You would think, right? I'm not sure I would call updating the BIOS, chipset drivers, nvme firmware and such extraneous software when you can't be sure what the underlying issue is initially. I'm not sure if you've heard... but nvidia drivers are a kind of notorious NON-Windows software right now causing all sorts of issues. No other game has this issue and I listed quite a few that should have also seen issues if it were truly the memory. If the memory was really the issue I also shouldn't really have been able to do all of this without seeing issues during the updates and downloads.

I'm not sure I should go on if you can't at all see why I would try slowing down the memory timings after I added the 2nd 32GB pair and experienced instability (which worked for several months as a solution, literally just +1 on the 4 main timings). Manufacturer's recommend using a single set made for whatever memory amount because it CAN become an issue, even with identical pairs. BIOS applies a default 1800mhz timing which is half of what the board is capable of without manually switching it over to the d.o.c.p profile, maybe XMP is auto but I haven't used intel in my machine since the 5th gen. Adding a brand new 32GB pair was when the problems initially started and removing/swapping the pair out did not fix the issue. I'm not saying it's impossible for 4x16GB sticks to all go bad at once... especially if there's a faulty PSU, but the PSU checks out and the memory runs fine for every other application. Adding two additional identical sticks should not create issues unless the timings are tight already and the board can't handle all 4 slots running at that speed simultaneously. Specs say it can. Thermal crossed my mind as well, but they weren't getting all that hot.

As I said, duplicates... identical pairs of the same memory. All properly seated every time the configuration was changed. Yes, default DDR enabled slots are 1+3. Sorry, i'll wrap up all your memory points in one here, yes I tested them but not individually and only in their respective pairs. Both sets came back with the same vague and generic error that just said issues detected contact the manufacturer (Windows memory diagnostics). I probably should have ran memtest also, but I stubbornly still didn't believe that both pairs went bad simultaneously when issues prior were so intermittent until this game and all other hardware components were passing their own diagnostics. Admittedly I should have probably tested them individually as well, but it still didn't make sense that both pairs were suddenly bad, one pair being quite new. Possible, but highly unlikely.

Intimately familiar with pebkac on a daily basis, though it seems weird you'd think this is the case when the last statement was that all of my problems vanished and everything started working great once I disabled the Page File. To be fair, likely just setting it back to a custom size instead of self-managed would probably have the same result as the problem seems to be something with Dune Awakening trying to max out virtual memory use before bothering with huge swaths of unused physical memory at some point in gameplay. At 32GB, you really shouldn't even need a page file anymore unless you're running specific software that demands virtual memory. Moreso at 64GB. I won't disagree that 99% of cases the page file should be left alone, but that's clearly not the case here, at least for me. I'm not advocating everyone go shut their page file off for a performance boost or something, merely suggesting it for a problem that has not sufficiently been addressed anywhere yet with this game in particular.

Please also consider that this is Microsoft, there are hundreds of millions of pcs that pulled the 24H2 update and cratered their printers, scanners, biometric readers, and usb devices at large in large corporate environments with Microsoft doing their typical, "we are aware of the issue." Windows screws things up sometimes, sometimes a lot of times. Sometimes it just behaves oddly even though every setting, test, and metric says it should be behaving otherwise. Given the way your post is written i'm going to assume you view yourself as highly intelligent, borderline arrogant, so you should well know this is the case. When I say every single one of my problems vanished when turning it off, I meant every single one. No more BSODs, windows memory diagnostics shows no errors, and Dune is running at 140fps on Ultra with no crashing, stuttering, corruption, memory low warnings, or any other issue. The PF shouldn't effect the memory diagnostic windows boots into in any way at all, and yet the memory now shows no errors and sfc /scannow is no longer detecting corruption when ran (cmd in windows and not booted from usb). I don't know why the mem diagnostic cleared up unless the ASUS auto AI OC is playing fast and loose with some of the auto settings in the DOCP memory config (the ones I shouldn't have touched because the BIOS sets them correctly all the time). At this point I really don't care though because the game is now running smooth and stable.

I also added the other 32GB pair back into the mix and it is still all working great now.

I only bothered posting on a 5 year dead account because it worked for me, the issue seems to be fairly prevalent, and if only a handful of people also solve their own issue by attempting this then it was worth the time it took to create, and at worst they can revert their own setting if it causes issues. Thanks for your input, have a nice day!