x86_64 - 8G RAM quick, 16G very slow?

[bwaldow]

Hello,

The laptop is an HP ProBook 4540s, SKU: B7C25PA#ABG, with a Core i5-3210M CPU, Intel HD4000 graphics, discrete graphics disabled in BIOS. BIOS updated to latest F.42.

RAM is Crucial 8G DDR3 1600 1.35v, one or two sticks.

OS is a fresh install of gentoo x86_64, kernel 3.10.17. No problems were noted during the install. The system boots to a prompt. I used genkernel.

Running the system with 1 x 8G RAM SODIMM installed is sprightly, and the system idles at less than 1%. Adding the second 8G RAM SODIMM (2 x 8 = 16G RAM) puts one core at 28+%. This is the only change.

The system boots to prompt in less than 30 seconds with one RAM module, and requires more than 6 minutes with two.

What is happening, and how can I run with full RAM?

Background:
I purchased the machine to run as a Hackintosh. I have OS X Mavericks installed on another disk to run natively, and that configuration idles with the full 16G RAM at 99+% idle. From 'uname -a' OS X reports 'x86_64' and other Hackintosh users have confirmed Mavericks is 64 bit only.

So the OS X experience says this hardware can indeed run 16G RAM (2x8 sticks) and has low CPU usage.

I'd appreciate any knowledge about... well, what is it? Different kernel compile settings?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Regards,
Bret

[anbc]

Barring hardware failures with your second channel... (i.e., memtest)

I'd ditch a generic genkernel and start from scratch with a self built kernel:

With this minimal kernel i'd have a starting point to troubleshoot the problem.
I'd compare my dmesg outputs with one channel then two channels of ram as a starting point.

[bwaldow]

Barring hardware failures with your second channel... (i.e., memtest)

As it happens, 3 complete cycles of Memtest overnight with both SODIMMS showed no errors.

And further trials with Windows 7 64 bit show the system is heavily loaded with both SODIMMS, not so with only one.

Thanks for the suggestion about diagnosis.

[aCOSwt]

With your 16G physically installed, add mem=8G to your boot command line parameters and retry.

[bwaldow]

I am copying files or hand typing messages from the offending machine onto this one, which can actually access the Internet.

The offending machine (HP ProBook 4540s) has only type 83, ext4 formatted partitions. No LVM or RAID is configured.

I collected dmesg for several situations:

1x8G module: quick boot
2x8G module: very slow boot
2x8G module with "mem=8G" boot parameter: quick boot, and only lists 6612 of RAM from "free -m"

I removed the time signature from the lines with (e.g.):

Code: Select all

cat dmesg_1x8G | cut -b 16- > dmesg_1x8G.cut

... and then ran diffs.

I noted this (quick and slow):

Code: Select all

diff dmesg_1x8G.cut dmesg_2x8G.cut

Code: Select all

241,252c252,255
< usb 1-1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=1338a, idProduct=003d
< usb 1-1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=1
< usb 1-1.1: SerialNumber: 00a0d894378c
< usb 1-1.3: new high-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
< raid6: sse2x1    6656 MB/s
< raid6: sse2x2    8352 MB/s
< usb 1-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=04f2, idProduct=b270
< usb 1-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
< usb 1-1.3: Product: HP HD Webcam [Fixed]
< usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: Chicony
< raid6: sse2x4    9526 MB/s
< raid6: using algorithm sse2x4 (9526 MB/s)
---
> raid6: sse2x1    5932 MB/s
> raid6: sse2x2    7288 MB/s
> raid6: sse2x4    7907 MB/s
> raid6: using algorithm sse2x4 (7907 MB/s)
255c258
<    avx       : 17696.800 MB/sec
---
>    avx       :  3106.000 MB/sec

Similarly for (quick and quick):

Code: Select all

diff dmesg_1x8G.cut dmesg_2x8G_mem_8G.cut

Code: Select all

245,246c245,246
< raid6: sse2x1    6656 MB/s
< raid6: sse2x2    8352 MB/s
---
> raid6: sse2x1    6682 MB/s
> raid6: sse2x2    8390 MB/s
251,252c251,252
< raid6: sse2x4    9526 MB/s
< raid6: using algorithm sse2x4 (9526 MB/s)
---
> raid6: sse2x4    9561 MB/s
> raid6: using algorithm sse2x4 (9561 MB/s)
255c255
<    avx       : 17696.800 MB/sec
---
>    avx       : 17598.000 MB/sec

This seems consistent with the experience of speed, but I don't know anything about what it means. I don't find any likely candidates in my .config file.

I also don't know how to upload files to attach - if you want that, please tip me off where to read about it.

Thanks.

[aCOSwt]

Hmmmm... the discovery of your webcam depends on the quantity of ram available ???

Well, are you sure the ram settings (timings + voltage) in your BIOS precisely match what your CRUCIAL are awaiting ?

[bwaldow]

Hmmmm... the discovery of your webcam depends on the quantity of ram available ???

I think that juxtaposition is accidental and the raid6 lines are more relevant. A search on 'avx' found some messages that mentioned raid5 & raid6, but I don't understand any of it, or know how it relates to my non-raid install.

Well, are you sure the ram settings (timings + voltage) in your BIOS precisely match what your CRUCIAL are awaiting ?

The BIOS has no entries to change the RAM timings. It reports whether I have 8G or 16G installed, but nothing else I can see.

I can populate with the 2x8G Crucial modules, or the 2x4G modules that came originally with the machine. 2 modules totaling 8G don't slow the machine, 1 module totaling 8G doesn't slow the machine, only 2 modules totaling 16G is slow, so it doesn't appear to be due to the number of populated RAM slots (2 total, in any case).

And it's still true that OS X Mavericks idles with almost no loading with the full 16G installed. I don't know if the OS can change the RAM timings, but at least that suggests they can be correct for this hardware.

[s_bernstein]

have you seen this:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware-U ... -p/2527609

[bwaldow]

Yes, I have seen that.

However, whether HP changes their support terms or not has no effect on the laws of physics. The machine continues to idle at less than 1% in OS X with 2x8G RAM. I want to find out what need change in the Linux configuration to provide the same.

It's obviously happening, and for quite a few other people on the tonymacx86 forums.

So, there's something that needs correcting in the Linux set up. I'd like to find out what, so the machine is usable.

[s_bernstein]

Correct, but the laws of physics having an effect on HP's support terms. There is probably a reason why they've change it to 8GB. Maybe the chipset has problems with supporting 16GB. And OS X in your case is the odd man out. So, maybe OS X has some kind of workaround that is missing in linux and windows. Maybe OS X disables some of the cpu / chipset features to prevent this error. The BIOS settings are only in effect until a system driver change them - linux and windows usually respect the BIOS settings, OS X may be different.

[aCOSwt]

emerge sys-apps/dmidecode, run and report output in both situations.
What we could suspect here is some flacky power supply that significantly lowers the voltage applied to the sticks (and other misc devices such as usb) when plugging the second stick.
dmidecode should be capable of reporting what the BIOS believes.

EDIT, if you can also get sys-apps/lm-sensors running, please run and report as well.

[bwaldow]

dmidecode for 1x8G:

Code: Select all

# dmidecode 2.11
SMBIOS 2.7 present.
31 structures occupying 1491 bytes.
Table at 0xA9C11000.

Handle 0x000B, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
	Vendor: Hewlett-Packard
	Version: 68IRR Ver. F.42
	Release Date: 07/16/2013
	Address: 0xF0000
	Runtime Size: 64 kB
	ROM Size: 5120 kB
	Characteristics:
		PCI is supported
		PC Card (PCMCIA) is supported
		BIOS is upgradeable
		BIOS shadowing is allowed
		Boot from CD is supported
		Selectable boot is supported
		EDD is supported
		Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
		8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
		Serial services are supported (int 14h)
		Printer services are supported (int 17h)
		ACPI is supported
		USB legacy is supported
		Smart battery is supported
		BIOS boot specification is supported
		Function key-initiated network boot is supported
		Targeted content distribution is supported
		UEFI is supported
	BIOS Revision: 15.66
	Firmware Revision: 88.31

Handle 0x000C, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
	Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
	Product Name: HP ProBook 4540s
	Version: A1009D11
	Serial Number: GOL40534AB
	UUID: BCFEF7ED-9FD6-11E1-9127-40C4590000FD
	Wake-up Type: Power Switch
	SKU Number: B7C25PA#ABG
	Family: 103C_5336AN G=N L=BUS B=HP S=PRO

Handle 0x000D, DMI type 2, 16 bytes
Base Board Information
	Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
	Product Name: 17F6
	Version: KBC Version 58.1F
	Serial Number: PCWBF1A2D2P16Q
	Asset Tag: Not Specified
	Features:
		Board is a hosting board
		Board is replaceable
	Location In Chassis:  
	Chassis Handle: 0x000E
	Type: Unknown
	Contained Object Handles: 0

Handle 0x000E, DMI type 3, 17 bytes
Chassis Information
	Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
	Type: Notebook
	Lock: Not Present
	Version: Not Specified
	Serial Number: GOL40534AB
	Asset Tag: GOL40534AB
	Boot-up State: Safe
	Power Supply State: Safe
	Thermal State: Other
	Security Status: Other
	OEM Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 4, 42 bytes
Processor Information
	Socket Designation: U3E1
	Type: Central Processor
	Family: Core i5
	Manufacturer: Intel(R) Corporation
	ID: A9 06 03 00 FF FB EB BF
	Signature: Type 0, Family 6, Model 58, Stepping 9
	Flags:
		FPU (Floating-point unit on-chip)
		VME (Virtual mode extension)
		DE (Debugging extension)
		PSE (Page size extension)
		TSC (Time stamp counter)
		MSR (Model specific registers)
		PAE (Physical address extension)
		MCE (Machine check exception)
		CX8 (CMPXCHG8 instruction supported)
		APIC (On-chip APIC hardware supported)
		SEP (Fast system call)
		MTRR (Memory type range registers)
		PGE (Page global enable)
		MCA (Machine check architecture)
		CMOV (Conditional move instruction supported)
		PAT (Page attribute table)
		PSE-36 (36-bit page size extension)
		CLFSH (CLFLUSH instruction supported)
		DS (Debug store)
		ACPI (ACPI supported)
		MMX (MMX technology supported)
		FXSR (FXSAVE and FXSTOR instructions supported)
		SSE (Streaming SIMD extensions)
		SSE2 (Streaming SIMD extensions 2)
		SS (Self-snoop)
		HTT (Multi-threading)
		TM (Thermal monitor supported)
		PBE (Pending break enabled)
	Version: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M CPU @ 2.50GHz
	Voltage: 1.2 V
	External Clock: 100 MHz
	Max Speed: 4000 MHz
	Current Speed: 2500 MHz
	Status: Populated, Enabled
	Upgrade: Other
	L1 Cache Handle: 0x0002
	L2 Cache Handle: 0x0003
	L3 Cache Handle: 0x0004
	Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Part Number: Not Specified
	Core Count: 2
	Core Enabled: 2
	Thread Count: 4
	Characteristics:
		64-bit capable

Handle 0x0001, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 32 kB
	Maximum Size: 32 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Parity
	System Type: Data
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0002, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 32 kB
	Maximum Size: 32 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Parity
	System Type: Instruction
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0003, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 2
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 256 kB
	Maximum Size: 256 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Multi-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 3
	Operational Mode: Write Back
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 3072 kB
	Maximum Size: 3072 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Multi-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 12-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0013, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port0
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Primary HDD Bay
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0014, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port5
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Docking Station Upgrade Bay
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0015, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port4
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: eSATA
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0016, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port3
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Docking Station eSATA
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0017, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port2
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: mSATA
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0018, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port1
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Upgrade Bay
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x001A, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: PCI SLOT1
	Type: 32-bit PCI
	Current Usage: Available
	Length: Long
	ID: 1
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		PME signal is supported
		SMBus signal is supported

Handle 0x0010, DMI type 10, 6 bytes
On Board Device Information
	Type: Video
	Status: Enabled
	Description: 64

Handle 0x0019, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
	String 1: ABS 70/71 79 7A 7B 7C
	String 2: CSM v01.55
	String 3: HP_Mute_LED_0_0
	String 4: www.hp.com

Handle 0x001D, DMI type 13, 22 bytes
BIOS Language Information
	Language Description Format: Abbreviated
	Installable Languages: 14
		en-US
		da-DK
		nl-NL
		fi-FI
		fr-FR
		de-DE
		it-IT
		ja-JP
		no-NO
		pt-PT
		es-ES
		sv-SE
		zh-CN
		zh-TW
	Currently Installed Language: en-US

Handle 0x0005, DMI type 16, 23 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 16 GB
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Number Of Devices: 2

Handle 0x0006, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0005
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: Unknown
	Data Width: Unknown
	Size: No Module Installed
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: Bottom-Slot 1(top)
	Bank Locator: BANK 0
	Type: Unknown
	Type Detail: None
	Speed: Unknown
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: 9876543210
	Part Number: Not Specified
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Handle 0x0007, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0005
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 8192 MB
	Form Factor: SODIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: Bottom-Slot 2(under)
	Bank Locator: BANK 2
	Type: DDR3
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 1600 MHz
	Manufacturer: 859B
	Serial Number: A60BF685
	Asset Tag: 9876543210
	Part Number: CT102464BF160B.C16
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Handle 0x0009, DMI type 19, 31 bytes
Memory Array Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x001FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 8 GB
	Physical Array Handle: 0x0005
	Partition Width: 2

Handle 0x0008, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x001FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 8 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x0007
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x0009
	Partition Row Position: 1
	Interleave Position: 1
	Interleaved Data Depth: 1

Handle 0x001B, DMI type 22, 26 bytes
Portable Battery
	Location: Primary
	Manufacturer: 13-42
	Name: PR06047
	Design Capacity: 47520 mWh
	Design Voltage: 10800 mV
	SBDS Version: 1.1
	Maximum Error: Unknown
	SBDS Serial Number: 5160
	SBDS Manufacture Date: 2012-02-27
	SBDS Chemistry: LION
	OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x000F, DMI type 32, 20 bytes
System Boot Information
	Status: No errors detected

Handle 0x0011, DMI type 41, 11 bytes
Onboard Device
	Reference Designation: 64
	Type: Video
	Status: Enabled
	Type Instance: 1
	Bus Address: 0000:00:02.0

Handle 0x0012, DMI type 41, 11 bytes
Onboard Device
	Reference Designation: WLAN
	Type: Ethernet
	Status: Enabled
	Type Instance: 1
	Bus Address: 0000:04:00.0

Handle 0x000A, DMI type 131, 64 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		83 40 0A 00 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
		F8 00 59 1E FF FF FF FF 01 20 00 00 00 00 08 00
		B8 05 0A 00 00 00 00 00 E5 24 FF FF 00 00 00 00
		54 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 76 50 72 6F 00 00 00 00

Handle 0x001C, DMI type 137, 12 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		89 0C 1C 00 01 00 F0 03 F0 FF 00 00

Handle 0xFFFD, DMI type 127, 4 bytes
End Of Table

dmidecode for 2x8G:

Code: Select all

# dmidecode 2.11
SMBIOS 2.7 present.
32 structures occupying 1561 bytes.
Table at 0xA9C11000.

Handle 0x000C, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
	Vendor: Hewlett-Packard
	Version: 68IRR Ver. F.42
	Release Date: 07/16/2013
	Address: 0xF0000
	Runtime Size: 64 kB
	ROM Size: 5120 kB
	Characteristics:
		PCI is supported
		PC Card (PCMCIA) is supported
		BIOS is upgradeable
		BIOS shadowing is allowed
		Boot from CD is supported
		Selectable boot is supported
		EDD is supported
		Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
		8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
		Serial services are supported (int 14h)
		Printer services are supported (int 17h)
		ACPI is supported
		USB legacy is supported
		Smart battery is supported
		BIOS boot specification is supported
		Function key-initiated network boot is supported
		Targeted content distribution is supported
		UEFI is supported
	BIOS Revision: 15.66
	Firmware Revision: 88.31

Handle 0x000D, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
	Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
	Product Name: HP ProBook 4540s
	Version: A1009D11
	Serial Number: GOL40534AB
	UUID: BCFEF7ED-9FD6-11E1-9127-40C4590000FD
	Wake-up Type: Power Switch
	SKU Number: B7C25PA#ABG
	Family: 103C_5336AN G=N L=BUS B=HP S=PRO

Handle 0x000E, DMI type 2, 16 bytes
Base Board Information
	Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
	Product Name: 17F6
	Version: KBC Version 58.1F
	Serial Number: PCWBF1A2D2P16Q
	Asset Tag: Not Specified
	Features:
		Board is a hosting board
		Board is replaceable
	Location In Chassis:  
	Chassis Handle: 0x000F
	Type: Unknown
	Contained Object Handles: 0

Handle 0x000F, DMI type 3, 17 bytes
Chassis Information
	Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
	Type: Notebook
	Lock: Not Present
	Version: Not Specified
	Serial Number: GOL40534AB
	Asset Tag: GOL40534AB
	Boot-up State: Safe
	Power Supply State: Safe
	Thermal State: Other
	Security Status: Other
	OEM Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 4, 42 bytes
Processor Information
	Socket Designation: U3E1
	Type: Central Processor
	Family: Core i5
	Manufacturer: Intel(R) Corporation
	ID: A9 06 03 00 FF FB EB BF
	Signature: Type 0, Family 6, Model 58, Stepping 9
	Flags:
		FPU (Floating-point unit on-chip)
		VME (Virtual mode extension)
		DE (Debugging extension)
		PSE (Page size extension)
		TSC (Time stamp counter)
		MSR (Model specific registers)
		PAE (Physical address extension)
		MCE (Machine check exception)
		CX8 (CMPXCHG8 instruction supported)
		APIC (On-chip APIC hardware supported)
		SEP (Fast system call)
		MTRR (Memory type range registers)
		PGE (Page global enable)
		MCA (Machine check architecture)
		CMOV (Conditional move instruction supported)
		PAT (Page attribute table)
		PSE-36 (36-bit page size extension)
		CLFSH (CLFLUSH instruction supported)
		DS (Debug store)
		ACPI (ACPI supported)
		MMX (MMX technology supported)
		FXSR (FXSAVE and FXSTOR instructions supported)
		SSE (Streaming SIMD extensions)
		SSE2 (Streaming SIMD extensions 2)
		SS (Self-snoop)
		HTT (Multi-threading)
		TM (Thermal monitor supported)
		PBE (Pending break enabled)
	Version: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M CPU @ 2.50GHz
	Voltage: 1.2 V
	External Clock: 100 MHz
	Max Speed: 4000 MHz
	Current Speed: 2500 MHz
	Status: Populated, Enabled
	Upgrade: Other
	L1 Cache Handle: 0x0002
	L2 Cache Handle: 0x0003
	L3 Cache Handle: 0x0004
	Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Part Number: Not Specified
	Core Count: 2
	Core Enabled: 2
	Thread Count: 4
	Characteristics:
		64-bit capable

Handle 0x0001, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 32 kB
	Maximum Size: 32 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Parity
	System Type: Data
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0002, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 32 kB
	Maximum Size: 32 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Parity
	System Type: Instruction
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0003, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 2
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 256 kB
	Maximum Size: 256 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Multi-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: Unknown
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 3
	Operational Mode: Write Back
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 3072 kB
	Maximum Size: 3072 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Multi-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 12-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0014, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port0
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Primary HDD Bay
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0015, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port5
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Docking Station Upgrade Bay
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0016, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port4
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: eSATA
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0017, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port3
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Docking Station eSATA
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0018, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port2
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: mSATA
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x0019, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: Ctrl0Port1
	Internal Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	External Reference Designator: Upgrade Bay
	External Connector Type: SAS/SATA Plug Receptacle
	Port Type: SATA

Handle 0x001B, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: PCI SLOT1
	Type: 32-bit PCI
	Current Usage: Available
	Length: Long
	ID: 1
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		PME signal is supported
		SMBus signal is supported

Handle 0x0011, DMI type 10, 6 bytes
On Board Device Information
	Type: Video
	Status: Enabled
	Description: 64

Handle 0x001A, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
	String 1: ABS 70/71 79 7A 7B 7C
	String 2: CSM v01.55
	String 3: HP_Mute_LED_0_0
	String 4: www.hp.com

Handle 0x001E, DMI type 13, 22 bytes
BIOS Language Information
	Language Description Format: Abbreviated
	Installable Languages: 14
		en-US
		da-DK
		nl-NL
		fi-FI
		fr-FR
		de-DE
		it-IT
		ja-JP
		no-NO
		pt-PT
		es-ES
		sv-SE
		zh-CN
		zh-TW
	Currently Installed Language: en-US

Handle 0x0005, DMI type 16, 23 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 16 GB
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Number Of Devices: 2

Handle 0x0006, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0005
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 8192 MB
	Form Factor: SODIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: Bottom-Slot 1(top)
	Bank Locator: BANK 0
	Type: DDR3
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 1600 MHz
	Manufacturer: 859B
	Serial Number: A60BF502
	Asset Tag: 9876543210
	Part Number: CT102464BF160B.C16
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Handle 0x0008, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0005
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 8192 MB
	Form Factor: SODIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: Bottom-Slot 2(under)
	Bank Locator: BANK 2
	Type: DDR3
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 1600 MHz
	Manufacturer: 859B
	Serial Number: A60BF685
	Asset Tag: 9876543210
	Part Number: CT102464BF160B.C16
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Handle 0x000A, DMI type 19, 31 bytes
Memory Array Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x003FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 16 GB
	Physical Array Handle: 0x0005
	Partition Width: 2

Handle 0x0007, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x001FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 8 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x0006
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x000A
	Partition Row Position: 1
	Interleave Position: 1
	Interleaved Data Depth: 1

Handle 0x0009, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00200000000
	Ending Address: 0x003FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 8 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x0008
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x000A
	Partition Row Position: 1
	Interleave Position: 2
	Interleaved Data Depth: 1

Handle 0x001C, DMI type 22, 26 bytes
Portable Battery
	Location: Primary
	Manufacturer: 13-42
	Name: PR06047
	Design Capacity: 47520 mWh
	Design Voltage: 10800 mV
	SBDS Version: 1.1
	Maximum Error: Unknown
	SBDS Serial Number: 5160
	SBDS Manufacture Date: 2012-02-27
	SBDS Chemistry: LION
	OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x0010, DMI type 32, 20 bytes
System Boot Information
	Status: No errors detected

Handle 0x0012, DMI type 41, 11 bytes
Onboard Device
	Reference Designation: 64
	Type: Video
	Status: Enabled
	Type Instance: 1
	Bus Address: 0000:00:02.0

Handle 0x0013, DMI type 41, 11 bytes
Onboard Device
	Reference Designation: WLAN
	Type: Ethernet
	Status: Enabled
	Type Instance: 1
	Bus Address: 0000:04:00.0

Handle 0x000B, DMI type 131, 64 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		83 40 0B 00 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
		F8 00 59 1E FF FF FF FF 01 20 00 00 00 00 08 00
		B8 05 0A 00 00 00 00 00 E5 24 FF FF 00 00 00 00
		54 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 76 50 72 6F 00 00 00 00

Handle 0x001D, DMI type 137, 12 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		89 0C 1D 00 01 00 F0 03 F0 FF 00 00

Handle 0xFFFD, DMI type 127, 4 bytes
End Of Table

sensors for 1x8G:

Code: Select all

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Physical id 0:  +67.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:         +67.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:         +66.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

acpitz-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +66.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp2:        +64.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp3:        +53.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp4:        +55.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp5:        +25.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp6:       +127.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp7:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp8:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)

radeon-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
temp1:        +64.5°C  

sensors for 2x8G:

Code: Select all

acpitz-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +74.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp2:        +69.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp3:        +54.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp4:        +57.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp5:        +24.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp6:       +127.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp7:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp8:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Physical id 0:  +74.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:         +74.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:         +74.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

radeon-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
temp1:        +69.5°C  

[s4e8]

enable CONFIG_MTRR, and check /proc/mtrr.

[NeddySeagoon]

bwaldow

Code: Select all

<    avx       : 17696.800 MB/sec
---
>    avx       :  3106.000 MB/sec

Thats a comparision of avx instruction execution times. It depends on RAM speeds and CPU speeds.
To rule out the kernel slowing the CPU down, build the kernel with the Performance Govonener only.

Look at /proc/cpuinfo to be sure the CPU clock is maxed out at all times.
If not, suspect thermal throttling, check CPU temps and fan control.

All of your temps appear to be high

[bwaldow]

Thats a comparision of avx instruction execution times. It depends on RAM speeds and CPU speeds.
To rule out the kernel slowing the CPU down, build the kernel with the Performance Govonener only.

Look at /proc/cpuinfo to be sure the CPU clock is maxed out at all times.
If not, suspect thermal throttling, check CPU temps and fan control.

Current default was 'performance' but I have rebuilt the kernel with all other options turned off.

cat /proc/cpuinfo shows a static list of details per processor - what indicates about 'maxed out at all times' please?

Here are the temps after the kernel rebuild, but as shown above, temps tend to appear in range. The fan runs, is there something else to verify about it?

1x8G:

Code: Select all

 21:52:19 up  1:05,  2 users,  load average: 0.04, 0.03, 0.12
acpitz-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +53.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp2:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp3:        +43.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp4:        +47.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp5:        +27.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp6:       +127.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp7:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp8:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Physical id 0:  +54.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:         +54.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:         +53.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

2x8G:

Code: Select all

 20:39:15 up 29 min,  1 user,  load average: 0.07, 0.04, 0.15
acpitz-virtual-0
Adapter: Virtual device
temp1:        +64.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp2:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp3:        +51.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp4:        +52.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp5:        +28.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp6:       +127.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp7:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)
temp8:         +0.0°C  (crit = +128.0°C)

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Physical id 0:  +65.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:         +65.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:         +65.0°C  (high = +87.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

@s4e8
CONFIG_MTRR was already enabled.

1x8G:

Code: Select all

reg00: base=0x0ff800000 ( 4088MB), size=    8MB, count=1: write-protect
reg01: base=0x000000000 (    0MB), size= 2048MB, count=1: write-back
reg02: base=0x080000000 ( 2048MB), size=  512MB, count=1: write-back
reg03: base=0x0a0000000 ( 2560MB), size=  128MB, count=1: write-back
reg04: base=0x0a8000000 ( 2688MB), size=   32MB, count=1: write-back
reg05: base=0x0aa000000 ( 2720MB), size=   16MB, count=1: uncachable
reg06: base=0x100000000 ( 4096MB), size= 4096MB, count=1: write-back
reg07: base=0x200000000 ( 8192MB), size= 1024MB, count=1: write-back
reg08: base=0x240000000 ( 9216MB), size=  512MB, count=1: write-back

2x8G:

Code: Select all

reg00: base=0x0ff800000 ( 4088MB), size=    8MB, count=1: write-protect
reg01: base=0x000000000 (    0MB), size= 2048MB, count=1: write-back
reg02: base=0x080000000 ( 2048MB), size=  512MB, count=1: write-back
reg03: base=0x0a0000000 ( 2560MB), size=  128MB, count=1: write-back
reg04: base=0x0a8000000 ( 2688MB), size=   32MB, count=1: write-back
reg05: base=0x0aa000000 ( 2720MB), size=   16MB, count=1: uncachable
reg06: base=0x100000000 ( 4096MB), size= 4096MB, count=1: write-back
reg07: base=0x200000000 ( 8192MB), size= 8192MB, count=1: write-back
reg08: base=0x400000000 (16384MB), size= 1024MB, count=1: write-back

[aCOSwt]

OK, back to my hypothesis that when you plug an additional stick, the voltage drops, I am puzzled by the fact that :
1/ lm-sensors does not report any values for voltages,
2/ the BIOS does not report voltage values for RAM and admits : Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Considering that UEFI is supported, I would try booting in UEFI mode.

[bwaldow]

I switched the BIOS to use UEFI mode (with CSM).

Without CSM claimed it found no bootable drive. With CSM booted.

I noted no difference in behaviour between the 8G & 16G configurations. Both behaved as they have previously.

What would I have expected from this?

[mgranet]

OK, back to my hypothesis that when you plug an additional stick, the voltage drops, I am puzzled by the fact that :
1/ lm-sensors does not report any values for voltages,
2/ the BIOS does not report voltage values for RAM and admits : Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Considering that UEFI is supported, I would try booting in UEFI mode.

Seems like you are on to something here. Both the Super I/o chip and memory SPD communicate over SMBus. Lack of memory SPD could result in the original complaint, as the bios is just guessing memory settings.

OP: Make sure you have SMBus and i2c support enabled in your kernel.

[eccerr0r]

I thought that memtest86+ will also use SPD to detect DIMMs if available, is that true?
If it can read some of the bytes from SPD there's no reason why BIOS can't either.

I have a feeling HP might be doing something funny with the hardware, what happens if you limit RAM to something strange like 12GB?

I have an HP laptop as well with HM77 chipset, and wonderring if I will run into the same issue...then again I only have 4GB in the machine now. Likely next step is 12GB though.

Also memtest86+ also displays memory speed, is that also reporting speed differences between the 8G and 16G? How about actual test runtime, is it about double with 16G?

[chithanh]

2x8G module with "mem=8G" boot parameter: quick boot, and only lists 6612 of RAM from "free -m"

So it's probably not a hardware issue. You can try increasing the 8G until you get a slow boot again.
Maybe it is only a certain address region that causes problems. You can try the memmap=... kernel parameter to stop the kernel from using certain parts of the memory. (example: memmap=512M$0x200000000 will prevent the kernel from using the area between 8G and 8.5G)

[krinn]

And i don't see why it cannot be hardware issue, seeing HP lowering the max amount of memory in their sheet (so lowering their own product value), is certainly a clue it's really an hardware issue, else they would had provide bios update/patch... to fix software issue to not impact their own product value.
Hardware bugs or problem doesn't mean it has to be a crash result.

You should reconsider the only option that let you think HP didn't built a defective product (something that happen to any company).
OS/X : everyone here assume there's a way to solve your problem as OS/X is working, but as it has been prove already linux can also works with limiting to 8G the memory.
So try to look at OS/X and see if it works as you think : having 16G install and OS/X handling the 16G. Because if OS/X limit itself or have an option set to limit memory to 8G : there's no more magic going on.

[chithanh]

Most types of hardware issues would cause the first 8GB of memory to also exhibit problematic behaviour (ie. the problems would appear and disappear based on the amount of memory that is physically installed, not on the amount that the kernel uses per mem=... kernel parameter). It could be a chipset bug, but I consider that rather unlikely.

To me, it looks like there is a firmware/BIOS bug in the HP system (e.g. E820 reported memory regions are incorrect above 8G). And possibly they are not willing to fix it because that is expensive. So they just update the supported configurations to exclude non-working configurations.

[trismo]

hardware bug 16 GB run only with core i3

sell this notebook fast

EDIT :
core i5 i7 one memory channel can not access the memory bank

[bwaldow]

OP: Make sure you have SMBus and i2c support enabled in your kernel.

I do not know what to enable to provide this - I have little knowledge of those systems.

I can provide this:

Code: Select all

4540s ~ # cd /usr/src/linux
4540s linux # grep SMB .config
CONFIG_I2C_SMBUS=m
# PC SMBus host controller drivers
# External I2C/SMBus adapter drivers
# Other I2C/SMBus bus drivers
# CONFIG_CHARGER_SMB347 is not set
# CONFIG_CIFS_SMB2 is not set
4540s linux # grep I2C .config
CONFIG_ACPI_I2C=m
CONFIG_REGMAP_I2C=m
# CONFIG_BMP085_I2C is not set
# CONFIG_SENSORS_LIS3_I2C is not set
# CONFIG_MOUSE_SYNAPTICS_I2C is not set
# CONFIG_TOUCHSCREEN_WACOM_I2C is not set
CONFIG_I2C=m
CONFIG_I2C_BOARDINFO=y
CONFIG_I2C_COMPAT=y
CONFIG_I2C_CHARDEV=m
# CONFIG_I2C_MUX is not set
CONFIG_I2C_HELPER_AUTO=y
CONFIG_I2C_SMBUS=m
CONFIG_I2C_ALGOBIT=m
# I2C Hardware Bus support
CONFIG_I2C_ALI1535=m
CONFIG_I2C_ALI1563=m
CONFIG_I2C_ALI15X3=m
CONFIG_I2C_AMD756=m
CONFIG_I2C_AMD756_S4882=m
CONFIG_I2C_AMD8111=m
CONFIG_I2C_I801=m
# CONFIG_I2C_ISCH is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_ISMT is not set
CONFIG_I2C_PIIX4=m
CONFIG_I2C_NFORCE2=m
# CONFIG_I2C_NFORCE2_S4985 is not set
CONFIG_I2C_SIS5595=m
CONFIG_I2C_SIS630=m
CONFIG_I2C_SIS96X=m
CONFIG_I2C_VIA=m
CONFIG_I2C_VIAPRO=m
# CONFIG_I2C_SCMI is not set
# I2C system bus drivers (mostly embedded / system-on-chip)
# CONFIG_I2C_DESIGNWARE_PCI is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_EG20T is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_INTEL_MID is not set
CONFIG_I2C_OCORES=m
# CONFIG_I2C_PCA_PLATFORM is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_PXA_PCI is not set
CONFIG_I2C_SIMTEC=m
# CONFIG_I2C_XILINX is not set
# External I2C/SMBus adapter drivers
# CONFIG_I2C_DIOLAN_U2C is not set
CONFIG_I2C_PARPORT=m
# CONFIG_I2C_PARPORT_LIGHT is not set
CONFIG_I2C_TAOS_EVM=m
CONFIG_I2C_TINY_USB=m
# Other I2C/SMBus bus drivers
# CONFIG_I2C_STUB is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_DEBUG_CORE is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_DEBUG_ALGO is not set
# CONFIG_I2C_DEBUG_BUS is not set
# CONFIG_MFD_MC13XXX_I2C is not set
# CONFIG_MFD_ARIZONA_I2C is not set
# I2C encoder or helper chips
# CONFIG_DRM_I2C_CH7006 is not set
# CONFIG_DRM_I2C_SIL164 is not set
# CONFIG_DRM_I2C_NXP_TDA998X is not set
CONFIG_SND_SOC_I2C_AND_SPI=m
# I2C HID support
# CONFIG_I2C_HID is not set
# I2C RTC drivers