GA-K8NS Ultra-939 and using all 4 memory slots?

[zack]

I'm having major stability issues when using a GigaByte K8NS Ultra-939 with all 4 memory slots populated. Here are system specs: Athlon64 3500+ (venice), 4x512MB Crucial DDR400, CL3 (the default Crucial.com recommendation for this board), BFG GeForce 6800GT AGP.

When I'm using all 4 memory slots, 2GB total, Windows will lock up randomly. Sometimes after a few minutes, sometimes after an hour. When playing World of Warcraft, it usually takes only a few seconds though, so I use this game to test different configurations.

I do not have this problem when using only 2 sticks in a dual channel configuration.

I've tried almost everything, except different RAM. I've even swapped CPU/motherboard of same models, and different video cards, but same problem still exists. I've even fixed the timings in BIOS.

I'm wondering if anyone else is using this motherboard with all 4 memory slots used, and what is your configuration?

 

[CGameProgrammer]

I'm sure you've tried this already, but just in case you haven't... did you try using only 512MB of memory, evaluating each of the four sticks individually? Because it sounds exactly like at least one of those extra two sticks are bad and need to be RMAed. If the system is stable with all four sticks when used one at a time, then that would be surprising.

 

[fishmahn]

Have you tried it with 2T command timing in the memory settings? I could be wrong, but I remember hearing that the venice cores will run with 4 slots at PC3200 speeds, but you needed 2T command timing.

Mike.

<font color=blue>Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside the dog its too dark to read.
-- Groucho Marx</font color=blue>

 

[Rugger]

Another note to testing the individual sticks - run MEMTEST86 on each stick and pairs of sticks.

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[Guest]

Your not wrong, thats exactly it. If you can run any 2 sticks no problem tahn your issue is using is with the ondie memory controller! Go in the bios and set the command rate to 2T.
Youll get a few % performance hit! Question is, do you really need 2 gig =)

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

 

[wizoforb]

I just bought this board today for $56. I bought it to see how well it handled. Have you had anyother problems? How well does this board OC. (if you've had any success)

 

[endyen]

Have you tried with a higher v-dimm? Memory populating the outer dimms usually requires a little extra juice.

 

[zack]

Thank you for replies.

I've been running stable with 2 sticks for a few days. I already tried all the above suggestions prior to my first post, except I don't remember explicitly setting the 2T command rate. It's currently set at auto, and IIRC, all diagnostic programs reported the auto setting as 2T.

I don't think it's a bad memory stick. I actually ran with a pair of two sticks for a few days, and am running the other pair now. Also, Memtest86+ ran for almost 24 hours, with all 4 sticks in, and had no errors. I don't think Memtest allocates huge ammounts of memory at a time, so that might be why, but I've never really looked into how that program works. This problem was exhibiting the same behavior almost every time (complete freeze, and whatever sound was currently playing, it would be frozen in like a 10ms loop), coupled with the fact that memtest was not reporting errors, it probably wasn't an addressing issue, maybe not even a timing issue. More than likely it was just causing weird interactions with the various hardware. Possibly electrical, but bumping up the voltage did not help.

I've already ordered two 1GB OCZ sticks, and i'll just eBay the Crucials, and since I got a huge discount on them I shall break even. Do I really need 2GB? Probably not. But my old computer had 1GB, so I needed an upgrade, and even eMachines are coming with 1GB now. I chose an AGP board because I already have almost the fastest AGP card, and I just don't see much of a benefit of PCI express in non-SLI config at the moment, other than the 7800 card, which is only PCIe thus far.

After swapping out mobo and CPU, I have to conclude that using four CT6464Z40B sticks results in a non compatible situation with this board with current latest (and previous) BIOS, and a "Venice Core" CPU, but using two sticks is okay. I haven't tried four sticks of any other memory yet, which is why I was asking if anyone else has (with venice core CPU).

 

[Guest]

To fill entirely your memory try Prime95 see if you get errors.

The sweet spot for almost any apps right now(xept memory hungry one, video encoding etc) is 1gb, 2 gig can hurt performance especially if you never use more than 1 gig!

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

 

[zack]

Battlefield 2

 

[apesoccer]

I would try upgrading the Bios to the latest version...then try it again. However, most ram in a 4x512 will not work at 400mhz, even with a venice core. And if people are going to say anything about that...let them try to back it up. I've talked with a lot of people about this issue. There are sticks of ram out there that will do 400mhz in 4x512...the $230 tccd 2x512 in a 4x512 2T formation for instance...also there are several sticks of 2x1024 sticks out there that will run at 400 and 2T timings, but so far as i know, there is only one pair of 2x1024 that will run at 1024x2 at 1T timings. If you look in the RAM section of one of our previous <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=117286#117286" target="_new">threads</A>...

F@H:
AMD: [64 3000+][2500+][2400+][2000+][1.3][366]
Intel: [X 3.0x3][P4 3.0x2][P4 2.4x5 down][P4 1.4]

"...and i'm not gay" RX8 -Greatest Quote of ALL Time

 

[apesoccer]

Games and programs that will use 1gb+ with the right settings...: (assuming the system will use around 256mb...)
BF2 (as formentioned)
WOW
EQ2
Doom3
HL2
photoshop
cad software

F@H:
AMD: [64 3000+][2500+][2400+][2000+][1.3][366]
Intel: [X 3.0x3][P4 3.0x2][P4 2.4x5 down][P4 1.4]

"...and i'm not gay" RX8 -Greatest Quote of ALL Time

 

[coylter]

This is untrue.

Signature (up to 200 characters). You may use <font color=blue><b>Markup</b></font color=blue> in your signature

 

[Guest]

I dont know who to trust, you or coylter hehe.

Kidding aside, do you think you will see noticebale performance boost(im asking that for game, CAD/PS/video encoding large file i know it will).
Now we are talking about a fair amount of money a possibly a performance hit for the programs not using more than 1 gig...

It is also true that with dual core you can multitask more and more than 1 gig might come in handy.

All i know I wouldnt spend money on another gig!

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

 

[apesoccer]

Which is untrue? I'm not sure which post you're talking about.

If it's about the 4x512...well, if you can prove me wrong, by all means. I want 4x512 and i'm not going to do it because i haven't seen anywhere where anyone has successfully gotten 4x512 with memory that costs less then $400 total. 2x512 = $200+[edit oops...heh] (TCCD). And they are getting 2T timings on that ram, so you're not even getting the best timings there. But seriously, please find where someone has gotten 4x512 with non-tccd ram, i'd love to see it (because i'd rather buy another 2x512 of geil value ram, rather then another 2x512 of tccd).

If you're responding to the games i listed, well, uh..."yea huh, they do too"..."mom he started it...". =D

F@H:
AMD: [64 3000+][2500+][2400+][2000+][1.3][366]
Intel: [X 3.0x3][P4 3.0x2][P4 2.4x5 down][P4 1.4]

"...and i'm not gay" RX8 -Greatest Quote of ALL Time<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by apesoccer on 07/08/05 10:32 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[apesoccer]

Yea, with another gig with those games, you will notice an improvement. However...Only if you have it setup to make use of it, and for some of those games, only in certain areas. The two games that it would make the most difference in would be EQ2 and especially BF2. When you open BF2 in to a map, if you bounce out, it'll say anything from 700mb to 1300mb. So if you have 1gb and it's using 1.3...thats 300mb of hd ur using, in addition to whatever the system resources are using...so around 1.5gb...

Yea i won't be spending money on a second gig, until i can afford to buy another gig of tccd. I still have the possiblity of oc'n it to where it's at now with 2gb with that ram, so i may do it if i really start to notice it in games.

That said, the rest of the games, i personally won't even consider buying an extra gig for. Even if I could use geil value ram, which costs about a 1/3 of that tccd right now. The only time you're really going to use that extra ram, are at load times, going from one section/scene/map to another (with the exception of BF2 and EQ2...both of those will load faster too, but will use the ram in regular game play unlike the others).

F@H:
AMD: [64 3000+][2500+][2400+][2000+][1.3][366]
Intel: [X 3.0x3][P4 3.0x2][P4 2.4x5 down][P4 1.4]

"...and i'm not gay" RX8 -Greatest Quote of ALL Time