2x8gb and they are suposedly the exact same brand and package. I know that's not ideal, I just thought that there might be a setting combination I'm missing.

@Assimilator What I meant to say is, I tried 1.35V after you recommended it. I'll try playing with the other voltage settings tomorrow as per your post.*


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## ThrashZone (Jul 21, 2020)

Hi,
Link might answer your question if the machine posts at all at mother board spec's frequency.


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## HalfAHertz (Jul 21, 2020)

Well darn, that explains it... The max for Raven Ridge is indeed 2133 with 4 SR sticks. I was looking at the manual from my phone when I was trying earlier and this is how the android reader displays it:







Then I opened the exact same thing on the computer just now and the same table is totally different:


			https://download.asrock.com/Manual/B450%20Pro4.pdf
		


must be a stupid bug in the android pdf reader...

All those memory OC settings are for the other supported AM4 cpus. I guess the only option if I'm feeling adventurous in the future is to try some memory timing tweaks.

Thanks everyone for all your help and sorry for wasting your time.


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## TheLostSwede (Jul 21, 2020)

HalfAHertz said:


> Well darn, that explains it... The max for Raven Ridge is indeed 2133 with 4 SR sticks. I was looking at the manual from my phone when I was trying earlier and this is how the android reader displays it:
> 
> View attachment 162912
> 
> ...


That's the "official" clock speed list, it doesn't mean higher speeds don't work. My Ryzen 1700 would happily run the RAM up to 3000MHz, after a few UEFI updates and that was on an X370 board.
Shit, I'm running 3800MHz on my current rig, but he official max RAM speed is 3200MHz. Don't read too much into the official memory clocks, on any CPU, unless it's a locked Intel CPU.


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## Assimilator (Jul 22, 2020)

Ouch. Long story short, OP, 2x 8GB @ 2666 is the highest you can go. My previous recommendation of 2x 16GB would only run at 2400 max, and your 4x 8GB is only guaranteed up to 2133 (i.e. what you've got). So you're pretty much screwed :/ - at this point the only thing you can do is try tinkering with BIOS settings in the (probably vain) hope that you might be able to coax a bit more out of the CPU's memory controller.

A Zen+ APU (Picasso) like the 3400G will almost certainly fix this issue, as Zen+ memory controller is significantly improved, but I imagine that's an expense you aren't willing to incur. OTOH, the successor to Picasso just launched, so Picasso chips are now old stock and thus their prices should start dropping.



Caring1 said:


> Tom's
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Heh, still looks like that's correct based on what OP has posted from his MB manual. My main gripe: why TF does AMD not have this information on their website, FFS?



TheLostSwede said:


> That's the "official" clock speed list, it doesn't mean higher speeds don't work. My Ryzen 1700 would happily run the RAM up to 3000MHz, after a few UEFI updates and that was on an X370 board.
> Shit, I'm running 3800MHz on my current rig, but he official max RAM speed is 3200MHz. Don't read too much into the official memory clocks, on any CPU, unless it's a locked Intel CPU.



Problem is that OP's board vendor specifically says that for his CPU (Raven Ridge) he must stay on a BIOS version that only has AGESA 1.0.0.3.


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