Please suggest RAM for z97 pro4

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   To review so I'm sure I understand:

You can start the board and go into the BIOS. After being in the BIOS for three to five minutes, the board restarts itself.

After the first restart, the board then goes through a continuous restart cycle, where it restarts almost immediately, and you cannot get into the BIOS at all, or for very long.

Is the correct?

If so, I would let the PC/board be off for about five minutes. You could shut off the power supply with its switch while you wait. You should also use the CLR CMOS jumper to clear the CMOS/BIOS while the PSU is shut off and no power is applied to the board. The CLR CMOS jumper is at the very bottom of the board, in the middle. Do you know how to use that jumper?

After clearing the CMOS, turn on the PSU and start the board. Go directly into the BIOS, which you will be prompted to do after clearing it. Then go directly to the H/W Monitoring screen. At the top of that screen you should see the CPU and mother board temperatures displayed.

Now just watch the CPU temperature as time passes. See if it stays stable at about 35 - 40C. If it goes over 40C and keeps increasing, your problem is the CPU is over heating for some reason.

While you are in the H/W Monitoring screen, you can also check the PSU voltages that will be displayed. That is the 12V, 5V, and 3.3V PSU voltages. If any of them are +/- 0.5V or more, your PSU could be the problem.

What CPU cooler are you using? Where do you have its fan connected? You should also see the CPU fan speed in the H/W monitoring screen, if it is connected to the board.

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parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Aug 2015 at 3:31pm
	To review so I'm sure I understand: You can start the board and go into the BIOS. After being in the BIOS for three to five minutes, the board restarts itself. After the first restart, the board then goes through a continuous restart cycle, where it restarts almost immediately, and you cannot get into the BIOS at all, or for very long. Is the correct? If so, I would let the PC/board be off for about five minutes. You could shut off the power supply with its switch while you wait. You should also use the CLR CMOS jumper to clear the CMOS/BIOS while the PSU is shut off and no power is applied to the board. The CLR CMOS jumper is at the very bottom of the board, in the middle. Do you know how to use that jumper? After clearing the CMOS, turn on the PSU and start the board. Go directly into the BIOS, which you will be prompted to do after clearing it. Then go directly to the H/W Monitoring screen. At the top of that screen you should see the CPU and mother board temperatures displayed. Now just watch the CPU temperature as time passes. See if it stays stable at about 35 - 40C. If it goes over 40C and keeps increasing, your problem is the CPU is over heating for some reason. While you are in the H/W Monitoring screen, you can also check the PSU voltages that will be displayed. That is the 12V, 5V, and 3.3V PSU voltages. If any of them are +/- 0.5V or more, your PSU could be the problem. What CPU cooler are you using? Where do you have its fan connected? You should also see the CPU fan speed in the H/W monitoring screen, if it is connected to the board.


car313 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Status: Offline Points: 32	Post Options Post Reply Quote car313 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Aug 2015 at 8:40pm
	dear parsec yes. that is exactly what is happening. after a long rest, when i boot the system, it boots directly into the uefi screen. if it doesn't, i press ctrl+alt+del and then press f2, in which case it beeps and then it enters the uefi screen. right now, i have removed the board from the case and have laid it down on news papers over a plywood sheet. i disconnected the spinning platter hdd, the ssd and the dvd drive leaving only the processor + fan and 2 sticks of 8 bg ram each (a total of 16 gb). i connected the 24 pin power supply as well as the 2+2 pin power supply thing. i put the mobo+processor cooler fan+2 sticks of ram on a thick bed of old news papers. to boot the contraption, i short the power button pins. for this i have an 'L' shaped piece of insulated wire that i use. i was able to get it running for an hour in this manner and then i thought it was all right. but then again when i boot it, the same pattern of booting and cycling through quick boot-reboot cycle (a minute or two between reboots) persists. as per your advice, i cleared the cmos by shorting the 2-3 pins of the clr cmos pins for five seconds. then after giving the processor quite a while to come to room temperature, i rebooted by shortening the two power button pins and noted down the readings you suggested. they are as follows. ----------------------------------------------- cpu temp 55.5 celcius MB temp 35.9 celcius cpu fan rpm 1695 cpu input voltage +1.744 v vcore +1.017 v +12.000v +12.355 (keeps quickly cycling through from 12.303 to 12.355) +5.00v +5.112 to +5.088 v +3.3v +3.294 to 3.582 the last three voltages keep going up and down constantly (only in the digits after the decimal). when i was able to get it to stay powered on for an hour, i noticed that the cpu temperature rose to 55.0 celsius and stayed there. at my place during this time of the year the day temperatures are between 30 and 37 degrees celsius. today it has stayed at about 34. i am using the cpu cooler that came with the processor. IMHO, it looks pretty flimsy, but i went ahead with it. also the cpu fan is plugged into the four pin cpu fan 1 connector very near to the processor, along the top edge of the mobo, by the side of the auxillary 12 volt power connector. also dear parsec, you guys are so helpful, i want to hug you! also i wanted to ask you, at what cpu temperature do the insides of a cpu start getting "fried". i am asking because, i have already switched the contraption on and off about a hundred times in my desperate attempts to isolate the problem. and my worry is that i might be frying it by degrees by trying to coax it. very many regards. Edited by car313 - 30 Aug 2015 at 10:50pm

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Aug 2015 at 10:27pm
	Hello again Car313, I am sorry to hear you are having problems. The CPU should be able to handle up to about 90c so you are quite safe at 55c. After you cleared CMOS did the symptoms persist? I assume you got the e3 1246 CPU as you had planned? If so the CPU should be compatible with your board with even the release BIOS so that should not be the problem. Some slight fluctuation of the Power Supply voltages is normal so unless the fluctuations are very rapid, twice or more every second, I doubt it could be that. Double check that you have connected all the power cables correctly and have not connected the wrong one to the 8 pin power connection on the board. I find when having problems with a new build it is best to go back to the beginning and start over. Take everything out of the case, remove the CPU and check for bent or damaged pins or contacts on the CPU and check to make sure no thermal compound has gotten on to the motherboard. Once you are sure everything is OK you can carefully put it back together outside of the case and test it again. Good luck

car313 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Status: Offline Points: 32	Post Options Post Reply Quote car313 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Aug 2015 at 11:50pm
	dear xalter, i got the same e3 1246 v3 xeon. after i cleared the cmos and rebooted, the problem persists. and now that you mention it, the voltages fluctuate quite rapidly and i had to try really hard o note down the digits after the decimal. i have checked and rechecked all my physical connections. all of them are firmly seated without any gaps or clearances. i did exactly the same thing you suggested. i now have it like a breadboard lay out. i actually edited my response to parsec to include almost all details. as of now the contraption is just resting on a thick layer of news paper on a sheet of plywood. i am tempted to jump start the thing and see if it runs and for how long. but i have resisted the temptation. now that you tell me that the cpu can go all the way upto 90 degrees celsius, do you think i should jump start it and see if the thing holds for an extended period of time like an hour or an hour and a half? with the very warmest regards

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 12:28am
	I wouldn't put it on newspaper as it can hold static electricity and could potentially damage things. The best option when running the system outside the case is to rest the board on the box it came in with the anti-static bag the board shipped in between the box and the board. While it is unlikely to cause damage it is possible if you have it resting on something that can conduct static. I would try and fire up the board and leave it in the bios for 2 - 4 hours and keep an eye on temps periodically. If it remains powered on without any reboots, freezing or high temps (over 60c) you can go ahead and try install the OS and see if it is stable in windows. You can additionally try and clear CMOS using this method. It will completely clear the CMOS as well as date and time settings and should restore the board to completely factory defaults. If the problem still persists then it may be worth trying another power supply though I don't believe that is the case. Hopefully there is nothing wrong with any of your components and the system just needs to settle in.

car313 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Status: Offline Points: 32	Post Options Post Reply Quote car313 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 11:55am
	dear xalter and parsec i noticed something which i would like to bring to your notice. the auxillary power connector on the top edge of the motherboard above the processor. not the 24 pin connector. the 8 pin one. the female connector consists of plastic housing with square holes as well as pentagonal holes. by pentagonal, i mean squares with two corners bevelled. using this terminology, the squares and the pentagons of the female connector on the motherboard do not match the squares and pentagons on the male connector from the psu. supposing that i represent the square by a '4' and the bevelled square by '5', the pattern on the motherboard (femal) is like this 5445 (first row from the top edge) 4554 (second row) but both the 4+4 as well as the 6+2 connectors (male) that come with the psu do not match this pattern. the 4+4 connector pattern on the psu is as follows 54 55 45 55 the 6+2 connector pattern is as follows 554 4 455 5 i hope i have been able to describe the issue. the pattern of squares and bevelled square holes on 24 pin single piece plastic connector from the psu and the female on the motherboard match exactly, whereas this is not the case with the auxillary power connectors on the motherboard and those from the psu. i just noticed this and realized that this was all along sitting like a square hole in a round peg! first thing, does this have any bearing on my problem. second, would i have damaged the motherboard by having pushed the male connectors without first looking to see if the holes match. regards Edited by car313 - 31 Aug 2015 at 12:36pm

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 1:53pm
	Your power supply is the SeaSonic S12II 430B 430w? If so there should be an 8 pin power connector, all in one block. The 6+2 connectors are for Graphics cards. It could well be what is causing your problems if you have the wrong one connected. I have not heard of it damaging the motherboard in the past but it is possible, the motherboard has safety features to prevent damage in such an event. If you could post a picture of the 24pin, 4 pin and 8 pin connectors provided by your PSU so we can see what you have going on that should help. If the power supply does not in fact have a true 8 pin connector then it is likely that your PSU is an older model in which case you will need to use a single 4 pin connector on the 8 pin board connector. The manual for your board should have an illustration of how to do it.

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 3:42pm
	I understand what you mean by the shapes of the openings in that CPU power connector. They are made that way to prevent the wrong connector from the PSU being inserted into it. I'm not sure what cable you had connected to the eight pin CPU power connector, but if it was the six + two video card power connector, that is wrong. The 6 + 2 video card power connector has the +12V and ground (earth) reversed compared to the eight pin or 4 + 4 pin CPU power cable. You MUST NOT use a video cable in the CPU power connector!! YES it can be causing your problem. The reversed polarity is not good for the CPU voltage regulators. Like Xaltar said, your PSU should have a 4 + 4 pin CPU power cable to use with the eight pin CPU power connector on your board. The changes in the 12V, 5V, and 3.3V readings in the BIOS are not a problem, that is not unusual. Do not worry about them if they are as small as you said they were. Is this your PSU? Scroll down to find the 430W model: http://www.seasonicusa.com/S12II-350-430-520-620%20Bronze.htm


car313 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Status: Offline Points: 32	Post Options Post Reply Quote car313 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 8:01pm
	dear xalter and parsec my psu model is SSR-430ST Active PFC T3. it is not listed in the web page link shared by you. no, i did NOT put the 6+2 pin pci-e male connector into the motherboard auxillary 12 volt connector. there is a 4+4 pin male connector from the psu, but the pattern on this does not match the pattern on the female 8 pin connector on the motherboard. but i should have made myself clearer. what i was saying about the 6+2 male connector is that this too does not have a matching pattern on the female connector on the graphics card. the same is the case with the 8 pin female connector and the 4+4 male pin from the psu. after following xalter's advice to keep the pins shorted (after removing the cmos battery) for four hours, i am faced with the same situation. withing seconds the cpu temp shoots up to 58 degrees celsius and the three voltage values keep rapidly changing. and after 6 to 8 minutes, it reboots and then it is the endless boot-reboot cycles. is there a way i could test the psu with a multimeter (which i can borrow)? or is there a way i can test the motherboard and cpu? if it means testing the components in a known working configuration, then i might have a very tough time. meaning, if i need to find a working 1150 socket motherboard to test the cpu, and a working cpu to test in my mother board. also as it once stayed on for all of 60 whole minutes before i shut it the day before yesterday, can i tentatively conclude that the issue can be resolved without a re-purchasing plan? in any case, do you feel that i have a solvable problem on hand or eventually i need to replace one of the three - the mobo, or the cpu or the psu? with the best of regards

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 10:48pm
	How are you applying the thermal compound? If you use too much or too little it can cause the system to overheat pretty quickly. I would suggest you look at a youtube video on how to apply the compound and how much to use, if for no other reason than to rule it out as the problem. Now for the connector itself, you will be able to match at least one of the 4 pin connectors from your PSU to half of the 8 pin connector on the motherboard. As you can see the connector is mirrored so you may be trying to connect the 4+4 in the wrong places, see if they match when you connect what you had in yellow in red and from red to yellow. I hope that makes sense. Also, you can try connecting only 1 4 pin connector to the board in the side I marked red in the image. This should allow the system to function as the additional 4 pin connector is not strictly required. See if the problem persists with just the one 4 pin connector connected. Good luck Car313 and hang in there, it isn't pleasant when this kind of thing happens but what you learn here will stay with you for your next build and the one after