The Threadripper with 128 GB RAM (!) BUILDERS thread

[DerJohannes]

Please share your experiences with the building, testing and running stable Threadripper systems having 128 GB of RAM (not less).

> > > The manufacturers' situation as of today (11. September 2017):

- G.Skill has announced on 10th of August a 128 GB kit of DDR4-2933 RAM of the Flare X series, certified for the X399/Threadripper platform, which until today is not available yet. (What I am asking myself is why on earth G.Skill is announcing this kind of RAM on the day when Threadripper hits the streets. Couldn't they start earlier and make this RAM become available earlier?)

- The RAM QVLs of the X399 mainboard manufacturers (ASRock, Gigabyte, MSI and ASUS) are of very different quality when it comes to finding 128 GB of RAM that is tested and recommended by them.

- The RAM QVLs of ASRock make the best impression on me. Both for the "ASRock Fatal1ty X399 Professional Gaming" and for the "ASRock X399 Taichi" you can easily find QVLs that can conveniently be filtered by manufacturer and sorted by size and speed. Exemplary!

- In contrast to that, the RAM QVL of Gigabyte's "X399 AORUS Gaming 7" is a dry PDF with slower 128 GB kits in it than the QVLs of ASRock have.

- On the ASUS site, I could not find any QVLs until now, but the very helpful remark "Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists)." (while being on the asus.com site!)


> > > My personal situation as of today (11. September 2017):

Besides of a 128 GB RAM kit, I have not bought any component for my Threadripper 1950X system.

But I can hardly wait to buy the components and build a stable Threadripper system with 128 GB of RAM. "Stable" means that I can compile Linux kernels or other complex stuff under Linux or Windows as often as I want, in a row, without the system to stop or freeze or behave oddly.

Next to me lies a package of brand new G.Skill F4-3200C15Q2-128GTZ that I got for a very good price at a famous internet seller.

But I am not sure whether I should keep that RAM (because it's not mentioned by any QVL that I could find until now) and which mainboard to choose (currently I think it will be an ASRock board, because they mention the fastest 128 GB kit of all QVLs AFAIK).


Therefore, once again: Please share your experiences with the building, testing and running stable Threadripper systems if you have built-in 128 GB of RAM. Please explain which components you chose and which tests you did to make sure that the systems runs stable.

Only 128 GB configurations are of interest here!

Thanks!

 

[The Stilt]

DRAM QVLs are totally useless, in most cases.
Most of the time the compability of the DRAM modules depends on the DRAM ICs it uses. And most of the time the memory manufacturers use whatever suitable (able to meet the specs) DRAM ICs they can source for the cheapest costs.
Because of that there are usually various different versions (different ICs) sold under the same exact product code, rendering the QVL utterly useless.

E.G. Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3000C15

Ver 3.xx = Micron D9TBH
Ver 4.31 = Samsung B-die
Ver 5.30 = Hynix AFR
Ver 5.39 = Hynix MFR

All of these ICs can meet the specs, while their characteristics are totally different.

Same applies to most other manufacturers as well.

The only way to guarantee that you'll get a kit with the ICs you desire (e.g. Samsung B-die) is to purchase a kit with specs that no other ICs can do.
With Samsung B-die that is quite easy since no other IC (8Gb density) can do 3000MHz CL14 @ 1.35V or 3200MHz at CL14 / CL15 @ 1.35V, or higher than 3400MHz regardless of the timings.
Meanwhile 3000MHz CL15 or 3200MHz CL16 is most of the time something else than Samsung B-die (Micron or Hynix).

Those 3200C15 rated sticks are Samsung B-die, so with those the memory compability isn't getting any better than that (regardless if they're on the QVL or not).

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm considering upgrading to 128GB to do some really crazy modelling. Out of curiosity what are you going to be doing with that much memory?

 

[mxnerd]

VMware / Hyper-V virtual machines.

 

[DerJohannes]

[...] Out of curiosity what are you going to be doing with that much memory?

Running VMs (for emulators and servers), running a huge RAM Disk containing e.g. multiple IDEs, libraries and SDKs during development and compiling, being on the safe side for the next 2 years, i.e. not needing to upgrade the RAM, whatever I am going to do (maybe a memory cache).

Please let's not discuss about this sub topic any further. If you want to do so, please open an own thread.

 

[DerJohannes]

[...]
Most of the time the compability of the DRAM modules depends on the DRAM ICs it uses. [...]

The only way to guarantee that you'll get a kit with the ICs you desire (e.g. Samsung B-die) is to purchase a kit with specs that no other ICs can do.[...]

Those 3200C15 rated sticks are Samsung B-die, so with those the memory compability isn't getting any better than that (regardless if they're on the QVL or not).

Thanks, this is helpful!

The ASRock QVLs are quite precise when it comes to the exact version of memory modules that were successfully tested, e.g.

DDR4-3000 Corsair CMK128GX4M8B3000C16 ver:5.30 (quad channel: yes, OC: yes)
DDR4-3000 Corsair CMK128GX4M8B3000C16 ver:4.31 (quad channel: yes, OC: yes)
DDR4-3000 Corsair CMK128GX4M8B3000C16 ver:3.32 (quad channel: yes, OC: yes)
DDR4-3000 Corsair CMK128GX4M8B3000C16 ver:3.31 (quad channel: yes, OC: yes)

But most likely, the only way to find such modules will be to do a buy-and-return trial and error game with the dealers, because in general they do not mention the version on their product detail pages.

Most valuable would be the experience of system builders that are using 128 GB of RAM in Threadripper systems successfully. Maybe they can name the exact specs of their RAM modules, i.e. including all version or revision numbers.

I am really looking forward to that "Flare X" 128 GB RAM kit of G.Skill (DDR4-2933), because the compatibility of these modules will be guaranteed by G.Skill, without having to cherry-pick special versions of them. If those modules become available in the next days, I will return my F4-3200C15Q2-128GTZ "Trident Z" modules. If not, I'll probably keep them (and maybe have to fallback to 2666 MHz).

Please post your experiences!

 

[CHADBOGA]

What version of Windows 10 supports 128gig of ram?

 

[VirtualLarry]

What version of Windows 10 supports 128gig of ram?

AFAIK, all of them. (Except for 32-bit, and possibly "Starter", if there is such an edition.) Home supports 128GB, and Pro supports a huge amount more. That was one of the selling points of Windows 10, over Windows 7. Windows 7 Home 64-bit was limited to 16GB of RAM.

 

[CHADBOGA]

AFAIK, all of them. (Except for 32-bit, and possibly "Starter", if there is such an edition.) Home supports 128GB, and Pro supports a huge amount more. That was one of the selling points of Windows 10, over Windows 7. Windows 7 Home 64-bit was limited to 16GB of RAM.

That's good to hear.

Whenever I buy my next system, I would like to get 128GB of ram if prices come down a bit.

 

[Alpha One Seven]

Sweet, you are getting there. I used 256GB for my rendering machine, and I also use it for photo and video editing and some music creation.

 

[mytrixx]

You can try Kingston HyperX Predator 128GB HX430C15PB3K8/128.
I ordered it for the X399 Taichi, is listed in the QVL Sheet.

 

[The Stilt]

You can try Kingston HyperX Predator 128GB HX430C15PB3K8/128.
I ordered it for the X399 Taichi, is listed in the QVL Sheet.

Those are either Hynix AFR or MFR.
Both will work like crap on Ryzen, unless you have no intention to run them at >= 2666MHz.

You'll get AFR if you're lucky, MFR if you're not.
AFR can run handle significantly tighter subtimings than MFR.

Neither of them can match Samsung B-die thou.

Samsung B-die has no contenders in terms of stability and the performance on Ryzen platforms.

 

[DrMrLordX]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820236224

Just one example of what you would probably want with Threadripper. Hope you like paying a lot for RAM.

 

[urvile]

Sweet, you are getting there. I used 256GB for my rendering machine, and I also use it for photo and video editing and some music creation.

Sounds like a beast. What are the specs?

 

[mytrixx]

Those are either Hynix AFR or MFR.
Both will work like crap on Ryzen, unless you have no intention to run them at >= 2666MHz.

You'll get AFR if you're lucky, MFR if you're not.
AFR can run handle significantly tighter subtimings than MFR.

Neither of them can match Samsung B-die thou.

Samsung B-die has no contenders in terms of stability and the performance on Ryzen platforms.

Thanks for info. I know that it contains Hynix chips. At 128GB capacity, the cap is somewhere around 3000MHz.
It is possible to go to something better like the F4-3200C14Q2-128GTZR, but the price is considerably higher. These RAMs should be based on B-die and run at 3000MHz on Threadripper.
(see customer review https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232562)

 

[The Stilt]

Thanks for info. I know that it contains Hynix chips. At 128GB capacity, the cap is somewhere around 3000MHz.
It is possible to go to something better like the F4-3200C14Q2-128GTZR, but the price is considerably higher. These RAMs should be based on B-die and run at 3000MHz on Threadripper.
(see customer review https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232562)

3000C14 is cheaper and is B-die as well: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...232270&cm_re=3000C14Q2-_-20-232-270-_-Product

3200MHz is pretty unlikely with 2DPC DR configuration anyway.

 

[eco_bach]

Could anyone give an appraisal of this kit (other than the cost, ouch!)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232646

 

[IEC]

You want the kit The Stilt posted. It is Samsung B-die (the absolute best ICs) and is most compatible with Ryzen. I think it'd be hard to get higher than 2666 officially with 8 DIMMs, however. B-die would be your best bet.

 

[Alpha One Seven]

Too bad they look like tinker toys.

 

[eco_bach]

Thanks. So G.Skill F4-3200C15Q2-128GTZ ?
https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3200c15q2-128gtz

On NewEgg this is listed as 'Intel X99 compatible'
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...232336&cm_re=3200C15Q2-_-20-232-336-_-Product

Also if I use GSkills memory configurator they only list 2 options for 128GB kits that are 'AMD compatible
https://www.gskill.com/en/configurator?manu=29&chip=3073&model=3077
https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-2400c15q2-128gfx
and
https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-2933c14q2-128gfx

Unless someone can tell me otherwise, I feel more secure going with the officially supported 2933c kit over the Tridentz 3200C 'Samsung B Die' kit.

Also, for a total memory noob, what is the difference between '3200C15Q2' and '3200C14Q2' ?

Outside of speed and latency, my mind goes numb with all these memory options!

 

[jmmec]

Unless someone can tell me otherwise, I feel more secure going with the officially supported 2933c kit over the Tridentz 3200C 'Samsung B Die' kit.

Hey man, if you can trust those shady characters over at AnandTech, then the G.Skill FlareX is Samsung B Die:

Being one of the most popular makers of advanced memory modules, G.Skill is among the first to formally introduce its Flare X kits designed for AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. ...blah blah shady stuff blah blah ... All the modules are based on Samsung’s 8 Gb B-die ICs produced using the company’s 20 nm process technology.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/11708/gskill-unwraps-flare-x-for-threadripper​

FWIW, I purchased a similar (higher latency) G.Skill FlareX DDR4 2933 kit than what you're considering, but only (4 x 8GB) for 32GB total. I enabled the XMP profile in UEFI without a hitch.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...m_re=g.skill_x399_32gb-_-20-232-647-_-Product

Regards...

 

[tential]

That's good to hear

Whenever I buy my next system, I would like to get 128GB of ram if prices come down a bit.

Prices are only going up up up!
This kit debuted at $1k didnt it? Or did that never actually happen?
https://wccftech.com/gskill-ripjaws-series-128gb-ddr4-memory-kit-costs-highend-gpu/

 

[DrMrLordX]

Hey man, if you can trust those shady characters over at AnandTech, then the G.Skill FlareX is Samsung B Die:

FWIW, I purchased a similar (higher latency) G.Skill FlareX DDR4 2933 kit than what you're considering, but only (4 x 8GB) for 32GB total. I enabled the XMP profile in UEFI without a hitch..

Can you run Thaiphoon Burner to confirm if those DIMMs are in fact Samsung b-die?

 

[jmmec]

Sure, here it is:

Prepared by Thaiphoon Burner Super Blaster
-------------------------------------------------------------
MEMORY MODULE
-------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturer : G.Skill
Series : Flare X for AMD
Part Number : F4-2933C16-8GFX
Serial Number : 00000000h
JEDEC DIMM Label : 8GB 1Rx8 PC4-2400R-UA1-11
Architecture : DDR4 SDRAM UDIMM
Speed Grade : DDR4-2400R
Capacity : 8 GB (8 components)
Organization : 1024M x64 (1 rank)
Register Manufacturer : N/A
Register Model : N/A
Manufacturing Date : Undefined
Manufacturing Location : Taipei, Taiwan
Revision / Raw Card : 0000h / A1 (8 layers)
-------------------------------------------------------------
DRAM COMPONENTS
-------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturer : Samsung
Part Number : K4A8G085WB-BCPB
Package : Standard Monolithic 78-ball FBGA
Die Density / Count : 8 Gb B-die (20 nm) / 1 die
Composition : 1024M x8 (64M x8 x 16 banks)
Clock Frequency : 1200 MHz (0.833 ns)
Minimum Timing Delays : 16-16-16-39-55
Read Latencies Supported : 16T, 15T, 13T, 11T, 9T
Supply Voltage : 1.20 V
XMP Certified : 1468 MHz / 16-16-16-36-52 / 1.35 V
XMP Extreme : Not programmed
SPD Revision : 1.1 / September 2015
XMP Revision : 2.0 / December 2013
-------------------------------------------------------------
THERMAL SENSOR
-------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturer : Giantec
Model : GT34TS04
Revision : 01h
Sensor Status : Enabled
EVENT Output Control : Disabled
Temperature Accuracy : B-Grade
Temperature Resolution : 0.2500°C (10-bit ADC)
Current Temperature : 25.500°C
Negative Measurements : Supported
Interrupt Capability : Supported

 

[ultimatebob]

VMware / Hyper-V virtual machines.

Wouldn't you be better off getting a real server for that, so you can get multi processor support and ECC memory?