My partner was complaining about poor gaming performance with her HP Z series server I had repurposed. In early 2023 I was going to permanently solve this problem. MSI MEG 670E Godlike Motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, DDR5 64 GBytes, NVIDI 4090, Wired 10Ge, 1000Mbps download fibre for the intertubes.
And the System Integrator couldn’t resolve a memory issue. Updates, no go. They tried a motherboard swap, no go. Waited for a new motherboard shipment into the country, no go. Answer from MSI was a software fix was required and no timeframe. Bleeding edge.
Initially I intended to have three identical systems but given the problems I ordered two Gigabyte AORUS X670E Extreme motherboards. The first Gigabyte was going to be for games plus video capture and editing. Wired 10Ge to the Synology NAS was the theory with DDR5 128 GBytes. A fast processor is nice to have but of no consequence for the games I play. System Integrator would build the first system and I would install the second motherboard into half of a Thermaltake CORE W200. My old Windows 10 system is already installed and that was meant to become a Linux system when I installed the new motherboard.
4x DDR5 32GBytes of QVL memory was not stable. System Integrator returned the Gigabyte board under warranty and completed the PC build with DDR5 128 GBytes. The first board was eventually returned from the distributor as no fault found.
Time passes and I still have not installed the second Gigabyte motherboard. I had taken out an extended 3 year warranty on my system and four days before the warranty expired my system died. System Integrator determines the processor is dead and the motherboard has died then it is returned to Gigabyte. I’m due a refund of the cost of the original processor so that becomes a credit for a replacement processor. They only had a 9950X3D2 on the shelf and it would only take another day to transfer 9950X3D stock. Given that I still have the original motherboard as a spare and it is a simple instal and much faster than waiting for the dead board to be returned. It has been many weeks and nothing back from Gigabyte. Given this is a superceded motherboard from 2023 there would not be any spares in the country so an extended delay is understandable. At least with my own spare I would only have to wait a day or two with the extended testing for my PC with an 9950X3D2. My theory is these are the last systems that I will ever buy so I may as well.
Except it wasn’t a day or two. The spare board that had been returned as no fault found refused to boot with 4x DDR5 32 GBytes. In 2023 the DDR5 was matched to the QVL brand and specs and worked for 3 years in the same model motherboard. I still have the paperwork work that stated no fault found with 4x DDR5 32GBytes memory. System Integrator has to pull two of the DDR5 32GB to get a stable boot. It is just easier to give up on the extended memory and run with 64GBytes.
If you look online at the motherboard page, Key Features/Performance it is 4x DDR5. If you use the right arrow to look at the EXPO data displayed it shows only 32 GBytes installed. Specifications state up to 256 GB supported. The manual pdf states it supports up to 192GB.
Search the Memory QVL for all the 32 GB modules that are compatible with 4 sockets and it appears that the vast majority of DDR5 are only qualified for 2 sockets. Some memory brands have many suitable for 2 sockets but only have one or none qualified for 4 sockets. The limitation only becomes apparent when you dive into the Memory QVL.
Note, I’m not talking about the 7950X3D memory performance hit with 4 sockets. In my case the original intention had been to build three identical systems and the 7950X3D was the choice at the time based on my partner’s requirements. Now no two systems have the same processor (I haven’t mentioned the 9950X3D bought for the Thermal Grizzly der8enchtable).
Sytem Integrator’s suggestion was don’t use a Ryzen desktop processor if you want to have four DDR5 modules, Threadripper is the only way to go or Intel. What are other peoples thoughts?