[Linux] Freezes on Asrock X370 Taichi + C6 enabled

I have a problem with AMD based build. It periodically freezes the system (rather randomly, and not very frequently). Strangely, sometimes the cursor continues working, but everything else is frozen.

Configuration
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
Motherboard: Asrock X370 Taichi
RAM: G.SKILL Flare X (2x8 GB), DDR4 3200 (14-14-14-34)
OS: Debian testing Linux x86_64

RAM is installed in second and fourth slots (A2, B2) as recommended by the motherboard manual.

Currently in the EFI I have these settings:

XMP 2.0 profile: DDR4-3200 14-14-14-34 1.35 V
DRAM Frequency: DDR4-3200
AM4 Advance boot training: auto
Voltage mode: stable
DRAM voltage: 1.350 V
VTT-DDR: 0.680 V
all other settings on auto.

In this build I already RMA'd the CPU (because of known AMD segfaults bug) and the motherboard (coil whine), and also tested it with a different power supply. The freezing problem persists.

I tried a few tweaks before. Such as increasing DRAM voltage to 1.375 V, increasing ProcODT to 60 Ohm (separately from the DRAM voltage though). That didn't help.

Can you recommend any way to fix this by adjusting any motherboard settings? Or the only way to fix is to RMA the memory, besides running it at lower frequency?


Edited by shmerl - 01 Mar 2018 at 2:47am

Kevin A wrote: Have you used just 1 stick @3200mhz in slot B2? Does it freeze with the one stick as well? If not then swap in the second stick and try running it alone @3200mhz in slot B2.

Thanks. If that happens, it will demonstrate that one stick is defective?

I own the same config but little differend RAM. I had to downgrade my G.SKILL F4-3200C15D-32GVK (2x16GB CL15-15-15-35 1,35V) to 2933@CL18 1.45V to use any of the latest BIOS versions.

Hopefully there is an update soooooon ...

shmerl wrote: Did it work for you before the update? Did you contact Asrock support for any recommendation on MB settings? I wonder if they can help with this.

In your first post, you asked about adjusting mother board settings to get your memory stable at 3200. You seem certain that it is a memory problem, but it is not clear to me why.

It was suggested you increase the SOC voltage, which is a standard configuration for a Ryzen memory over clock. The default SOC voltage is 0.900V, increase it to 1.100V, Fixed voltage mode, LLC at 1 or 2. Did you try that?

Another suggestion is as said above, reduce the memory speed to 2933 or 3066, at least for a test to see if the freezing stops. Have you ever used your memory at it default speed of 2400, without any freezing?

Memory compatibility and over clocking speed are the worst issues Ryzen has had since its release. Any memory speed over 2667 is a memory OC, and not guaranteed. Ryzen processors were released to the public before AMD had its CPU microcode developed to the point it should have been. The first several AGESA versions were poor, only a few memory speeds were supported and only five memory parameters were available for configuration. Ryzen memory compatibility was, and still is to some degree, rather random and unpredictable.

We have no idea which UEFI version you have installed. AMD has provided several AGESA CPU microcode updates that are part of several UEFI updates. The new AGESA versions are meant to provide enhanced memory compatibility, speed, and stability. In actual use most people saw improvements, but others did not.AMD is planning yet another AGESA update (1.0.0.7) in the near future, that is so different it will require a major rework of the current UEFI code. This demonstrates how immature the CPU microcode was upon Ryzen's release, and still is currently.

I have the same G.SKILL F4-3200C14D-16GFX memory, used with an ASRock X370 Killer SLI/ac board and 1700X. Only the latest UEFI/AGESA versions allowed the memory to operate at 3200, and that is still setting the secondary and tertiary memory settings manually, the XMP profile is not optimal. That is both AMD's and G.SKILL's issue, but mainly AMD's.

Since you are using Linux, what do you use for the AMD chipset drivers?



Edited by parsec - 25 Oct 2017 at 12:19pm

I suspect it's RAM related, since I already RMA'd the motherboard and CPU both (each for different reasons though as I explained in my first post), but RAM is the same I had from the time I started building this system. Plus, it works without freezes at lower RAM frequency, see below.

parsec wrote: It was suggested you increase the SOC voltage, which is a standard configuration for a Ryzen memory over clock. The default SOC voltage is 0.900V, increase it to 1.100V, Fixed voltage mode, LLC at 1 or 2. Did you try that?

Since I'm using XMP profile, the SOC voltage is already set to 1.104 V (EFI does that automatically when XMP profile is selected).

parsec wrote: Another suggestion is as said above, reduce the memory speed to 2933 or 3066, at least for a test to see if the freezing stops. Have you ever used your memory at it default speed of 2400, without any freezing?

It's still freezing at 3066 MHz, but works well at 2933 MHz for me.

parsec wrote: We have no idea which UEFI version you have installed.

I'm using latest available from Asrock (3.20), which ships with AGESA 1.0.0.6b and microcode 0x8001129.

parsec wrote: AMD is planning yet another AGESA update (1.0.0.7) in the near future, that is so different it will require a major rework of the current UEFI code. This demonstrates how immature the CPU microcode was upon Ryzen's release, and still is currently.

Thanks, that's good to know. Hopefully they can fix some memory related issues in it.

parsec wrote: I have the same G.SKILL F4-3200C14D-16GFX memory, used with an ASRock X370 Killer SLI/ac board and 1700X. Only the latest UEFI/AGESA versions allowed the memory to operate at 3200, and that is still setting the secondary and tertiary memory settings manually, the XMP profile is not optimal.

How exactly did you set these options?

parsec wrote: Since you are using Linux, what do you use for the AMD chipset drivers?

Pretty much default out of the box kernel support (kernel 4.13.4 as it ships in Debian testing). I know for sensors for example, it's using nct6779.


Edited by shmerl - 26 Oct 2017 at 3:13pm