# [SOLVED] Performance issues after 1 day uptime



## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi guys!

I did not know where to put this, but I am suspecting this to be a hardware problem, possibly with RAM or some other component.

At the moment I am runing a hackintosh (OSX Mavericks), however, I had ran Windows 8 last year on the same machine an the problem persisted. My setup is Core i5 and Gigabyte motherboard, 2 sticks total 16 GB ram (see details at the end of my post).

*Here is the problem:*

The actual problem is that after some time (like a day of moderate usage) my computer becomes slow. I check my CPU and RAM usage and they seem perfectly normal (50% memory free, 1 core barely used), however everything starts stuttering (even typing text comes with a lag). And then after a reboot everything is super fast again.

I can test my rig with GeekBench. After a reboot I get shy of 9000 points. But when after a day I sometimes get like 6000 and after two days I get sometimes only 2-4000. It almost seems as CPU cannot compute as much in the same amount of cycles or that something is really clogged.

To reproduce the results faster I can use ANY software for virtualization. I tried Parallels, VmWare Fusion, or even VirtualBox. Whenever I use any of the software listed I immediately get performance reduction (which is okay since this kind of software is performance intensive). HOWEVER, after I quit it, the performance never improves! It is just wasted... until I reboot my system. Since this kind of software uses a lot of memory I suspected it is a memory problem.

But as I said this is not only limited to VM software, Chroome can bring it to that point in a day or two (Chromium being slightly better), or Word etc.


*RAM configurations testing*

I started out with two sticks of 4GB cheap Patriot memory and I don't remember having problems at that time. But I needed more memory so I bought additional two sticks of it and the problems began.

And then I thought that my motherboard cannot handle 4 sticks of RAM properly so I sold it all and bought 2x8 GB Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2400 (running at stock freqs). And while it is a little better, the problem still persists.

*What else I tried*

I have quite the knowledge of computers so I tried a few more things:

measuring disk and SSD performance when the overall performance is low - disk performance was unchanged
all possible combinations of latencies and frequencies of RAM - same result
all possible permutations and combinations with command rates for RAM set to 1T or 2T - some of those make the situation a lot worse
I tried mem-tests and they all passed


I don't really expect the diagnosis right away. But at least an idea of what else to try in order to pinpoint the problem would be really welcome. Especially what kind of test(s) I could perform when the performance is actually at it worst.
And do not be fooled by my judgement that it is a RAM problem, it could be anything else.
I really appreciate any help. 


*My configuration:*
Intel Core i5 2500K (not overclocked)
(using integrated HD3000)
Gigabyte Z68AP-D3
2x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB DDR3-2400
Samsung 840 120GB SSD
(issues were there even before I bought it)
WD Green 1TB


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Memory support for the Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 is Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz. Over 1600MHz is basically a waste.
HyperX is also noted for issues.
A 2x4GB matched pair will be more than plenty for normal use. G.Skill and Corsair are recommended brands.


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

I agree with your response. I bought this set from a friend that received it as a prize at some competition. At the moment I am running them at 1600MHz. I tried at 1866, 2133, 1333 and it made no difference regarding my situation.

What I did not know is that these Kingstons had issues on their own. Would it be worth getting a pair of some other brand ram sticks just to test?

2x4 GB is not enough for my memory needs. 4x4GB Patriots caused the same problems as these twoo Kingstons.


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Are you sure you have your RAM in the correct RAM slots for proper dual channel set up? What revision is your mobo....R1.0 or R2.0 

Have a look here...GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-Z68AP-D3 (rev. 1.0) the blue slots are meant for only 2 RAM sticks. Click on the last picture in the photo gallery and the move your mouse and you'll see what I'm talking about. Page 16 of your manual shows you what slots to use for a pair of RAM sticks. http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-z68ap-d3_v2.x_e.pdf


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Thank you for your answer. I guess I am pretty sure, yes. I have them in the white slots.

Qoute from the manual you provided (I have the same in paper form):


> For optimum performance, when enabling Dual Channel mode with two memory modules, we recommend that you install them in the DDR3_1 and DDR3_2 sockets.


DDR3_1 and DDR3_2 are tho ones that are further from CPU socket and you can see that shese are white slots.

I did however try also all other permutations to no avail.

My mobo is rev 1.0, using bios version F8.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

since your RAM speed isn't supported on that board there could be a voltage issue, go into the BIOS and check what the voltage is. It should be 1.5 - 1.65 also the timings of the RAM could be out of whack because its not a supported speed even though your running it at 1600.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

What do you do that requires more than 8GB of RAM?
Patriot is right down there with HyperX for issues.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*



Tyree said:


> What do you do that requires more than 8GB of RAM?
> Patriot is right down there with HyperX for issues.




I'm not so sure I would characterize it as "down there". It makes it sound like worthless memory Tyree I have been using it for years with no issue as well as Corsair. The supplier does matter though. I suppose some of it is also the motherboard you choose.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Everyone has different experiences with different components. HyperX and Patriot have been known for issues.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

I second Tyree.

I used Geil RAM for years but it was well known for issues even though I never had any.

It's always best to minimize any potential faults by buying whats known to be most reliable.


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Well, my RAMs are actually supported as my motherboard supports 2133MHz DDR3 modules. You can reach 2400MHz through overclocking, which is done automatically by enabling XMP (also supported by my MB). Although I do not use any of that as I am aware of the fact that there are no practical improvements of the performance. I set my RAMs to 1600MHz to make sure that the high frequency would not be the cause for my situation.

RAMs have SPD information for all the frequencies from 1333 - 2400 and I did not alter any timings. When XMP is disabled, the voltage is at the default value of 1.55. I did try to increase it manually to 1.6 and 1.65 with no difference whatsoever.

I find it strange that two completely different sets of RAMs (both new) would be causing this same symptoms. However, I do not have much experience with memory brands. Therefore I will try to borrow a pair of sticks from the manufacturers that you listed. Just to rule this out or confirm it. G.Skill, Corsair, is anything else also acceptable?

I did try these sticks in another computer and they worked fine. And also ran memtest for two days - also fine.

The second thing that I could try is running my computer with just one stick (of the pair that I currently own) and see if the situation improves (although I need all 16GBs as this is my workstation). 

The third thing is that I could try some mem-test in OS when it gets all slow again. Would that bring any useful information to the table? My guess is that it would pass normally, it would just need more time than usual.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-Z68AP-D3 (rev. 1.0)
Look at #3 - "Memory" Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

I re-checked the exact modules that I have and I actually have these: KHX21C11T3K2/16X
http://www.kingston.com/datasheets/KHX21C11T3K2_16X.pdf

I always thought that I had 2400MHz ones, but I never even tried these frequencies. As it turns out I have the 2133 MHz ones.

Sorry for posting misleading information.

How do you comment on my ideas for further investigation?


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

If you are running them at 1600, check the timings are the same as the XMP 2 profile.
Or just leave them to run at JEDEC timings of 1333.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*



greenbrucelee said:


> I second Tyree.
> 
> I used Geil RAM for years but it was well known for issues even though I never had any.
> 
> It's always best to minimize any potential faults by buying whats known to be most reliable.



Mostly I agree with you and also with Tyree. I have had great experience with Patriot unlike others here but then again I built with huge amount of MSI motherboards which happen to _really_ like Patriot memory. before that it was Corsair usually, and I still but Corsair of course. Geil had a horrible reputation for years on end, but recently because they use a more mainstream supplier they are fine. Added to that Corsair and Gskill, and also Crucial have consistent quality always. Others seem to have quality only when they are buying the memory chips from a good supplier and buying premium batches.

Of course you have to take the total picture in mind with the tech support and how easy they are to reach and such, and with that in mind I agree with both you and Tyree about Corsair and also Gskill as well.


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Updates which include some breakthroughs!

*XMP1 2133MHz & Vtt 1.3V*

Since this was the only one thing that I havent tried so far I tried to enable XMP1 with full 2133MHz on both modules. I Upped thi VTT/QPI voltage to 1.312 which helped a lot. After that the slow-down was a little less obvious and took longer to get really slow. However it certainly did not solve the problem.

*Installed windows 8.1*

Previously I have been using Mac OS X. And now just to makre sure again that this is not a software issue I reinstalled (dual boot) Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 seemed MUCH more sensitive to my situation (which is great as it is easier to reproduce the problem). Boot time was 2-3 minutes and everything was quite slow. Geekbench scored 4000 points (on OSX right after boot: 8000).

*Tried just one stick*

This was a MAJOR breakthrough! Immediately after removing one stick of memory from my MB everything started to work so fast! Windows 8.1 booted in a blink of an eye, scored geekbench 8000 and worked really really a lot faster than it did with both modules. Ofcourse I tried swaping the sticks to make sure that both work okay in one-stick-mode and indeed it did.

This is the same kind of behaviour that I was getting when I had 4x4GB sticks of Patriot memory. (Now I have 2x8GB Kingstons). Let me illustrate this with a table:

4X4GB Patriots: PROBLEMS
2x4GB Patriots: OK

2x8GB Kingstons: PROBLEMS
1x8GB Kingstons: OK

In both situations I tried all possible combinations of sticks and the output was consistent. The motherboard does not (guessing) have a problem handling two sticks because it worked fine with 2x4. It seems as if it were unable to deal with such amount of memory (16GB) for some other reason.

Do you have any ideas what this reason might be? Is there anything else I can try to really pinpoint the problem?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

If QPI etc helped a bit then change your VCCSA or system agent voltage to the next available voltage. It will probably be set at 0.9 try 1.0 if this helps but does not cure try 1.1


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Your Mobo should not have any issues with 2x8GB of RAM if the RAM and Mobo do not have any compatibility issues.
A possible problem with attempting to use the 2x8 Kingston is it is not on the Mobo Memory Support List.


Tyree said:


> s Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz.


Can you borrow a 2x8GB matched pair of a better quality brand (i.e. G.Skill or Corsair) of RAM, that is on the Support List, to try?


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Yes that is something I am certainly willing to do to rule this incompatibility out.

THere is a problem, however, G.Skill isn't even sold here in Slovenia. And Corsair is hard to get in 2x8GB form. They are sold as 4x4GB mostly. I could buy 2 8GB sticks separately and even that is a 180€ investition.

Is there any other brand that is also at the same level as these two?

I will try to talk to a computer shop if they would be willing to lent me any of these (but it would help if I had a wider choice).


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Crucial brand is widely available and good quality. Avoid the Ballisitix series.


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Okay, thanks I will try to get something from this range.

Today I tried a bunch of other settings and timings to no avail.
I tried various Vtt and System Agent voltages... no change at all.
I tried default timings (manually overriden), JEDEC timings, super loose timings... 1T, 2T, 3T command rates.
Rank/Channel interleaving disabled.
Modules in same channel (to "disable" dual channel).
Memory settings at XMP1 (2133), and default MB settings at 1333.
Insane variety of combinations of all the above.
No change at all.


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## arugula-375 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

*AAAAAAAAAAAAA!
GUYS! I DID IT! PROBLEM SOLVED! * 
:dance::dance::dance:


After 1.2 years of headaches and fruitless researches and experiments, finally I have the computer that I paid for working as it was supposed to!

*The story, Crucial RAMs*
Yesterday, my friend came to me with two sticks of 8GB of Crucials. We took my kingstons out and plugged the Crucials in. Then we turned the computer on and booted to windows. I took looong enought and the geekbench score was low. It wasn't working.

*Accidentaly finding the real cause*
So he instructed me to reset the cmos completely at boot with that configuration. I agreed (although I had tried this before). After cmos reset I have to change a few the most crucial options. The most important was AHCI disk mode followed by graphics memory and HPET (crucial for OSX). Anyway.. I just wanted to boot it quickly. So I set the other two and configured integrated graphics to use 320MB of RAM. AND IT WORKED!

*The real cause*
Well after that it was obvious that there is a setting that kills the whole thing. And it was the shared amount of memory that is given to integrated graphics chip. I always used the highest possible option (480MB+2MB GTT). This turned out to be the source of this error. Here is a pretty picture. If I set it to anything else (448MB or below), everything works flawlessly! And the most mysterious things of it all is that it only stops working after the total amount of memory exceeds 8GB.


*Conclusion*
This seems like a really ugly bug on Gigabyte's BIOS. And I am really angry with them for producing it. Anyways, I am not here to complain. So to sum it up I really appreciate all the help that you guys inputted in here. So thank you.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Performance issues after 1 day uptime*

Glad you resolved the problem and thanks for posting back.


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