Is my motherboard RAM slot defective?

[achau10]

I have Intel S1200V3RPS motherboard. I bought it in September 2014 and was using 2x8GB RAMs in the first two slots till now. Last week, I decided to upgrade RAM on my server and bought two additional RAM sticks of the same model and make by the same company (Kingston). But the additional two slots do not appear to be working.

Following things work:

1) Two old sticks in slots 1 & 2 work fine.

2) Two new sticks in slots 1 & 2 work fine.

3) One old and one new stick in slots 1 & 2 work fine.

4) Each of the 4 sticks work individually in either slot 1 or slot 2.

From above 4 points, it appears that the RAM sticks are fine and they are compatible with each other.

Now, if I put any stick in slot 3 or 4 (irrespective of whether there are any sticks in slots 1 & 2), the computer refuses to start. When I press the power button, there are 3 beeps and then nothing happens. Now, I wonder if slots 3 and 4 on the motherboard are bad. This is an assembled server and I have made the wire connections. Can somebody tell me if I may have missed some wire connections so that RAM slots 3 & 4 are not working? Any other troubleshooting will also help.

I am using Intel Xeon 1230v3 processor and Kingston KVR16LE11/8i RAM modules.

(I have contacted Intel Customer Support and their only option is to send the product to their service center where they would check the problem and send a replacement. But this solution does not work for me as I have only one server and the solution of Intel will mean downtime of atleast 3 weeks.)

[idata · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Here are our recommendations for this issue:

- Update the firmware to the latest version available from our website.

- Power cycle the system by disconnecting the power cable and pressing the power button for 10 seconds. Then proceed to remove the CMOS battery for 1 minute, put it back in and start the system again.

- If the issue still persists, board needs to be replace and to avoid down time you can request an advanced warranty replacement (AWR) so you do not have to experience down time at all.

[achau10]

Thank you Dan for suggestions.

I have tried Steps 1 & 2 and still the issue remained.

Regarding step 3, the customer service by Intel in India is different from what you might presume. I requested the customer service agent many times on phone and explained to him that sending the serverboard for replacement will cause downtime of atleast 3 weeks. I also offered to have the entire cost of new board charged on my credit card, in case I fail to return the defective motherboard. But, Intel's customer support in India will not offer any help to deal with the downtime.

Fortunately, I found an Intel reseller who has arranged for Advance Warranty Replacement from his account, for which he is charging me a fee. I thought it was unfair that I had to spend money to get the Intel's defective serverboard replaced within a year of purchase(for all I know the other two slots might be defective from the very start). But given the lack of understanding by Intel's customer support in India, I did not hesitate for even a second to agree to the reseller's demand for fee.

My objective to write about my experience with Intel's customer support in India in a response to a technical query is simply to inform you about the policy of your customer support in India. For a small business owner like me having only one server, there is no option to become one Intel's gold or platinum partner for AWR service in India. If it is all about getting extra money from customer for its defective product, may be Intel India can advertise the AWR service for a cost for clear transparency. I hope you can forward this feedback to the appropriate channels in your company.

[idata]

Hello,

We appreciate your feedback on this matter and will make sure your comment reaches the proper department for future consideration. We also apologized for any inconveniences on this matter.