Chaintech 9CJS Zenith help.

[clooney003]

I just recently purchased a new Zenith mobo with the 875P chipset. I am having a hard time trying to adjust the memory timings in the BIOS. It seems the board will not allow me to do it at all. I am using some inexpensive Mushkin value type RAM (2x 256 PC-3200 in dual channel mode)that seemed to work great in a P4C800 Deluxe I was using. With the ASUS board I was able to adjust the timings with no problem, but not the Zenith board, it wont even post if I try to lower the CAS latency to 2. Has anyone had any luck or experience with this board. No type of overclocking is stable as the system wants to lock up and act stupid. BF Vietnam runs like crap now with frequent lagging (no such problems with the ASUS). The only reason the ASUS is not being used is that it needs to be RMA'd due to a faulty chipset. Even my AquaMark 03 benchmarks are jumpy on the Zenith (at a high of 42,000 to a low of 36,000) Below are my system specs. If anyone feels that the memory is holding me back what would be the best RAM for me to be looking into?

Chaintech Zenith CT-9CJS (latest BIOS revision 11-17-2003)
P4 3.0C
2x Mushkin Enhanced (Basic Green) 256 PC-3200 in dual channel
Generic 350 watt PSU
Sony DVD burner DRU-510
1x WD800 HD (no RAID)
1x WD400 HD (no RAID)
ATI 9700 Pro
Onboard Envy 24 sound enabled
Onboard LAN (the Intel one) being used as this board has 2 to choose from

 

[Crashman]

These chipsets are well known for stressing memory. You were very lucky if your cheap RAM could run at Cas2 on the other board. Extremely lucky, I wouldn't expect that to happen twice. If you want more out of your RAM, try raising vDIMM. And keep track of your voltages, I don't trust the power supply to be stable.

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[clooney003]

Right on Crashman, I trust your expertise and my assumptions pretty much coincided with what you just mentioned. I will get the better PSU, but I was just wondering about RAM. I want some kick-ass memory! Anything above PC-3200 I am not familiar with. Should I go for the "Hyper" stuff or just a medium "good quality" brand with this chipset?

 

[Obtuse]

If you want to push the timings, go with some quality OCZ or Corsair 3500 or above. I've actually heard that because Crucial is so conservative in their RAM timings, their sticks are sometimes capable of low latencies, but Crucial doesn't make above 3200 (I think). Crucial is like the Saab of RAM Manufacturers: high quality, reliable, but not real flashy (and a bit pricey)