For all you RAM masterminds! (a few questions)

[Diabetic1]

Hey all, 'tis my first post on this forum after reading through a few threads. I joined up as you all seem pretty smart and can almost certainly help me with my problem.

Right, heres the thing. Recently I bought 2gb's of Corsair TwinX PC3200 RAM to help improve the performance of memory hungry programs (and games). Thing is, the RAM is being a bit 'annoying'. Both sticks run fine individually at PC3200 speeds and with the timings of 2.5-3-3-6. Now, pair the two sticks together and they will only run at PC2700 speeds at only 3-3-3-8.

Recently however they won't even run together at full stop, the system will often freeze up after 30 mins to an hour. Mem test reports no errors on individual sticks, but I can't run it on both sticks together as the system wouldn't 'stay up' long enough.

Now, heres my system spec (as you people probably need to know that):

AMD 64 3400+ (socket 754)
480W Antec NEO Power Supply
Gigabyte K8 VT800 Pro Motherboard
nVidia 6800 GT GPU (agp)

My questions are numerous but it would be great if you could answer them and help me with this problem!

(1) Can a Socket 754 Motherboard run 2gbs of Ram at PC3200 speeds stabily?
(2) Will increasing my voltage to the RAM increase stability? How do I check what voltage its currently running at? (in the BIOS it just mentions increasing by o.1v or 0.2v, not the current voltage)
(3) Will changing the timings to 2T help me in any way?

Thats all I can think of for now, any light you can shed on the matter would be AMAZING.

Cheers folks, one depressed and confused Diabetic.
- Ali.

 

[Pompeii]

I can almost guarantee you the problem isn't with your memory or your motherboard, but with your processor.

Now, just because I said it is your processor, don't have a heart attack. It doesn't mean it is bad or anything else. But, what it does mean is your processor is not able to run memory in dual-channel configurations. This is due to the fact that in AMD processors, the memory controller is intregrated into the cpu, not the motherboard.

You do not need to increase your ram voltage, or your timings. What you do need to do is manually set your ram speeds. Enter your BIOS and set it to PC3200. The timings don't matter, you probably just want your system up for now.

Also, check your motherboard documentation. It should tell you how to properly set up the ram. It may seem like a stupid thing to say, but just check its instructions for any help.

If there is any way to configure the ram to not run in dual channel, do so. Like I said, Socket 754 AMD processors do not support dual channel, only their socket 939 counterparts do.

If anyone else has suggestions, feel free to post. (I don't really have much experience with Socket 754 processors and their ram issues).

 

[MadModMike]

But, what it does mean is your processor is not able to run memory in dual-channel configurations. This is due to the fact that in AMD processors, the memory controller is intregrated into the cpu, not the motherboard.

Hmm....No? The reason you can't run Dual Channel is because there isn't enough pins in the CPU to support it (you need 368 pins for Dual Channel DDR1 184x2) and the Memory Controller on Socket 754 is 64-bit, meaning Single Channel. Hence Socket 939, (939-754=185 not sure what extra pin is for) is Dual Channel.

Try changing the slots around where you put the RAM in, try other RAM as well, try a mixture of other RAM in it as well. Are you getting BSOD's? Is that what you mean by "staying up" long enough? The issue might be motherboard related, or RAM related, try what I have stated and repost your results.

~~Mad Mod Mike, pimpin' the world 1 rig at a time

 

[mpjesse]

Is that what you mean by "staying up" long enough?

hhuuuhhuuu uuhuuhuh... mine "stays up" for hours. hhhuuhuhuhhh...

 

[MadModMike]

Is that what you mean by "staying up" long enough?

hhuuuhhuuu uuhuuhuh... mine "stays up" for hours. hhhuuhuhuhhh...

aahhh you sick little bastard lol. The blue pills is what helps me ;>).

~~Mad Mod Mike, pimpin' the world 1 rig at a time

 

[ak47is1337]

Hey all, 'tis my first post on this forum after reading through a few threads. I joined up as you all seem pretty smart and can almost certainly help me with my problem.

Right, heres the thing. Recently I bought 2gb's of Corsair TwinX PC3200 RAM to help improve the performance of memory hungry programs (and games). Thing is, the RAM is being a bit 'annoying'. Both sticks run fine individually at PC3200 speeds and with the timings of 2.5-3-3-6. Now, pair the two sticks together and they will only run at PC2700 speeds at only 3-3-3-8.

Recently however they won't even run together at full stop, the system will often freeze up after 30 mins to an hour. Mem test reports no errors on individual sticks, but I can't run it on both sticks together as the system wouldn't 'stay up' long enough.

Now, heres my system spec (as you people probably need to know that):

AMD 64 3400+ (socket 754)
480W Antec NEO Power Supply
Gigabyte K8 VT800 Pro Motherboard
nVidia 6800 GT GPU (agp)

My questions are numerous but it would be great if you could answer them and help me with this problem!

(1) Can a Socket 754 Motherboard run 2gbs of Ram at PC3200 speeds stabily?
(2) Will increasing my voltage to the RAM increase stability? How do I check what voltage its currently running at? (in the BIOS it just mentions increasing by o.1v or 0.2v, not the current voltage)
(3) Will changing the timings to 2T help me in any way?

Thats all I can think of for now, any light you can shed on the matter would be AMAZING.

Cheers folks, one depressed and confused Diabetic.
- Ali.

Older 754 memory controllers are weak, as previously stated. You can attempt to improve this by giving more voltage to the memory controller-boosting cpu voltage. Tweak the settings on voltage of RAM/northbridge (I know, it doesn't have a memory controller) and CPU itself. Post your results too..

 

[Diabetic1]

Right, I'm not trying to run in Dual Channel mode as Socket 754 mobos/CPU's auto default to Single Channel (there isn't even an option to try duel channel as someone said, they just don't support it).

All I want is two sticks of 1gb for a total of 2gb running at PC3200. Thing is, if I set the speeds of two of the sticks in the BIOS to PC3200 (200mhz) then the system won't boot and I have to clear the CMOS. If I run with just one stick then it runs PC3200 just fine.

When running 2Gbs I have to run at PC2700 (333mhz) and the computer is not fully stable, and it will crash to a BSOD mentioning something about memory, or it will just freeze up.

I have tried putting the RAM modules in the 3 different slots, all to the same effect, and both sticks as stated run fine stand alone (so they aint 'duds').

What I really want to know is has anyone ever run 2gbs of RAM at PC3200 speeds with Socket 754 technology (mobo AND cpu) as I have never had a conclusive answer, and if the answer is YES, how the hell do I do it!?!?

(p.s: will someone explain this RAM voltage thing)

 

[ak47is1337]

The problem is with your old CPU memory controller, located on the CPU itself. The only real way you can try and fix the speed problem is to give the modules more voltage, the cpu more voltage, and the chipset more voltage (not too much though)
and even then you could still be screwed.
if you get them to run pc3200, run prime95 to make sure they are stable.

 

[Diabetic1]

Alright, cheers for all your help so far but I've decided to forget about running 2gb at PC3200 speeds (i'm upgrading mobo, cpu, and GPU in about 3 months anyways). Lets now try and focus on getting my 2gb running stable at PC2700 (no freezing, BSOD's, etc.)

Do i need to boost voltage to my RAM modules, or my entire system? And how do I check the current RAM voltage, etc. Any windows based program or is it purely a BIOS mess about time?

 

[ak47is1337]

Your BIOS itself should have a "PC Health Status" section or something of that nature which lists CPU temps/voltages etc.
For trying to up performance, first try giving the cpu voltage and see if it runs pc3200.
If not, try RAM and then chipset. I would try CPU voltage all the way up to 1.5 if I were you.

 

[Diabetic1]

It seems my RAM is running at 2.5v and my CPU at 1.5v, what now sensai?!
I also see something mentioning +12V = OK.

(I assume thats right, as my RAM says DDR2.5V = OK)

 

[ak47is1337]

2.5 is like no voltage. try 2.8/2.9.

 

[Diabetic1]

2.5 is like no voltage. try 2.8/2.9.

Ok, great stuff. Just a few last things (as I'm a pansy )

Raising the Voltage to my RAM is done by the DIMM tab in my BIOS Voltage control right? And just how dangerous is messing with the voltage on my hardware?

 

[ak47is1337]

The VDIMM/DIMM section should be RAM voltage.
It is only dangerous if you put massive amounts of voltage or fail to properly cool components.

 

[Diabetic1]

Alright, love 'ya sir! My 2gb of RAM now feels pretty stable (no crashes, etc. so far)

My last question is this. How come after setting 0.2v on the DIMM OverVoltage control does my PC health status still report DIMM25V = OK?

 

[ak47is1337]

so you didn't get it to run pc3200? and if it states 2.5 in the bios health, its running 2.5 =(