Mr. Fox

You could try to guess, but it would be pure luck if you guess right. It could be the memory, the motherboard, or the CPU. Only way to know for sure is start replacing parts and see which one it is. Two previous 12900K could not run the DDR4 I had used for a couple of years across multiple ASUS and EVGA mobos before at 4500. I assumed it was the Strix mobo. Well, I was surprised that the 13900K and 12900KS are both able to run it totally stable at 4400 (because 4500 is apparently not valid on Z690-???). So, now I am running 4400 CL16-18-18-36-1T. The two 12900K CPUs I ran with it before had good SP ratings and overclocked DDR5 just fine, but they both totally sucked with DDR4 and couldn't handle more than 4000 stable. No idea why.

I don't know I've never tried that. I don't think my m-die is capable of it. I posted this once before. Luumi might have some useful info in his video.

yes

The same memory that I always ran at 4000+ or other modules? The XMP profile doesn't work as a starting point?

My independent experience is reliable enough for me. 100% of my expensive enthusiast ASUS motherboards have experienced catastrophic failures under warranty, including a fire and one that killed the best binned 10900KF I have ever seen when it failed. In every case it took those losers more than a month to replace it. The CPU "wasn't their problem" so that was an even more expensive motherboard when that loss is counted. Coincidentally, I have replaced every ASUS motherboard that failed with an EVGA motherboard that never failed. The closest thing I could identify as an EVGA motherboard failure is the Q-code LED burning out on the Z590 Dark, which was a common issue. EVGA replaced it under warranty swiftly, with no hassles, questions or insinuations that I did something that caused it (like ASUS). I dialed their phone number, spoke to a person (a Californian with English as his native language) and explained the situation, and had an RMA number and pre-paid shipping label the same day. I sold it because it was worthless for Windows 7 (ACPI incompatibilities). Good luck getting anything that remotely resembles acceptable customer service from another brand. I will say that my inexpensive ASUS gamerboy motherboards (Prime and Strix) have been reliable. Only their enthusiast-grade products have been unreliable, which seems totally counter-intuitive. Other than functional limitations for severe overclocking, which they are not intended for, I have had a great experience with those less expensive mid-range products. My Z690 Dark was $399. I didn't buy it when it was new to market. Early adopters always pay more than things are worth. That applies to products at each price point. EVGA has great sales. My 3060 Ti FTW3 was $200 less from them than I could buy it anywhere else. I do hope the rumors that they are going out of business are false because they are the only brand I have confidence in. I was sad they stopped building GPUs for selfish reasons. I have purchased their GPUs almost exclusively, and now I will have to settle for something inferior with another brand. I do not believe anything Jensen has to say on the subject is accurate because he lies about everything. I am glad they stopped building GPUs for the reasons EVGA stated they have, and I would believe them before I believed anything Jensen would say. He is going to say whatever he thinks make him and NVIDIA look better, and that's his job. He probably wouldn't keep his job if he were completely honest.

Easy enough to understand. One retard begats another. When the vast majority of the people buying your products are as stupid as a box of rocks, you can get away with a lot of unacceptable behavior and you don't have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to know that they're not about to go an extra mile for anyone. The modern approach is to do just barely enough to be acceptable, then back the dial up one notch short of success. But, call it a success because the sheeple will believe you.

No, not really compared to other equivalent product. EVGA is actually not only better, but more affordable than the top end MSI and ASUS motherboards, that are grossly overpriced and very unreliable. You can't compare apples to oranges. I'm just not OK with paying $700+ for a motherboard that takes 4 to 6 weeks (or longer) to get replaced under warranty when it fails. Companies that handle things that way suck more than words can say. The only EVGA product that I never liked was the Z590 Dark. It was also the only EVGA product I ever owned that had issues. On the basis that your most recent experience was with Z590 I would have to agree. Z590 was kind of an abortion for Intel in general.

I loved the MSI Unify-X. But, I sold it to you and kept the EVGA board. I guess that tells you which one I think is better of the two. The trouble with ASUS and MSI (most of the others, too) is their products are only good when they work. When they stop working, you regret having given them your money. They'll treat you like a pile of dung. No worries with EVGA. A great product backed by a not-great company gives me pause. Unify-X is a great product. I do not think of MSI as being a great company.

I have owned one A$$Rock mobo and one Gigabutt mobo, and that was enough to cure me of wanting anything to do with either of the brands. Maybe that is too harsh and throwing the baby out with the bath water, but I work hard for my money and purchasing high-end products always represents a personal sacrifice. I don't appreciate it when I discover that I spent my money on a piece of trash, and I am generally reluctant to forgive it and allow for second chances. Sometimes I do, but it is because there is something compelling about the item that makes giving a second chance something that might benefit me, not because I am an overall nice guy and want to give them another chance to earn my trust. I am a super nice guy that extends forgiveness too easily when it comes to relationship with individuals, but I harbor resentment a long time when the other party is a business. Probably because I know they don't actually give a damn about me. That being the case, they don't deserve the second chance. They're not worthy of me or my money.

I agree with that part. It's not the brand, it is the silicon that makes them special. And, the fact that A-die is overpriced and uncommon also makes them special. At some point in the near future it may become very ordinary like Samsung B-die was. B-die was and still is special to the extent it was better than all other DDR4 options, but not special in terms of being rare or unique among enthusiasts. I will grab some A-die Hynix later on, after the cost:benefit ratio makes more sense. I definitely want it, but right now I would view it as being a frivolous purchase compared to M-die I already have that overclocks almost as well, but not quite. If I didn't already own M-die then it would make sense to pay extra for A-die.

I have the same issues with DDR4, but they are less obvious running at roughly half the clock speed. It takes more stress to overheat the DDR4, but it still happens. A lot of people don't believe me when I tell them their memory is overheating at 45-50°C and that is why their system is unstable, not because the memory is defective. At such a low temperature it seems hard to believe, but it is totally accurate. TeamGroup Delta memory was really good, but because I decided to go with aftermarket heat sinks and water cooling having anything with RGB makes no sense. The RGB LEDs also do not help matters. They generate heat of their own that contributes to the thermal management problem, and if I am going to cover up the LEDs with thick aluminum plates there is no point in having it. Given that I don't need or use XMP profiles, going with generic naked green PCB was the most intelligent move, and it costs less. If you decide to remove the heatsinks on the memory you have, let me know and I will explain the super-easy way how to get them off without causing any damage. If you try to peel them off chances are very good you will destroy the memory. I know two people who tore memory chips off their PCB because the adhesives they use to attach them are stronger than the components they are attached to.

If you find you do not need a fan it will be an exception to the norm. There is nothing special about the modules or their beauty covers. As I said, I have had three Delta kits and they all suffer from the same thing that their competitors do: a crappy heating blanket they call a heat sink. They run hotter with the "heatsink" than they do with nothing. The extra space between the sticks didn't change the temperatures for me. Temperatures were exactly the same in either mobo. With a fan blowing on them they run cool (32-35°C running memory stress tests). If I turned the fan off they couldn't finish a TM5 test without errors. @johnksssand I were talking one day and he wasn't sure the fan was making a difference for his G.SKILL modules. He turned the fan off while we wre talking and his memory overheated and Windows crashed.

Yeah that's typical with the fan blowing on them. That does wonders. It helps that you're on an open bench as well because the fans are pushing cooler air over them. If I take the side panels off of my case they run even cooler than they do with it closed up in a hot air accumulator. Take the fan away and cover them with the towel so that there's no cool air around them and watch what happens LOL. I've had three of those kits and they are exactly the same as the other brands. The heatsinks that the manufacturers put on them are absolute joke. They are actually nothing more than beautification covers that trap heat. "Pigs in the blanket" is what I call it. Removing the beauty covers helps as well.

When it comes to purchasing, especially with low cost items that have little profit margin, it is almost impossible for the rest of the world to compete with Amazon because almost everything they sell includes free delivery. Shipping prices have never been more out of control than they are now, probably due to the cost of fuel. I'm sure it makes it harder for small businesses to stay afloat, along with all of the other brandonomics that have royally screwed things up.

Better price here. If you like it and want to order more, this might be a better option if shipping cost doesn't eat up the savings. https://modmymods.com/alphacool-apex-17w-mk-thermal-grease-4g.html

I total forgot how much I like Nita...

For those of you that like small systems and don't loathe air cooling, the rig it this guy's signature is very cool. It looks like a speaker or amplifier box with a mini-ITX inside of it. Pretty creative idea that looks neat even though I don't think I would like owning it. The specs are pretty unimpressive, but it looks great as a novelty build.

Yeah, both of them are nice products. Especially the delid tool. Very well engineered. I hope he makes a die frame for 12th and 13th Gen Intel. I would love to ditch the IHS. I really miss running bare die.

I wonder if a 7600X is a defective CPU with a dead CCX that can't be sold as the part it was originally intended to be. Rather than throwing it away, they sell it as a cheaper, less powerful processor.

It is obvious from the direction that technology is heading (downward) that a lot of people are ignorant, lazy, or both, and prefer to let someone else make all of their decisions for them. This is reflected in their hardware, software and operating system choices. Many people do not overclock anything. I have met a fair number of folks that would proudly tell you they are a tech enthusiast that don't know what overclocking is. Some of them still think of it as a sinful behavior that is always harmful or breaks things. Many probably don't care if the memory is fast or average as long as the computer boots and runs without errors, and they value the fact that it is "free" more than whether or not it is the fastest kit.

Maybe the person that built the system wanted to pull air away from the GPU rather than pushing cooler fresh air to it. Some people act like they really hate their expensive computer parts. but I think it is often a matter of ignorance or poor judgment.

I appreciate the condolences, but there's nothing for you to be sorry about. You blessed me with a great GPU at a wonderful price and there hasn't been a moment of dissatisfaction with it. The only reason it's not still working flawlessly is my fault. I accidentally knocked my tower over while cleaning my office. When I turned it back on it had this problem. I'm thinking (hoping) that the shock of it getting slammed with a heavy waterblock bolted to it simply fractured a tiny ball of solder, and hoping it will make easier to repair than something that failed due to fatigue or electrical malfunction.

There's a really sad element to that if you're an enthusiast when you stop and think about it. As consumer contentment grows with largely untunable cookie cutter crap that is a one size fits all solution gains traction with the zombie horde, the options to choose something special continue to slowly evaporate. Loss of user control and an increase in creator autonomy go unpunished. It is interesting that sheeple are so lazy that they are willing to pay extra for something they have less ability to control or enhance.

Dragon Ball works on my Asus mobos (present and past) not EVGA (present or past) but only Intel platforms. Dragon Power is a proprietary MSI-only product.