Issues with my Sapphire mobo and OCZ RAM

[Sytheruk]

Hi, sorry im new to this forum and didnt see any section for hardware problems..

what i have is a Sapphire PURE Innovation PI-A9RX480 motherboard and OCZ 2x 1gb pc3200 @2.3.2.5

PSU is Pc Power and Cooling 510 (650w peak) 12v+ @34-38a

When i first got this ram for the motherboard i installed it and it took 2 hours of constant moving ram between slots and powering up and down the copmuter to get the machien to even get to post screen.

then for about 3 months the computer seemed to run fine untill a week ago, after turning the machine on from being off for a few days and now i find it dificult to get it to post screen again, or when it does rarely load windows, it crashed withing 30 secs and goes to the blue screen and says that windows has been stoped to prevent damage la la etc etc...

comes up with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL


not came accross this error before., so what i did was run memtest on both stick individually and both came up with errors, so i RMA'd ram to supplier, in which they tested at their end and returned as No Fault Found.

So, get ram back in machine and it still does the same thing.

So im kinda lost.

Is it possible that the ram may not be compatible with my motherboard and that it has some issues? or could it actually be down to some faulty hardware somewhere?

ive not overclocked anything on my system, everythings running at defaults and the cpu and system temps are all fine.

if anyone could come up with some suggestions of things to try , or anyone who knows of other people with known issues with this motherboard and OCZ ram it would be a great help

many Thanks

Sytheruk.

 

[kizuki]

It may be that you got defective RAM or a defective motherboard. Try searching on Sapphire's site for any updated drivers for that board.

 

[Sytheruk]

The problem is not software as i cant even load or re install windows.
its not faulty ram as the supplier has tested it at thier end when i sent it back to be checked.

any other suggestions people?

 

[badge]

>>its not faulty ram as the supplier has tested it at thier end when i sent it back to be checked.

any other suggestions people?<<

Put some other PC3200 RAM in there and see if you still have the same problem.

 

[Sytheruk]

if i try some other pc3200 ram in there and it works perfectly for days, then is it possible that the motherboard just simply doesnt like that brand of ram?

 

[badge]

if i try some other pc3200 ram in there and it works perfectly for days, then is it possible that the motherboard just simply doesnt like that brand of ram?

It is possible the OCZ RAM SPID timings of 2-3-3-5 are a bit tight for your Sapphire MB. When you board fires up it reads the factory RAM timings and finds the Mfg.'ers SPID ( your OCZ is 2-3-3-5). The Sapphire would hace preprogrammed default settings and set there if your OCZ RAM can match it. If not, and I'm sure 2 CAS Latency is not the default of your board, then your board will adjust as best it can and run the PC3200 RAM. You would have to go into you BIOS and adjust the RAM setting manually. I doubt your board would run 2-3-3-5, but it would run something close if other proper adjustments were made. Your MB's default may be 2.5-3-3-8 for example. You can adjust the RAM timings in the BIOS.

Go onto Sapphire's web site and look up the specs on your board. Read the QVL (qualified vendors list) of companies who's RAM has been tested in your board. I doubt OCZ is there because they are new up and coming in the market. OCZ will be a major player in the RAM market in the future. Their warranty is good, lifetime. There product is high performance geared towards the enthusiast.

You might try some PC3200 value-typed RAM with settings of 3-3-3-8 in there. Try something like the Crucial memory finder advisor here:

http://www.crucial.com/index.asp

Maybe you can see what SPID's are recommended for your board there. Your problem may not be your RAM. You won't know until you put some other RAM in there and see if your crashing problem persists. I hope this helps.