# Intel i9 ASUS i9 9940X X299 Platform with 256gb RAM ; running stable in my set up



## Paul Jelfs (Oct 22, 2019)

Hopefully this will be of use to other pc users or potential upgraders , regarding my i9 pc.

Recently upgraded from the X99 platform to X299 , and after discussing it with Pete at SCAN UKwas able to upgrade to 256gb of ddr4 ram.

As far as I know , this is not widely advertised , unless the on server pcs or crazy powerful macs.


It’s corsair 2666 and it runs stable with an ASUs X299 prime motherboard . Some people may be thinking , that’s just a silly amount , however, I had one template about 90gb of ram , and it was causing all sorts of problems with Cubase and system crashes .

RAM prices are now back down to sensible levels, so anyone with a similar set up might be interested to find out if they can go with that much.

SCAN computers UK now offer it I believe on certain custom systems.

Even ASUs themselves don’t have it in their list of supported memory - you think it would shout it from the roof for media creators.

On a separate side note, I run a Rme Raydat and even with an i9 , in Cubase 10 I find I can’t run certain libraries or patches below 256 samples of latency ; for example the virtuoso violin patch in spitfire Solo strings or some divisi patches in aflattus. Could any one with similar libraries test these patches and see if they too struggle to get below 256.

Was hitting them hard with a lot of voices, but only what can be played on the keyboard live

Sorry for long post hope it helps someone


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## ed buller (Oct 22, 2019)

Hi...please could you give details. Operating sys...DAW software etc...be most helpful...No of cores too please

thanks

e


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 22, 2019)

Sorry posted by accident before finished


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 23, 2019)

I the system had 128GB of Ram in it previously. Which i am now selling if anyone is interested, over in the classified. 

The system is Asus Prime X299 ,i9 9940, 256GB ram , with M2 Boot Drive and Various SSD. It has 14 cores and 28 threads i believe. 

Anyone want more info about running large amounts of RAM on non server PCs , please feel free to message me.


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## Stevie (Oct 24, 2019)

Paul Jelfs said:


> On a separate side note, I run a Rme Raydat and even with an i9 , in Cubase 10 I find I can’t run certain libraries or patches below 256 samples of latency ; for example the virtuoso violin patch in spitfire Solo strings or some divisi patches in aflattus. Could any one with similar libraries test these patches and see if they too struggle to get below 256.



i9 9900X here @3.5 GHz and RME AiO. Confirmed, the mentioned patches indeed won't work without crackling here. But I don't think it is CPU related.


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 24, 2019)

Yes I think it’s to do with Kontakt . It probably can’t take advantage of the cpu fully, or the script is not as robust as it could be etc

Just really annoying when get stable with just about every other vst


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## Stevie (Oct 24, 2019)

I hear ya, maybe this should be reported to Spitfire.


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## Living Fossil (Oct 24, 2019)

Paul Jelfs said:


> Anyone want more info about running large amounts of RAM on non server PCs , please feel free to message me.



What cooling system do you use?


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 25, 2019)

It’s just a be quiet cooler , and a fractal sound insulating case. Nothing too fancy. So well put together by scan that it does not any fancy cooling . i am honestly surprised how easily it runs 256gb of ram . Popped it in and it recognised immediately . Will be useful for new spitfire BBC so and lots of mic positions .

windows 10 reports the full 256 GB ram.

also running a thunderbolt 3 pice card, which was a bit of hassle to get set up , but as long as you use the bottom most pcie slot on ASUS boards , it runs smoothly with an Apollo x 6


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## ltmusic (Oct 25, 2019)

Paul Jelfs said:


> It’s just a be quiet cooler , and a fractal sound insulating case. Nothing too fancy. So well put together by scan that it does not any fancy cooling . i am honestly surprised how easily it runs 256gb of ram . Popped it in and it recognised immediately . Will be useful for new spitfire BBC so and lots of mic positions .
> 
> windows 10 reports the full 256 GB ram.
> 
> also running a thunderbolt 3 pice card, which was a bit of hassle to get set up , but as long as you use the bottom most pcie slot on ASUS boards , it runs smoothly with an Apollo x 6




Hi

Which thunderbolt 3 card do you have ? is the same as if the tb 3 connection is ''built in'' to the motherboard ? (like the ASUS PRIME X 299 DELUXE II)

Thanks!


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 25, 2019)

Yes its the ASUS one, so works with the header- Th 3. Depending on which Interface you go with, you might need an addittional Thunderbolt 3 to 2 converter - The old Apollos for example use 2. 

Its been rock solid for me - i use with a Raydat /Aio cards, so can use it like a preamp/monitor controller. or an actual interface .

Performance wise , it is good, though not quite on the same level as RME obviously , but not too shabby either.


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## jamwerks (Oct 25, 2019)

So you kinda have 2 different audio i/o's ? TB to Apollo & RME ?


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 29, 2019)

Yes , but use the Raydat for latency and the Apollo as a monitor controller


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## jamwerks (Oct 29, 2019)

Paul Jelfs said:


> Yes , but use the Raydat for latency and the Apollo as a monitor controller


Are they synced in any way? I know next-to-nothing about digital technology, but I wonder if that audio setup isn't putting excessive strain on your cpu?


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## ltmusic (Oct 29, 2019)

ltmusic said:


> Hi
> 
> Which thunderbolt 3 card do you have ? is the same as if the tb 3 connection is ''built in'' to the motherboard ? (like the ASUS PRIME X 299 DELUXE II)
> 
> Thanks!




Thanks! 

Does it make sense to have an M2 drive only for the Cubase projects ? ..in order to handle all audio and video files of a project ?


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## Living Fossil (Oct 29, 2019)

@Paul Jelfs : just a small request: Could you maybe change the "2X99" in the title to "X299"?
it would make it somehow easier to find the thread in the search function when looking for that mainboard.


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## Paul Jelfs (Oct 30, 2019)

Sure of course, i always end up typing that wrong , it does look weird


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## Henning (Nov 6, 2019)

Hey Paul is this the board? Third one down in the article. They advertise it for AV producers and 256 gb ram is mentioned:








A refreshing trio of ASUS X299 motherboards harnesses Intel Core X-series CPU power - Edge Up


ASUS is powering up Intel's X299 platform with three new motherboards for every high-end PC build. Come learn what our refreshed X299 boards can do for you.




edgeup.asus.com


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## Paul Jelfs (Nov 7, 2019)

Henning said:


> Hey Paul is this the board? Third one down in the article. They advertise it for AV producers and 256 gb ram is mentioned:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



no no. An older and cheaper one. 








PRIME X299-A | Motherboards | ASUS United Kingdom


Intel X299 motherboard with automated overclocking, intelligent cooling profiles, and an M.2 heatsink for optimal storage performance.




www.asus.com





I notice they have started saying it supports 256gb - it didnt a month ago when me and Pete from SCAN tested it


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## Paul Jelfs (Nov 7, 2019)

The interesting thing is , it seems to run MUCH better and a little faster even on Smaller Projects. 

Say a 40GB project, might of caused problems before, even with 128GB of RAM. Now i have never had cubase lock up since. 

So their is merit in having it with silly big templates. Besides. Ram prices are back to sensible levels. 

Kind of wish i had sold my 128gb at the peak of Prices as i would of doubled its worth and could of bought it back now , but such is regret!


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## Paul Jelfs (Nov 7, 2019)

Not to start a Flame war , but to me, when you can have an i9 , 28 thread, 256gb PC with SSDs and silent case for under £4k, it makes a similiar spec Mac look very very expensive. 

That being said, i would love the option to try Logic, and apart from the recent update mess Mac OS does seem to be a more stable platform for large templates etc (BBC SO etc)


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## JeffvR (Nov 7, 2019)

Paul Jelfs said:


> Not to start a Flame war , but to me, when you can have an i9 , 28 thread, 256gb PC with SSDs and silent case for under £4k, it makes a similiar spec Mac look very very expensive.
> 
> That being said, i would love the option to try Logic, and apart from the recent update mess Mac OS does seem to be a more stable platform for large templates etc (BBC SO etc)


Mac is a more stable platform for Spitfires sample player. Kontakt not so much. It has to do more with Spitfire than Windows.


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## Matt Donovan (Jul 13, 2020)

Paul Jelfs said:


> Hopefully this will be of use to other pc users or potential upgraders , regarding my i9 pc.
> 
> Recently upgraded from the X99 platform to X299 , and after discussing it with Pete at SCAN UKwas able to upgrade to 256gb of ddr4 ram.
> 
> ...


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## Music_creator (Nov 20, 2020)

Paul Jelfs said:


> Not to start a Flame war , but to me, when you can have an i9 , 28 thread, 256gb PC with SSDs and silent case for under £4k, it makes a similiar spec Mac look very very expensive.
> 
> That being said, i would love the option to try Logic, and apart from the recent update mess Mac OS does seem to be a more stable platform for large templates etc (BBC SO etc)


Hello Paul! I wanted to write you a private message, but why can't I send it. Can you write me a message? I wanted to ask your opinion on the choice between amd ryzen threadripper 3960x vs intel core i9-10980xe


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## azzalei_rcc (Jul 8, 2021)

Hi Paul, I’m curious how you were able to run the 256gb ram in your system. I’d also would like to maximize the ram capacity of my mobo if it is possible to support the 256gb. My mobo says it only supports 128gb max. My current system is i9 9960x, asus prime deluxe II (without the “A”), Corsair dominator platinum 64gb 3200mhz ram…I hope to hear from you soon…thanks in advance.


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## Matt Donovan (Jul 9, 2021)

As I understand it, the ASUS X299 Prime Deluxe II can be configured with up to 256gb RAM. You will need to use Windows 10 PRO 64 bit. 

Below is a sample of a possible config: 

*X299 - 256GB RAM: * https://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/shared/7...gshare&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=copypaste

I am in the process of configuring a build now.


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## azzalei_rcc (Jul 10, 2021)

Matt Donovan said:


> As I understand it, the ASUS X299 Prime Deluxe II can be configured with up to 256gb RAM. You will need to use Windows 10 PRO 64 bit.
> 
> Below is a sample of a possible config:
> 
> ...


Wow…that gives me hope😁😁😁would you share the process if ever you are done with your build? Coz instead for me buying another 64gb to maximize the 128gb allowed as per advertised, I would prefer buying the complete 256gb ram module and sell my current 64gb ram😊😊😊


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## Robin (Jul 10, 2021)

I'm running an ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE II with 256GB of RAM without any problems.


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## azzalei_rcc (Jul 12, 2021)

Robin said:


> I'm running an ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE II with 256GB of RAM without any problems.


Cool! Did you do some extra tweaks to run the full ram or just the normal way which is plug and play? And what ram are you using? Care to share the specs?


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## Matt Donovan (Sep 21, 2021)

azzalei_rcc said:


> Cool! Did you do some extra tweaks to run the full ram or just the normal way which is plug and play? And what ram are you using? Care to share the specs?


The RAM is pretty much plug and play.


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## Robin (Sep 21, 2021)

azzalei_rcc said:


> Cool! Did you do some extra tweaks to run the full ram or just the normal way which is plug and play? And what ram are you using? Care to share the specs?


Sorry forgot to answer. I have the system built by a specialized DAW System Manufacturer, but indeed I think it pretty much works plug and play. I don't know the specific settings they applied, though.


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