Question RAM v Mobo issues

[Tilda]

Hi everybody,

Wonder if anybody could help me please.
I'm trying to upgrade my fathers PC's ram.

His mobo is this: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. its an A8N-SLI Deluxe which, according to its specs supports:

- 4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 4GB DDR400/DDR333/DDR266 ECC/ non-ECC un-buffered DDR SDRAM memory
- Dual Channel Memory Architectur​

​

He has 2 free slots with 2 sticks of 512mb ram in the 2 main slots.
Specs on current ram (from label):

512 MB DDR-400MHz-CL3 PC3200U

I popped up crucials memory configurator and it told me to buy 4 sticks of 1gb DDR-333MHz PC2700 CL2.5 unbuffered.
Which I duly did here: Kingston 1GB DDR Memory - Cheap at Ebuyer!

It turns up, I turn off PC, swap in all 4 sticks and it hangs on the memtest on boot.
I take each stick out 1 by 1 and it hangs on the memtest on boot.
I try 2 different sticks (individually) in the 1st slot, and it hangs on memtest on boot.

I take everything out and it beeps cause it has no memory (so it must be seeing some memory, right?).

I put in 1 of the original sticks and it boots fine.

1) How can I make the ram work, or, why isn't it working? Given it appears it should be compatible (although the ebuyer link doesn't list it as compatible, looking at speeds etc, it should be)

2) If I ignore the crucial thing, should I send these back and opt for 4gb of PC3200, (rather than this PC2700)?

Halp?

 

[inactionman]

You running the memory at 1T or 2T? IIRC with all 4 banks populated on Socket 939 you need to run the memory at 2T.

Also you tried 2 sticks in single channel (1 stick in each coloured bank)? Got the voltage and FSB for the memory set correctly, or is it on autoconfigure? Best to explicitly configure it.

 

[Kryten]

I've always put on my ebay listings for memory to NEVER trust crucial's site for information like this. The information they provide is relevant only to their own brand and nothing else. Kingston is a budget brand with not-so-budget prices and their configurations vary quite a bit.
You should be getting PC3200 definitely, but I will express caution with DDR1 1gb modules - not all boards play nicely with them. Google around and see if you can find people that have bought certain brands/models of RAM and see if you can match it.

 

[Tilda]

inactionman, Not quite sure what you mean re 1T or 2T, can you explain?
The voltages are set to Auto in bios, and I would set them manually if I could, but I cant even reach the bios with any of the new ram installed, therefore can't set voltages etc.

Kingston tech support suggested updating my bios, which seems like a long shot but I'll give it a go in a bit anyway.

Popular view seems to be return them for PC3200 anyway?

 

[TdC]

Tilda updating a (much) older bios to the latest one for that mobo can be a good idea. Also, certain dimms require voltages to be set exactly. example: my 2GB dimms will *not* work at their rated speed unless the voltage is at or above what they state on the box. The "auto" function of the mobo sets it to less, eg the dimms do not work properly.

 

[Furr]

Another thing to check is that the CPU backplate / Motherboard are mounted ok and the screws aren't too tight. Although I'm basing this on my pc where I had major issues with the backplate causing channels to stop working.

 

[inactionman]

1T vs. 2T is about Memory access latency in the BIOS. 1T means it accesses it on the same CPU cycle that it is requested, 2T is the next, I think. IIRC the on-chip memory controller can't handle 1T with all 4 banks populated. It's a bit academic though, as you can't even get into the BIOS to configure it!

The other suggestions are good, update the BIOS, check how tight the screws are, etc. The other problem was, that as Kryten says, some memory just doesn't work with some boards, particularly in the socket 939 days!

Why does he need 4Gb of RAM anyway? Unless you are running a 64bit OS you won't see nearly a gig of it!

 

[Tilda]

Thanks for your help guys, I updated the bios (and removed my phone from USB charging) and one or both of them fixed the problem and allowed it to install.

He needs 4gb because a) he was running a decent cpu and a pci-e card with 512mb ram and b) because when I upgrade to Win7, I'll upgrade him to vista64x which will use it all.