SuperMicro X9DRL-IF, 2F error with more than 2 DIMMS

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1

Hi all

I’m having an issue with a X9DRL-IF and a collection of Samsung DIMMS. I have 8 sticks of Samsung M393B1K70CH0-CH9Q5 (8GB PC3 10600R).

If i insert more than 2 DIMMS, I get a 2F error and it fails to post. I have had intermittent success with 4 sticks (total 32gb), but this is now mostly failing.

I’ve tried to reseat everything, and even swap my CPUs (2x E5-2640s) with the E5-2609 that came with the board, to see if any difference. I also properly inspected the pins and can see no damage at all - they all look absolutely fine.

The full board is:

Part Name
CPU 1 E5-2640
CPU 2 E5-2640
Motherboard Supermicro X9DRL-IF
Case Antec P101 (P101-SILENT) Black Mid Tower Silent Case
PSU Coolermaster Masterwatt 650
Cable 1* 8pin to Dual 8 (6+2) Pin 12V Power Extension Cable
CPU Cooler x2 Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED Turbo CPU Cooler Red Cover
RAM 8 x Samsung M393B1K70CH0-CH9Q5 (8GB PC3 10600R)
SSD Silicon Power 512GB SSD 3D NAND
SSD 256GB SSD
Thermal Paste Arctic Silver 5 AS-AS5-35 3.5gram Thermal Compound
Cable StarTech 4X SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable
Cable Molex to Dual SATA, CableCreation [5-PACK]
Cable SATA III Cable, CableCreation [10-Pack] 18-inch SATA III
Cable SanDisk Cruzer Fit CZ33 32GB USB 2.0 Low-Profile Flash Drive

I have tested each stick individually in the two slots, and all work as expected.

I am wondering, has anyone had a similar issue? Do you think it’s more likely that I need switch out the RAM, or swap out the motherboard?

The motherboard is the biggest cause of concern - I’m in Australia and got this imported from USA for ridiculous postage and customs cost. I also do not want to be without a server for the weeks it would take to get a new one.

I’d rather spend on 32gb x 2 DIMMS if they are going to work. This will be enough RAM for my uses but I’d like the option of increasing to 128GB in the future.

Happy to post more information, any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Scott

2

Did you check the manual - it says which slots to populate

3

Yes, absolutely. I’ve swapped these out so many times I can recite the module populations by heart. They have always been placed in pairs, and all the RAM is the same

4

Have you tested it outside of the chassis?

5

OKAY! I was avoiding building it outside the case but (of course) you are right to ask.

3 of the offsets on this case, despite being labelled as ‘ATX’ do not actually line up with the motherboard. I have 3 motherboard mount points without any aligning offsets.

Anyway, it turns out I accidentally had an offset installed where there was no hole. I didn’t notice until it was out the case.

So, yeah - obvious one here and I feel a bit foolish for not noticing early :slight_smile:

Booted with 8 sticks and 64gb all recognized.

Thanks guys

6

I’ve just done this myself. Aussie who has likewise spent a small fortune importing the motherboard to use with a TGC 3RU case.

I was getting intermittent 2F post codes and I’ve spent countless hours swapping DIMMS trying to isolate. After reading this, I found that the TGC case has several built in standoffs not lining up motherboard. I feel a little silly for not thinking of this earlier. I’m glad I found this thread as I was starting to lose my grip on sanity…

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