Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6 - BIOS & RAM Questions

I'm using the Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6 for over a month now and I'm quite happy with it. However, I have some problems/questions regarding BIOS and RAM.

1) BIOS (v1.90)

My BIOS freezes occasionally. It happens already when I'm only browsing through the menu. It's not a big deal but can be annoying sometimes when I'm trying to change some settings. Updating to the latest beta release (Sky OC support) doesn't solve the issue. Does anyone else have this problem?

2) RAM Overclocking (Crucial 2x4GB, DDR4-2133)

I've pushed my RAM up to 2800Mhz@Cl14-14-14-34 and v1.25. With my Pentium G4400, the timings were stable, but since I've swapped my G4400 for an i7-6700k, my system has cold boot problems. Sometimes my system restarts itself with an UEFI boot failure message or Dr. Debug shows me an error code 55. The funny thing is that my system runs stable after a normal reset. I did some tests with memtest86,Prime95, Intel XTU etc. but I got no errors. Higher timings and lower frequency doesn't solve the cold boot problem.
Does The CPU does make a difference in terms of RAM overclocking? Or is there some kind of bug in the BIOS?

3) RAM Compatibility

Currently I'm planning to buy one of the following memory kits with XMP:

- Corsair Vengeance LPX DIMM Kit 16GB (2x8), DDR4-3200@16-18-18-36 (black or red)
- G.Skill Ripjaws V DIMM Kit 16GB (2x8), DDR4-3200@16-16-16-36 (black or silver)

I already checked the compatibility website, but unfortunately they aren't listed (only the 2x4GB version I believe) and the Trident Z series G.Skill aren't available in my country. I would be glad if someone could share some experiences with these memory kits because I don't want to be a guinea pig. I'm also open for other suggestions (2x8GB, 3000mhz+). 

Thanks.


Edited by Tenkei - 14 Jan 2016 at 4:24pm

Tenkei wrote: Does The CPU does make a difference in terms of RAM overclocking?

It might, especially if it's of a different architecture, since the memory controller has likely gone through some changes as well.

However, it doesn't sound like it's a problem with overclocking. I'll ask this just to be sure, have you tried running the memory on stock settings?

I already checked the compatibility website, but unfortunately they aren't listed (only the 2x4GB version I believe) and the Trident Z series G.Skill aren't available in my country.

Do you mean the memory manufacturers websites or the compatibility list available on ASRock's website? If you mean the latter, try the former to double check.

PetrolHead wrote: It might, especially if it's of a different architecture, since the memory controller has likely gone through some changes as well. However, it doesn't sound like it's a problem with overclocking. I'll ask this just to be sure, have you tried running the memory on stock settings?

Yes, they just ran fine at stock speed (swapped them for better ones yesterday). I wasn't able to maintain stability with overclocked speeds so I gave up in the end.

wardog wrote: I recommend G.Skill here seemingly a whole lot, I've used G.Skill exclusively for years now, yet I have never had any problems when choosing from the list that G.Skill's RAM Configurator says is compatible with whatever board I may be assembling at that time. They just work. Period. My sig below is testament I do. The list that G.Skill themselves stands behind with a guarantee for your MB is below: http://www.gskill.com/en/configurator?manu=52&chip=2484&model=2517

Yesterday I got my G.Skill Trident Z DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR4-3000@15-16-16-35. They just work fine with XMP, even they aren't particularly supported for this motherboard... lucky me^^

Currently I'm running this kit with 3466Mhz@16-18-18-38, basically the same stats of the more expensive version. I haven't experienced any freezes, BOSDs or crashes yet, but only time will tell.
For now, I'm really impressed with G.Skill!

Okay, good to hear everything is working well now. Just goes to show that some components just don't work as well together as others.