NUC 11 i7 RAM not recognised

[TimsNUC]

Hi, I've just bought my first NUC and went for the PANTHER CANYON NUC11PAHI7 UK BAREBONE L6 UK

I have also bought a Samsung SSD (970 EVO Plus 1 TB PCIe NVMe M.2) along with 2x16GB Corsair RAM sticks (Vengeance RAM - 32GB (2 x 16 GB) - DDR4 3200 DIMM CL22).

I have installed the RAM and SSD but when I turn on my NUC I get a flashing blue light which indicates a RAM issues. I have followed the guidance here (https://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/support/articles/000005854/intel-nuc.html) apart from trying the RAM in another device as I don't have any other removable DDR4 RAM devices.

I am trying to borrow some RAM and test my RAM on another computer. If that works do I have a defective NUC or is there some sort of compatibility issue that will be resolved?

Any help would be appreciated.

[BHarr8]

One trick that has worked in the past for high end RAM is to install low end RAM, manually set the timings very loose in BIOS, shut down, swap to the high end RAM, boot back to BIOS and begin tuning towards the timings given for the high end RAM.

I had to do this with my DDR4 3600 RAM in my NUC8i7HVK. XMP out of the box would not boot.

[LeonWaksman · Accepted solution]

I suspect that this is a compatibility problem. Check the Intel Compatibility List  and even more interesting Crucial list of validated memory and SSD for your NUC. The memory modules you bought is not on this list.

Leon

[TimsNUC]

Thanks Leon, I had seen the Intel compatibility list for RAM but assumed the list was out of date with only two options (which was the correct assumption). Unfortunately I also assumed all RAM made to the same spec (DDR4 SODIMM 3200MHz) was equal... (I would love to know how they are different)

That link to the Crucial site was really helpful, I hadn't seen it before. The only downside being that All compatible RAM is currently out of stock everywhere in the UK. I tried looking on other RAM manufacturers sites for similar compatibility checks but they haven't been as helpful.

I've decided to go for the Intel compatible Kingston RAM (only 2x8GB) to get me going, I'll report back once it arrives.

[LeonWaksman]

Hi,

If you are going for Kingston, you may want to see the Kingston list verified RAM for your NUC.  In this review I see that the Kingston RAM was used too. 

Leon

[TimsNUC]

Thanks again Leon.

I have ordered the Kingston RAM on the official Intel Compatibility List, there seems to be a serious RAM shortage in the UK at the moment and I don't really want to wait weeks for something to turn up which may not work. I'm struggling to see why there are so many compatibility issues with RAM made to the same spec but I'm sure there is a technical answer out there somewhere.

Supports two 1.2V DDR4; 3200 MHz; non-ECC; maximum 64GB

MANUFACTURER	DESCRIPTION	PART NUMBER	RESULTS TYPE
Crucial	32GB 2666 MHz	CT32G4SFD8266	3rd Party Validated
Kingston	8GB 3200 MHz	HX432S20IB2K2/16	3rd Party Validated

Do you know if the range of compatible RAM will increase as the BIOS updates come in or should I return my 32GB of RAM as incompatible?

Thanks, Tim

[LeonWaksman]

Hi Tim,

I believe that with time, the list of Intel validated SO DIMM  will be updated. Intel is testing only the memory supplied by the manufacturers. As is the status for now, there is no memory validated by Intel.

From the Technical Product Specification  , I understand that in addition to 1.2V DDR4 and 3200 MHz requirements, there is an requirement for RAM density. Your NUC supports only 8Gbit and 16Gbit  densities.  For example KVR32S22D8/16 module is double sided module, contains 16 SDRAM elements (each element is 8Gbit density), while KVR32S22S8/16 module is single sided module, contains 8 SDRAM elements (each element is 16Gbit density).  Crucial memory data sheet doesn't describe,  how many SDRAM elements the memory module contains. I'm not sure if this is the page of the Crucial memory you bought? Here also the voltage is questionable. If you will check the specification of CT16G4SFRA32A, which was tested for your NUC, here the voltage is 1.2V and not 1.35V. 

Leon

[TimsNUC]

Hi Leon,

The RAM I bought originally is slightly different to the link you shared, I've actually got this https://www.scan.co.uk/products/32gb-2x16gb-corsair-ddr4-so-dimm-vengeance-performance-pc4-25600-3200-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-22-22-2

This seems to meet the requirement (spec, voltage etc.) but strangely I couldn't see in on the Corsair website. I was going to return it if the new Kingston RAM works tomorrow.

I know the NUC is new but it's hard to believe memory manufacturers don't send plenty of samples to Intel. Not having any 'officially' tested seems mad as there must have been many test units in use for prototype and pre-production, they can't have worked without RAM.

Hopefully the new RAM works and once I've updated the Bios and installed the OS I'll try to change the RAM to the original set I bought. It's got to be worth a try anyway.

Thanks again for you help and information so far, it really is appreciated.

Tim

[LeonWaksman]

Hi Tim,

On the page your link point there is a Model Number: CMSX32GX4M2A3200C22. If you google with this number, you will find the same page I've linked. The memory is marked with CMSX32GX4M2A3200C22 number.

Hope that Kingston will work for you.

Leon

 

[LeonWaksman]

Hi Tim,

There is an other post on REDEDIT forum that may confirm the incompatibility problem: Corsair Vengenace not comptabile with Intel NUC 11 (NUC11PAHi7).

Leon

[TimsNUC]

Hi Leon,

I've got a positive update, my new RAM (https://www.buykingston.co.uk/hyperx-impact-hx432s20ib2k2-16-16gb-8gb-x2-ddr4-3200mhz-memory-ram-sodimm#) arrived and worked straight away, the only downside is I've had to get two 8GB sticks due to stock issues.

After updating the Bios (and all drivers/ software) I did attempt to fit the previous RAM but it still didn't work, that's now being returned to Amazon for a refund. Due to the high demand on RAM the prices have shot up, it would be tempting to keep the 32gb if it was likely to work in the near future... In the meantime the NUC is flying compared to my previous computers so I'll have an option to increase again if needed.

Thanks for your help with this, it's really appreciated.

Cheers,

Tim

[LeonWaksman]

Hi Tim,

Enjoy your NUC. I think you will not need to upgrade RAM to 32 GB, unless you are using this NUC as a server. For  internet browsing and even for gaming, 16 GB is a good number.

Leon