is my ram defective if EXPO crashes at rated speed after a board swap?

Question

ran my flare x5 6000 kit for over a year with zero issues. swapped motherboards last month and now EXPO at 6000 throws random crashes mid game, usually when the action gets busy and my fps is already spiking around.

drop it to stock jedec and its rock solid, runs for days. SO either the kit degraded somehow or i got a dud board. same sticks, same cpu, only the board changed. anyone know which way this usually goes

arch_btw · Accepted Answer

a board swap means a different memory controller, so your old stability baseline is basically gone (the silicon lottery includes the board and cpu, not just the sticks). update to the latest bios and agesa first, run the primary EXPO profile before any secondary one, and if 6000 still won't hold, drop one notch to 5600. most threads end with a bios update, not an rma

burninWorrier · Answer

Worth noting the fine print here: both CPU makers technically treat XMP and EXPO as overclocking outside standard coverage, though enforcement is rare and your RAM and board warranties are unaffected. Has stock JEDEC actually been error-free, or just crash-free?

sarahj · Answer

My Dominator Titanium 6000 kit did almost the same thing when I first installed it. One BIOS update and EXPO settled down, completely stable since. Try the flash before you worry about the sticks.