Z170 Pro4S Ram OC problem

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   I unscrewed CPU cooler fan which allowed me to put RAM stick into A1 slot. Just like A2, it overclocks just fine.

Oh, and any tips on how should I straighten bent pins, if I find any?

Update:

So I've removed cooler and a cpu, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Resetting cpu did not help.

I also tried removing GPU, disconnecting ssd and data hdd (just to be sure :D).

Edited by Soft Brick - 24 Jan 2016 at 1:08am

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Soft Brick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2016 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24	Post Options Post Reply Quote Soft Brick Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Jan 2016 at 11:46pm
	I unscrewed CPU cooler fan which allowed me to put RAM stick into A1 slot. Just like A2, it overclocks just fine. Oh, and any tips on how should I straighten bent pins, if I find any? Update: So I've removed cooler and a cpu, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Resetting cpu did not help. I also tried removing GPU, disconnecting ssd and data hdd (just to be sure :D). Edited by Soft Brick - 24 Jan 2016 at 1:08am

Soft Brick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2016 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24	Post Options Post Reply Quote Soft Brick Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 2016 at 5:02pm
	Update: Even though I gave up looking for a fix to this issue, I had a very bad feeling that I might've damaged a CPU by using my tower cooler. So a good neighbor of mine allowed me to try out his i3 6100 (used with stock cooler) on my machine. Aaaand problem is still there... At least now I can have good nights sleep, knowing that CPU is ok.

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 22793	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 2016 at 5:09pm
	Good to hear you alleviated the possibility of a damaged CPU The warping substrate issue isn't anywhere near as common as many seem to think, there have only been a few reported incidents and as is always the case these days those incidents got a lot of media attention. Most CPU coolers operate without issue on Skylake CPUs, there are only a few particular models that run a high risk of damaging the substrate and socket. Did you check for bent pins while you had your CPU out?

Soft Brick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2016 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24	Post Options Post Reply Quote Soft Brick Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 2016 at 5:32pm
	I've inspected the socket several times, but found nothing. Edited by Soft Brick - 25 Jan 2016 at 5:34pm

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 22793	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 2016 at 5:36pm
	In that case, enjoy your system and rest easy knowing you don't have any hardware gremlins lurking

Soft Brick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2016 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24	Post Options Post Reply Quote Soft Brick Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 26 Jan 2016 at 5:34pm
	oh, looks like gremlins are still stalking me. But at least there is hope.. Now. I feel realy stupid for not trying or noticing this earlier... So yesterday I was playing some games with RAM usage monitor on. And noticed that my ram never goes above 8GB, always stays about 7-7.8GB. What would happen if I forced system to use more RAM by opening same apps and games? Whenever RAM usage reaches exactly 8-8.1GB in task manager, system starts lagging badly and quickly freezes altogether. You can already see where this is going do you? So of course I did same testing: I put both RAM sticks to A1 and A2 slots (both in single-channel) and was able to stress 13GB of usage without too much problems. Then I put both sticks to B1 and B2 slots (also both in single-channel) aaaaand.... System failed to post completely. But for some reason I can put RAM sticks to B1 or B2 slots separately, and not only system boots, I can stress RAM ram without problems (8GB). I've set my virtual memory to 4GB max. Now I will definitely be returning this board. I still want to enjoy some games until my lectures start in February. 8GB is still plenty for now. Edited by Soft Brick - 26 Jan 2016 at 6:12pm

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 22793	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 26 Jan 2016 at 5:50pm
	That definitely sounds suspicious. Hopefully an RMA will resolve your issues. If you plan on using the PC for a little while before returning the board you can try just using the RAM in single channel in slots a1 and a2 as that will give you access to your full RAM pool and should still be fast enough for gaming on a discrete GPU.

Soft Brick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2016 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24	Post Options Post Reply Quote Soft Brick Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 4:22am
	For some bizarre reason I'm able to utilize 16GB of ram in dual channel. Tested it several times. Bummer. No OC though. Looks like MoBo is not getting an RMA.. I did some research on the internet and found that it is possible to bend cpu socket backplate when tightening cooler. I removed my MoBo and inspected it. And there is very slight, but visible bend on cpu socket backplate, which causes my motherboard to warp very very very little. Now I don't want look obsessed, since my machine is operating normally at the moment, but is it worth trying to remove the backplate and, maybe, straighten it? Could such experiment make it worse? And most importantly could it fix my issues? Edited by Soft Brick - 27 Jan 2016 at 4:29am

wardog Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 15 Jul 2015 Status: Offline Points: 6447	Post Options Post Reply Quote wardog Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 2016 at 5:27am
	Contact ASRock or look at eBay for a new one. I wouldn't monkey with attempts at straightening it. A new one resolves any future thoughts you may look at it and consider later down the road. My 2c anyways.