ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 + 32GB RAM Bios Fix

[Oiligriv]

Hi all. I have bought a ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 and wondering why the spec the ram is limited to 16GB RAM.
The chipset and CPU support up to 32GB  RAM. The MicroServer has 2 DIMM Slots and 16GB RAM modul exsist.

I asked the memory company Intelligent Memory  and asked if 32GB udimm will supported.
The Support answered me that the 16GB Ram limit is a restriction set by HP in the Bios.

Could you please remove this limitation / restriction from BIOS?

Lot of Customers have this wish because they use for Homelab for Study (Exchange, Sharepoint etc) Only Exchange already consume 8GB Ram and Sharepoint is recomend 12 GB)

Kind Regards

Virgilio 

[Torsten.]

This is what the quickspec say:

Memory

Type

HPE SmartMemory

DDR3 Unbuffered (UDIMM)

DIMM Slots Available

2

Standard

4GB (1 x 4GB) PC3L-12800E DDR3 UDIMM

Maximum

16GB (2 x 8GB) PC3-12800E DDR3 UDIMM

HPE Memory

Unbuffered with ECC DIMMs (UDIMMs)

HP 2GB (1x2GB) Single Rank x8 PC3-12800E (DDR3-1600)  Unbuffered CAS-11 Memory Kit

669320-B21

HP 4GB (1x4GB) Single Rank x4 PC3-12800E (DDR3-1600) Unbuffered CAS-11 Memory Kit

820077-B21

HP 4GB (1x4GB) Dual Rank x8 PC3-12800E (DDR3-1600)  Unbuffered CAS-11 Memory Kit

669322-B21

HP 8GB (1x8GB) Dual Rank x8 PC3-12800E (DDR3-1600) Unbuffered CAS-11 Memory Kit

669324-B21

NOTE: All DDR3 memory option kits consist of one DIMM per kit. For detailed memory configuration rules and guidelines, please use the Online DDR3 Memory Configuration Tool: https://memoryconfigurator.hpe.com/ddr4memoryconfig/home/legal 

Moderator [above link is no longer valid, please visit https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/  to find the latest info ]

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NOTE: Depending on the memory configuration and processor model, 1600MHz and 1333MHz memory may operate at a lower speed. Please see the see the "Memory" section later in this document and the Online Memory Configuration Tool for details at https://memoryconfigurator.hpe.com/ddr4memoryconfig

Moderator [above link is no longer valid, please visit https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/  to find the latest info ]
NOTE: For additional memory rules and guidelines, see the "Memory" section later in this document.
NOTE: For more information on ProLiant Energy Efficient Features, see:  https://paonline56.itcs.hpe.com/?Page=Index

Moderator [above link is no longer valid, please visit https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/  to find the latest info ]

NOTE: PC3L is a low voltage memory.

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based on other forums I have found it looks like the maximum is 8GB per slot, the chipset can handle 4 slots (=32GB), but the server has only 2, hence the limitation.

[Note: broken link updated/removed by Mod]

[Xenolog]

The Gen8 uses the Intel chipset C204. This chipset supports UDIMMS up to 8GB and up to 4 memory slots. Since these limits are built into the C204, they are part of the hardware of the MicroServer, and cannot be changed by the BIOS, Firmware or OS.

The ProLiant Microserver Gen8 has only 2 of the maximum of 4 memory slots, so 16GB is the limit imposed by the hardware, until you find a way to solder two more memory slots onto the mainboard. Bigger UDIMMs won't do the trick, since the chipset isn't able to use them.

Source:

https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Commercial-Servers-Workstations/P8BE4L/ProductPrint/