Pc only recognizes 8gb of 16 gb of ram

[bigboi972]

Good find David. That information should shine some light.

@bigboi972
Because I know you are going to keep your motherboard manual as long as you have that motherboard. A little one of my rules of the thumb.
Always write down the bios # down inside the front cover of the manual and the # of all bios you have used on that system. Just might come in handy.

How you know im going to keep the manual. haha kidding i found that funny the way you said it so I write down the bios number? Where do I get that ? And write down how many bios updates was done on this motherboard?

 

[DavidE]

Check what version of BIOS you have on the CPU-Z Mainboard tab.

This page lists all the BIOS versions for your MB: ASRock > H81M-HDS

 

[bigboi972]

Thank you I will look into the bios update later today I may do some research and watch some youtube videos on doing a bios update. I know the website you gave for the support page tells you how to do it I just wanna make sure I do it right considering I may not be able to boot up my system if it goes wrong.

 

[Layback Bear]

Now don't be a loose cannon on deck.
The first thing you need to be sure of is what BIOS you now have.

You can go into the bios to get the bios number and version or you can use a little program like Speccy.

https://www.piriform.com/speccy

The motherboard came with bios from the factory. If no one has changed them they are still the same. If and when you change the bios then make a note in your motherboard manual.

No I'm not kidding about the motherboard manual. It is the bible of your system and should always be kept, read and understood. If you would of read your motherboard manual and researched Windows operating system you would of never used the combination of ram in your system specs. You must do your homework.

You never change bios just to be changing them. It is one of the last things I do when having a problem.

You have to know what you got so you can investigate if a newer one is need for the problem you are having.

I do not update drivers or bios just because their is a new one. New is not always better. I do those updates only when they state that they are designed to fix the exact problem I have and nothing else tried worked.

 

[LMiller7]

A BIOS flash is a relatively safe procedure. But failures do occur, and this can happen even if you do everything right. A failed BIOS flash is a very serious matter, in some cases requiring physical replacement of the BIOS chip by a trained technician. Newer motherboards tend to offer better recovery facilities but you need to confirm this ahead of time.

Considering the very serious nature of a failure, a BIOS flash should not be taken lightly. It should only be done when the update explicitly addresses a problem you are having, not just because a newer version is available.

 

[bigboi972]

A BIOS flash is a relatively safe procedure. But failures do occur, and this can happen even if you do everything right. A failed BIOS flash is a very serious matter, in some cases requiring physical replacement of the BIOS chip by a trained technician. Newer motherboards tend to offer better recovery facilities but you need to confirm this ahead of time.

Considering the very serious nature of a failure, a BIOS flash should not be taken lightly. It should only be done when the update explicitly addresses a problem you are having, not just because a newer version is available.

I understand well if the update could solve my ram issue I would really like that it sucks only having 8gb of ram

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Unless the description of the update says it addresses a RAM problem, then it probably doesn't.

 

[bigboi972]

Unless the description of the update says it addresses a RAM problem, then it probably doesn't.

This is the description of the update
1. Improve system compatibility.
2. Patch Crucial DDR3-4G-1600 and APACER DDR3-1G-1333 memory.
3. BIOS [Case open] option default set to disabled.
4. Improve Windows compatibility.


ASRock > H81M-HDS

another thing will this update work for me? My ram is G.Skill Ares Low Profile F3-1600C9D-16GAR DDR3-1600. But the patch is for Crucial DDR3-4G-1600 and APACER DDR3-1G-1333 memory.

 

[Mellon Head]

The patch probably won't do anything for your RAM, since it's for different brands. Your RAM isn't on the manufacturer's supported RAM list, so it's unlikely that they offer any kind of support for it. That usually means nothing though. I frequently use RAM which is not "supported" by my motherboard manufacturer and it works fine. What's on the manufacturer's QVL list is just the RAM that they've tested to work, and they can say does work for sure. That doesn't mean that every type of RAM will work on a given mobo model though. Some RAM that isn't on the list may not work correctly on your model, and that might not be the problem that you're seeing here.

 

[bigboi972]

The patch probably won't do anything for your RAM, since it's for different brands. Your RAM isn't on the manufacturer's supported RAM list, so it's unlikely that they offer any kind of support for it. That usually means nothing though. I frequently use RAM which is not "supported" by my motherboard manufacturer and it works fine. What's on the manufacturer's QVL list is just the RAM that they've tested to work, and they can say does work for sure. That doesn't mean that every type of RAM will work on a given mobo model though. Some RAM that isn't on the list may not work correctly on your model, and that might be the problem that you're seeing here.

so basically there is no point in doing the update because it wont effect my ram considering my ram is not on the list of ram models that the bios update was tested on and its possible my ram is just incompatible with the motherboard itself instead of what I am assuming which is slot 2 on my motherboard being defective.

 

[bigmck]

so basically there is no point in doing the update because it wont effect my ram considering my ram is not on the list of ram models that the bios update was tested on and its possible my ram is just incompatible with the motherboard itself instead of what I am assuming which is slot 2 on my motherboard being defective.

If the RAM were incompatible, none of it would work. You are getting 8 GB to work so the RAM seems OK. It seems to me that slot 2 is the problem. Give slot 2 a squirt of compressed air to see if any dirt is in the slot.

 

[Mellon Head]

so basically there is no point in doing the update because it wont effect my ram considering my ram is not on the list of ram models that the bios update was tested on and its possible my ram is just incompatible with the motherboard itself instead of what I am assuming which is slot 2 on my motherboard being defective.

No, I didn't type right. I think your problem is with slot #2 being faulty, or dirty.

What I meant in my post is that the mobo may have issues running two of the sticks in the mobo at a time, though one runs just fine. That seems a little far fetched to me, so I suspect that your problem is the second slot.

 

[DavidE]

What version of the BIOS do you have now ?

Did you ever connect the speaker?
There may be a beep code when slot 2 is used that could help identify a problem.

Is the motherboard still under warranty?
If it is and slot 2 is defective you may be able to get it repaired/replaced by the manufacturer?
If it's brand new you may be able to return/exchange it where you purchased it.

You could contact ASRock describing your problem.
They might tell you if updating your BIOS might fix your issue.

Can you "borrow" other DDR3 RAM to test in slot 2, preferably a 4GB stick ?

 

[bigboi972]

What version of the BIOS do you have now ?

Did you ever connect the speaker?
There may be a beep code when slot 2 is used that could help identify a problem.

Is the motherboard still under warranty?
If it is and slot 2 is defective you may be able to get it repaired/replaced by the manufacturer?
If it's brand new you may be able to return/exchange it where you purchased it.

You could contact ASRock describing your problem.
They might tell you if updating your BIOS might fix your issue.

Can you "borrow" other DDR3 RAM to test in slot 2, preferably a 4GB stick ?

no i did not connect the speaker I am going to do it right now. and will come back with my results it is under warranty I purchased it last week from amazon

 

[bigboi972]

so when I plugged up the speaker and only used one motherboard ram slot which was slot 2 the pc beeped 3 times and paused for 1 second a repeated the three beep pattern

 

[DavidE]

I couldn't find beep codes for your specific motherboard, but I found these tables on the ASRock site.
The 1st table is for AMI UEFI BIOS.
The 2nd table is for AMI BIOS (Legacy).



Check what version of BIOS you have on the CPU-Z Mainboard tab, or use SPECCY.

 

[bigboi972]

ok the version number is p1.60

 

[DavidE]

It sounds like the MB RAM slot 2 is defective.
You can try blowing air in the slot to clean it, but with as many times as you've inserted and removed RAM in the slot it seems unlikely to me blowing air will fix it.
I would look into returning the motherboard for a replacement.
I wouldn't want a new MB with such a defect, but it's your choice.

fwiw, when I build a new PC I always update to the latest BIOS, if the latest is not already installed.
That way I get the latest updates/fixes for the BIOS, and if anything does go wrong I can return the MB.
If you are going to return the MB as defective, you could update the BIOS to the latest version.
That way you gain knowledge and experience updating BIOS, and if anything goes wrong, no big deal, you are returning it anyway.

Also, did you do a BIOS reset when you built the PC ?
You should always do a BIOS reset with a new MB.

 

[bigboi972]

It sounds like the MB RAM slot 2 is defective.
You can try blowing air in the slot to clean it, but with as many times as you've inserted and removed RAM in the slot it seems unlikely to me blowing air will fix it.
I would look into returning the motherboard for a replacement.
I wouldn't want a new MB with such a defect, but it's your choice.

fwiw, when I build a new PC I always update to the latest BIOS, if the latest is not already installed.
That way I get the latest updates/fixes for the BIOS, and if anything does go wrong I can return the MB.
If you are going to return the MB as defective, you could update the BIOS to the latest version.
That way you gain knowledge and experience updating BIOS, and if anything goes wrong, no big deal, you are returning it anyway.

Also, did you do a BIOS reset when you built the PC ?
You should always do a BIOS reset with a new MB.

I agree with you I am going to try and flash it just to gain knoiwledge of flashing also I will be buying a new motherboard and a new brand. Like they say you get what you pay for and I purchased a cheap board sense it was my first build and look what happened. Here is a link to my parts https://pcpartpicker.com/user/stephon972/saved/Y6M48d here is my case ULTRA Etorque™ H4 Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case - USB 2.0/3.0, Up To 6 x SSD Trays, Top Hard Drive Dock and Fan Controller, Black - U12-42517 at TigerDirect.com Could you suggest a motherboard that will be compatible with what I have now?


I was thinking about these not sure if they are compatible

Amazon.com: Gigabyte H97 SATA Express M.2 SSD UEFI DualBIOS DDR3 1600 LGA 1150 Motherboard GA-H97-D3H: Computers & Accessories

 

[Layback Bear]

I would not recommend G.Skill ram.
Kingston and Corsair has always worked the best for me.