# How to upgrade a X99 Motherboard to 256 GB RAM ?



## lokotus (Mar 23, 2022)

HI, 

I am currently using a Gigabyte GA-X99P-SLI Intel X99 with an Intel Core i7 6800K 6x 3.40GHz with 128GB RAM filled up.
My goal is to expand this system to 256GB RAM with a CPU upgrade in order to better use Cubase & VEP on the same machine. 
Does it make sense for me to buy a used Intel Xeon E5-1680 v4 3,4 GHz 8 Core LGA 2011 20MB Cache. 
Where could I find the correct ram (256GB) for this combination (any special site ?) 
I also have read something about ECC or RDIMM but I am not really sure how it relates to this. 

Can anyone help me figure out if my X99 Motherboard might be able to handle 256 GB RAM with the CPU upgrade and where to look for RAM that works well on this platform ?

Thanks a lot, Cheers, lokotus


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## GeoMax (Mar 23, 2022)

I would say you need a new motherboard. Your current one is dated and only supports 128GB
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-X99P-SLI-rev-10/sp#sp
I just bought an MSi x299 Pro (it supports 256gb). I had my 7980XE running on it for about 2 months, then the CPU died. 

It might be worth the 12900k route and consider using disabled tracks, or a combination of VEP and disabled. It's the path I went and I am very happy at this point. You could always keep your current rig running for a few libraries with VEP as well.


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## lokotus (Mar 23, 2022)

thanks for pointing that out. 12900k sounds fun but i hate intel not letting us have more than 128 gb ram with it.
i can see in the link you mentioned "Support for up to 512 GB of system memory when using Registered DIMMs." so if i understand this correctly 128gb is not the limit for this motherboard.... cheers, lokotus


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## GeoMax (Mar 23, 2022)

Registered Dimm is server memory. That link might have a manufacturer list of supported ram, so it's probably available for this setup. Personally, if I were gonna buy a Zeon and that much ram for probably $5k+ the MB would be replaced for sure.

Edit: Here is the link for the ram that is supported for the Haswell chipset.
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-X99P-SLI-rev-10/support#support-doc

Edit2: There are only two 32GB DIMM options
Here is one for a 32gb chip. At $148ea, you'd be looking at about $1200 for 256GB


They dont even show anything larger to get to that 500gb ram limit. You would probably have to reach out to manufacturer.


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## lokotus (Mar 23, 2022)

Thanks Goemax. Really Helpful ! I thought I would be able to get this upgrade a bit cheaper ... Maybe 12900k but I have read that DDR5 does have a huge difference in performance, though I cant even find DDR5 for 128GB for an Alder Lake Setup.... Cheers, Lokotus


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## typewriter (Mar 24, 2022)

You could look for used server ram. There are companies selling used servers and parts. They may even give you some warranty. I have an X99 Board too and I think you have to check where the memory controlle resides. I am not sure if it's in the chipset or the cpu. The controller determines how much ram is possible. Although I have 2 X79 and one X99 running that I can use for VePRO I would consider a new investment that's more futureproove regarding Windows 11. If you want to use tons of RAM (> 256GB) then a Threadripper Pro is the way to go. The new Threadripper Pro (5000 series) just came out and should be available in the next weeks. There is a barbone system available from Supermicro that is actually "cheap" and gives you the option of 2 TB (!) of Ram: https://www.supermicro.com/en/Aplus/system/Tower/5014/AS-5014A-TT.cfm It's around 1.700 EUR . You can choose the CPU - 16 to 64 cores - to your liking as well as storage, ram and graphics card. I nearly bough this last year but because of covid and the chip shortage the new threadripper cpus were not available yet. I don't know what DAW you are using but I recall Cubase 12 was opzimized for Threadripper, too.


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## lokotus (Mar 24, 2022)

typewriter said:


> You could look for used server ram. There are companies selling used servers and parts. They may even give you some warranty. I have an X99 Board too and I think you have to check where the memory controlle resides. I am not sure if it's in the chipset or the cpu. The controller determines how much ram is possible. Although I have 2 X79 and one X99 running that I can use for VePRO I would consider a new investment that's more futureproove regarding Windows 11. If you want to use tons of RAM (> 256GB) then a Threadripper Pro is the way to go. The new Threadripper Pro (5000 series) just came out and should be available in the next weeks. There is a barbone system available from Supermicro that is actually "cheap" and gives you the option of 2 TB (!) of Ram: https://www.supermicro.com/en/Aplus/system/Tower/5014/AS-5014A-TT.cfm It's around 1.700 EUR . You can choose the CPU - 16 to 64 cores - to your liking as well as storage, ram and graphics card. I nearly bough this last year but because of covid and the chip shortage the new threadripper cpus were not available yet. I don't know what DAW you are using but I recall Cubase 12 was opzimized for Threadripper, too.


Thanks typewriter. Good to know that AMD might also be a powerfull option. But is it save to say that AMD does not have any problems with Cubase, VEP and FX plugins ?
Does AMD have full support for thunderbolt ? I have only been using intel stuff for now but have read some stories for better sticking to Intel for DAW Audio Work instead of using a AMD Config... Cheers, lokotus


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## lokotus (Mar 24, 2022)

look what I mean but maybe it is alreadysolved with newer software Cubase 12 updates:





Cubase struggling with threadripper 3990x 64 cores


Hi there I'm trying to turn threadripper PC into music production computer. I am hoping to load & play as many midi instrument as possible simultaneously. For now Cubase is dropping before loading 200 kontakt instances, so I sense there is a problem with setup.. How would I optimize this...




vi-control.net


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## Pictus (Mar 24, 2022)

I would wait because Intel Sapphire Rapids will be wayyyyyyyyyyyyy betttterrrrrrrrr








Intel Sapphire Rapids-AP, The Next-Gen Golden Cove Core Powered HEDT CPU Lineup, Rumored For Launch By End of 2022


Intel Sapphire Rapids-AP, the next-gen HEDT lineup, powered by Golden Cove CPU cores is expected to launch later this year.




wccftech.com


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## lokotus (Mar 24, 2022)

Thats exciting for sure, and maybe DDR5 is available then too to fully update the ram...Is the Sapphire technology replacing today server board market with Xeon Cpus ?


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## Pictus (Mar 25, 2022)

Looks likes it will.


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