Asus and OCZ memory - Real problems or just rumours?

[scotty_mcd]

I've just built a system with the following specs:

Asus A8N-SLI Premium
X2 3800+ (standard clocked for now)
OCZ Platinum XTC DDR500 2x1GB (clocked at DDR400 for now)
Seagate 7200.10 320GB SATA
2x Maxtor Maxline III 250GB PATA (RAID 1)
BFG 7900GT OC
Thermaltake 480W PSU (20 -> 24 pin adapter installed... is this a bad idea?)

The folks at Canada Computers (a local enthusiast parts retailer for anyone outside of Ontario) insisted that there were problems with Asus boards in combination with OCZ memory. I called OCZ before purchasing the RAM and they told me that wasn't the case. Now I've got the system assembled and I can't seem to get it to boot into Windows.

Both drive configurations above will allow me to install Windows completely but will not actually boot into Windows when the installation is complete. I tried a pair of known good OCZ Premier Series (2x512MB) with SPD settings and had a similar problem. I keep seeing unmountable boot volume type errors but the drives check out fine in other systems.

I've put together literally hundreds of systems over the last decade so I'd put myself into the more advanced category... at any rate, I'm hardly a novice. I called OCZ and emailed again but they insist there are no issues with Asus boards. While reading up on this issue both before and after purchasing the parts, a few people mention hearing about the Asus/OCZ issue but no one had any real information about the "problem".

So after my long-winded intro, here's my question. Does anyone have conclusive proof of problems with specifically OCZ memory on Asus boards? And for bonus points, does anyone have a suggestion for resolving my problem?

I'll be trying the RAM in various single and dual channel configs to see if I can get something working. I'll also be running memtest on the modules to see what happens, but this is all very time consuming and I'd rather just skip to the part where the problem is resolved.

BTW, one of the OCZ people sent me here:
http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15898

They also suggested increasing the voltage for the modules to 2.7V as the Asus boards default to 2.6V. I was running with "Auto" settings for as many SPD/Jumperfree settings as I could to ensure that the system was stable before I start to try and overclock. I only plan a very modest overclock (maybe 240 MHz FSB max) as I'm using the retail AMD cooler.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Scott

 

[macer1]

nope i have had 0 problems with my asus and OCZ

asus mvp deluxe A8R32-MVP Deluxe

OCZ 2GB PC4000 Gold Gamer eXtreme XTC Edition


YET i have heard the problems with asus and OCZ with AM2 platform.

 

[CaptianCapitalist]

I believe this incomplitablity problem only pretains to socket AM2, more specifically, the voltage settings for DDR2 ram on asus boards, and OCZ sticks requiring more voltage than the defaut 1.8 v. I think u can boot with another stick of non OCZ, manually set up teh voltage, and then put the OCZ sticks in.

 

[Vile]

Most of the problems you've heard about Asus + OCZ incompatibility problems true. But the 'new wave of incompatibility' came with the new Intel 965 chipsets. Most motherboards will not POST with any RAM modules working higher than 1.8V (or 1.9V). Many people bought their Conroe setup with a pair of OCZ RAM and a P965 motherboard and they had to either RMA the RAM or buy a cheap stick to boot and change the default voltage setting on the BIOS.

If I were you, I'd stay away from OCZ, why buy that (crap) anyways ? You got much better brands with less incompatibily issues.

 

[scotty_mcd]

I've always found OCZ to be very reliable, so although I understand you're being facetious, I don't think it's fair to call OCZ memory "crap".

The new development, in case anyone cares, is that the memory tests out fine using memtest86+ 1.65 in both possible dual channel configs. Still can't boot into Windows. I tried nearly every combination of dual and single channel with the same problems. I'm beginning to think this has nothing to do with RAM. Also tried manually specifying 2.7V but no luck.

Does anyone else have some suggestions? Maybe something obvious that I'm overlooking? Thanks again.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

I had OCZ DDR 500 mem in my Asus A8N5X and it turned out to be a big mistake. Motherboard did not get along with that memory no matter what the voltage was at and I could only get it to run stable at 420mhz :roll:

I put my crucial ddr 400 value mem back in and stuck some heatsinks on them and now run that mem at 494mhz rock stable with 3 3 3 5 timings.

Did you have similar problems with booting or did you have issues with the system reaching the POST? I haven't had a single POST issue but when it comes time to actually boot from a hard disk, it always seems to fail.

Thanks.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

No booting problems at all. Mainly problems with post and stability.

You might want to look into corsair memory. Asus and Corsair memory seem to get along the best from research I have done.

From my tests, I'm becoming more confident that the RAM is functioning normally. I certainly appreciate your recommendation and I will test a different set of DIMMs from another manufacturer as soon as I get the chance. If it turns out that the memory is the problem, Corsair would be my second pick.

I would have purchased Corsair memory in the first place (after Canada Computers recommended anything but OCZ on this board) except that they only had garbage generic RAM in stock, no Corsair. Since OCZ was adamant that the RAM would be fine, I figured it was worth the gamble...

Thanks again.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

Well im sure since OCZ is in the money making business they wouldnt tell you anything else but that. :lol:

I hear you... The thing is, they have to support the memory so there's not really much advantage in getting me to buy something that they know doesn't work. It just means more headaches for them in the end. And trust me, if I can confirm that the RAM is the problem, I will definitely ensure that they resolve the issue at absolutely no additional cost to myself.

No cost aside from my time, that is. And really, if people like us didn't like wasting our own time on problems then we'd buy prebuilt systems right?

Scott

 

[Chester3000]

There have been issues with OCZ ram, or any ram really, on the newer motherboards (AM2 and 975chipset), not the older ones due to Voltage requirements. In your case, since its a S939 you shouldn't be worried necessarily about the ram.

I've also found out that the newer Maxtor hard drives have some sort of compatability issue with some ASUS motherboards, similar to what you are experiencing (not being able to enter Windows).

I believe they have something available on the Maxtor website now to resolve the issue.

 

[MrCommunistGen]

Not sure if this applies here, but have you updated your motherboard's BIOS? On my motherboard (see sig) one of the BIOS updates also updated the onboard nForce RAID, although I really don't remember the specifics as it was before I had a RAID.
Edit: I just looked it up. Here's a quote from the ECS website: "Update to RAID ROM V5.5"

-mcg

 

[scotty_mcd]

Thanks for your suggestions, I appreciate the help.

I've also found out that the newer Maxtor hard drives have some sort of compatability issue with some ASUS motherboards, similar to what you are experiencing (not being able to enter Windows).

I believe they have something available on the Maxtor website now to resolve the issue.

I think this might be the issue you're referring to:
EDIT: Sorry, the URL is being trimmed. Try going to the support kb search and look for article 1214.

When I first tried to set up this system, I did not use the Maxtor RAID config at all. (The drives weren't even in the case, let alone connected.) Running with just the new Seagate drive connected I had the boot problem after installing Windows. I threw the Maxtor drives in afterwards, just to make sure it wasn't a SATA controller/Seagate drive issue. The Seagate worked fine when installed it in another system and I could see all the Windows files on the disk.

Not sure if this applies here, but have you updated your motherboard's BIOS? On my motherboard (see sig) one of the BIOS updates also updated the onboard nForce RAID, although I really don't remember the specifics as it was before I had a RAID.

I'm running with BIOS 1009 which, according to the Asus website, is the latest. Most recently I have been trying to install on the SATA Seagate drive, for the most part, so I doubt the RAID drives are causing issues for me (unless just having them connected is a problem).

There are two beta BIOS versions available, but all I can find about them other than "Latest beta BIOS" is here for version 1011:

1- Update awdflash to v1.17 to avoid the system BIOS being downgraded
2- Fixed failed to boot from Marvell LAN ROM due to IRQ conflict
3- Fixed instant Music function fail issue.
4- Add an option in the Bios to Enable/Disable "Wake up from S1/S3/S4".
5- Fix sometimes asusupdate will show Unknown flash.
6- Improve the compatibility with FX-60 Dualcore CPU

That doesn't sound like it would affect my problem and I'm reluctant to install a beta BIOS on the off chance that I might prevent the system from booting entirely. I've only ever had those types of issues with MSI boards (which I don't buy anymore) but I may have to call Asus and see what they say.

Thanks again.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm contacting Asus right now to see what they have to say.

Have any of you used the 20 to 24 pin adapters for older ATX power supplies? I wouldn't expect it to cause consistently reproducable problems, particularly when I'm just trying to boot into Windows.

I'll be trying another set of RAM tonight and hopefully this will give me some clues.

Thanks to everyone for responding.

Scott

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

I've always found Corsair to be the better stock speed memory and better suited for AMD systems. For my Intel rigs i've always gone ahead and used OCZ Platinum memory without a problem (Gold memory for my P4 systems).
I find OCZ memory to overclock the highest and well... that is the memory geared towards my interests.

You will find that I seldomly recommend OCZ memory. That is because it is more finicky and should be left to more advanced overclocking users. G.Skill and Corsair would be the two brands I recommend the most.

 

[scotty_mcd]

You will find that I seldomly recommend OCZ memory. That is because it is more finicky and should be left to more advanced overclocking users. G.Skill and Corsair would be the two brands I recommend the most.

I understand what you mean and Corsair has served me well in the past. (Never used G.Skill.) OCZ has a large presence in Canada, particularly at Canada Computers so I started using their memory over the last couple years.

I would hardly consider myself new to overclocking but I will admit that I haven't overclocked many systems of this CPU generation. (Oh, but that Celeron 300A was pretty sweet... those of you oldschoolers will know what I'm talking about. ) Regardless, I am not overclocking anything at the moment and surely the system should boot into Windows with the FSB at 200 MHz. That's standard CPU clock and DDR underclock for these modules. OS stability shouldn't even be an issue, let alone booting problems.

Aaah! This is driving me crazy! Hopefully when I manage to resolve this problem it'll be that much sweeter after all the headaches.

Thanks again.

Scott

 

[Chester3000]

Using a 20 Pin or 24 Pin power supply will not matter. With just a 20 Pin connected to the motherboard (without an adapter) is completely fine.

I have a similar build to your new computer but I was originally using a 20 Pin powersupply with no adapter. Worked fine and I've seen many other computers also work fine with just a 20 Pin.

Just remembering back a bit, I've found the Thermaltake 480W's a little gutless. With that 7900GT, the OCZ ram and the 3 hard drives, maybe its too much for the Thermaltake to handle when it hits Windows.

Does it just turn off or reboot when it gets to the windows screen? Or just hang? If its rebooting it is usually a power issue.

 

[Nomans64]

I've had similar issue with my old system sometimes ago. My spec:

ASUS A8N-SLI (No Premium) Rev. 1014 (latest)
AMD64 4000+
OCZ Platinum DDR400 2x1GB instead of yours DDR500
2x eVGA 7900GTX
Seagate 500GB SATA boot drive
Creative X-Fi Music Extreme
Antec 550W PSU


Anyway, the system didn't boot into Windows XP with an error similar like this "... Boot drive not found...". I found out that all I had to do is just leave the Windows XP boot CD in the DVD drive during boot up, even though I booted into Windows from the HDD instead.

I think this is a BIOS issue rather than OCZ or my configuration problem. I needed to boot Windows XP from the DVD drive in order to set up the system and somehow the BIOS kept insist on booting from the DVD drive although I've setup HDD as the 2. boot drive.

May be this would help you solve your problem ...

 

[scotty_mcd]

Just remembering back a bit, I've found the Thermaltake 480W's a little gutless. With that 7900GT, the OCZ ram and the 3 hard drives, maybe its too much for the Thermaltake to handle when it hits Windows.

Does it just turn off or reboot when it gets to the windows screen? Or just hang? If its rebooting it is usually a power issue.

I was wondering about the PSU but I've had this issue even without the two Maxtor drives connected. The system does not reboot on its own. I have seen various problems but they basically fall under three categories:

1. Most frequently the system starts with the Windows XP screen and blue screens with an unmountable boot volume error. Safe mode is no help (except for one time when I did make it to safe mode).
2. The system gets past the POST screens and freezes immediately after listing the PCI IDs of the installed devices (i.e. the part where it tries to boot to a drive). It's not locked up in the sense that it needs a hard reset, Ctrl-Alt-Del still works. It seems more like it's searching for a bootable drive and keeps looking forever.
3. The system gets to the Windows XP screen and continues to show the little progress marker moving from left to right indefinitely (I only waited 10 mins at the most, but you get the point).

I'll be trying a set of Kingston DDR400 modules from a Dell system and a low-end PCIe card just to test the power and RAM possible issues.

Thanks again.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

Anyway, the system didn't boot into Windows XP with an error similar like this "... Boot drive not found...". I found out that all I had to do is just leave the Windows XP boot CD in the DVD drive during boot up, even though I booted into Windows from the HDD instead.

I think this is a BIOS issue rather than OCZ or my configuration problem. I needed to boot Windows XP from the DVD drive in order to set up the system and somehow the BIOS kept insist on booting from the DVD drive although I've setup HDD as the 2. boot drive.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try that tonight. I'm pretty sure that I've inadvertently tried this but I can't be sure. I often just leave the disc in the drive after the last Windows setup reboot because the system will skip past booting from the CD.

Anything that easy is worth a shot! Thanks for the suggestion.

Scott

 

[DrBlofeld]

I have an Asus A8N-E with 3GB of OCZ memory:
2 1GB Platinum DDR400
2 512MB GOLD EL DDR400

I have no problems with them, but it can take some time setting them up. The gold EL series loves voltage, up to 3.3Volts. However, the platinum series prefers 2.7 volts.

I had a similar problem to you were windows would install but not boot. Did you run memtest? Also don't forget to raise your voltage to the memory to at least 2.7 just to be sure it's not a voltage issue.

 

[tgstyle]

This almost sounds like a hardware/software conflict versus a RAM issue. For one I would try disconnecting any extra unecessary hardware and use only one drive. Also it may not be a bad idea to reset your BIOS via the jumper. Then try disabling onboard devices like COM ports, Parallel Ports, Floppy, Ethernet, and even Sound Card in the bios. If you can disable the SATA controller too. Insert the Windows CD and when setup is checking your system configuration press th F5 key. It will ask you to select your system type, choose ACPI Multiprocessor PC. Let windows finish installing and see if it loads.

 

[Nomans63]

scotty_mcd, one more thing:

During a recent upgrade my rig from AMD64 4000+ to X2 4600, I've moved the entire hardware to another ASUS A8N-SLI (I have 2 identical boards) with the older rev.1013 (the first one has rev.1014), the whole issue revsolves itself completely. Now, the rig boots fine into Windows (the same OS installed from the first ASUS A8N-SLI). No more problems, whatsoever.

BTW, I used the first ASUS A8N-SLI with AMD64 4000+ for another non-SLI rig with different memory (2GB of Corsair XMS) and RAID 0 configuration (I didn't want to install RAID 0 on the SLI rig). It also works fine. May be it's a combination of ASUS rev.1014 and OCZ after all? hard to tell due to different hardware configuration.

If leaving the CD in the drive works for you, then you can:
1. Just simply ignore the problem until we got a newer BIOS from ASUS and flash the board (hope the pronlem will resolve) OR
2. Flash your board withe the older rev. 1013

 

[jimw428]

Here's what puzzles me, if there is a memory problem (compatibility or otherwise) how were you able to install windows? Or did I not read your post correctly?

Sounds to me as if there's something else wrong.

 

[scotty_mcd]

I had a similar problem to you were windows would install but not boot. Did you run memtest? Also don't forget to raise your voltage to the memory to at least 2.7 just to be sure it's not a voltage issue.

Yes, memtest checks out fine with the modules in either A1/B1 or A2/B2 though I have been told by many that A2/B2 is the desired config. I started with the modules in A2/B2. I also tried manually specifying 2.7V which resulted in no change.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

This almost sounds like a hardware/software conflict versus a RAM issue. For one I would try disconnecting any extra unecessary hardware and use only one drive. Also it may not be a bad idea to reset your BIOS via the jumper. Then try disabling onboard devices like COM ports, Parallel Ports, Floppy, Ethernet, and even Sound Card in the bios. If you can disable the SATA controller too. Insert the Windows CD and when setup is checking your system configuration press th F5 key. It will ask you to select your system type, choose ACPI Multiprocessor PC. Let windows finish installing and see if it loads.

I have actually disabled most of the onboard devices. My normal practice is to turn off anything I don't use on the motherboard. I'm going to try various hardware setups tonight and I was planning to try your suggested config: strictly barebones to see what happens.

Thanks for your suggestions. I've got a long night ahead of me.

Scott

 

[scotty_mcd]

Here's what puzzles me, if there is a memory problem (compatibility or otherwise) how were you able to install windows? Or did I not read your post correctly?

Sounds to me as if there's something else wrong.

That's exactly my thinking as well. The problem is that because Canada Computers is convinced it's a RAM issue, they won't do anything about the real problem... whatever that may be. Unfortunately, their techs are generally pretty weak so I'm much better off diagnosing the problem myself. I'm just looking for suggestions from the community.

Thanks for your input.

Scott