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XPS 8950, unstable after Crucial RAM replacement
Hi, we recently purchased an XPS 8950 which shipped with 16GB DDR5, 2 x 8GB, at 4400MHz. As the PC is to be used for 3D building modelling we replaced it with 64Gb DDR5, 2 x 32GB, at 4800 MHz (Crucial CT32G48C40U5) with a view to adding an additional 2 x 32Gb at a later date to bring it to 128Gb.
However, the PC was quite unstable with Windows restarting at random and sitting in Recovery mode which is an issue as part of the time the PC is being used remotely. I have today reinstated the original 2 x 8Gb modules and the PC has been stable all day.
From the 8950 specifications it shows two supported memory configurations which are relevant to us:
64 GB, 2 x 32 GB, dual-channel DDR5, 4400 MHz
128 GB, 4 x 32 GB, dual-channel DDR5, 3600 MHz
My initial thought was that the instability was due to the speed of the replacement modules as they were faster than those listed as supported, however I cannot find any DDR5 modules that run at 3600 Mhz or 4400 Mhz and from what I have read on here, the speed is not likely to be an issue.
If it is not the speed, is it more likely that I have been unlucky and one or both of the replacement modules is faulty? Or are there any other tests I can carry out to determine whether there are any other issues?
Just to be clear, I replaced the supplied modules with the replacement ones so there is no issue with mixed memory speeds.
Thanks in advance for any assistance, Eddie
DELL-Cares
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March 22nd, 2022 08:00
Thank you! We have received the required details. We will work towards a resolution. In the meantime, you may also receive assistance or suggestions from the community members.
The DELL XPS 8950 OEM memory is 4800MHz that is forced to downclock to 4400MHz (3600MHz with 128GB). Either the Crucial memory is not downclocking correctly or it is faulty. You could run CPU-Z, open the Memory and SPD tabs to see how the Crucial memory is notated.
EddieJWright
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March 24th, 2022 07:00
Hi - thank you both for the responses.
Wunsch765 - I had seen that thread which was useful but didn't address the same issue as the problem occurs regardless of the slots used.
DELL-Cares - thanks for the suggestion. The PC in question is in use a lot at the moment so will not be able to re-install the Crucial memory until Sunday and will run some tests then and report back. The supplier of the memory has also provided me with a link to some trouble shooting information from Crucial.
Many thanks, Eddie
RoHe
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March 24th, 2022 11:00
@EddieJWright - After you reinstall the 2x 32 GB Crucial RAM, but before you run those tests, I suggest you reset BIOS to make sure it sees the new RAM correctly:
EddieJWright
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March 29th, 2022 05:00
Hi, I have used CPU-Z to check the differences between the Dell provided RAM and the Crucial RAM and one major item I can spot under Memory SPD is XMP yes, rev. 3.0 on the Crucial RAM and XMP No on the Dell RAM. Not being a memory architecture expert, I don't really know what impact this will have.
There are also a whole slew of additional XMP items shown under the Crucial memory which are not there on the Dell provided RAM.
Can you advise whether I should be disabling XMP and how to do this?
Many thanks, Eddie
RoHe
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March 29th, 2022 12:00
@EddieJWright There are no BIOS options to use XMP on the XPS 8950. CPU-Z is saying the Crucial RAM would support XMP on a PC where that option exists.
What speed is CPU-Z saying Crucial 2x 32 GB RAM is running? And does CPU-Z say "Channel # Dual"?
As I said, install only the Crucial RAM pair in 2nd and 4th slots from CPU and clear BIOS. Then test again.
If it's still unstable, you could test each of the Crucial pair in 2nd slot from CPU. And/or contact Crucial for possible replacement...
dstewart51
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March 29th, 2022 19:00
Yeah, that was mine.
Same thing happened to me as the OP here, when trying to upgrade to a pair of 32GB Crucial sticks. The solution was a new motherboard, which then worked perfectly. I had 4 new Crucial sticks to play with, it was not the ram, it was the motherboard.
dstewart51
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March 29th, 2022 19:00
@EddieJWright
The solution was not which slot, my first motherboard was defective and would not operate properly with the pair of 32GB Crucial sticks. The solution was a replacement motherboard, been working perfectly since.