Faulty OCZ Ram

[twolfe18]

about 2 months ago i bought a 2 GB OCZ ddr pc3200 platnium el kit, and it has been giving me a lot of problems. for one, when i try to run the kit at its stock speeds, 200mhz @ 2-3-2-5 1T, it is very flakey. some times it just wont boot at those settings. right now, i run at 200mhz @ 2-3-3-6, and that is stable. also, i made sure that they were getting the right voltage by manually setting it to 2.8v. OCZ has a lifetime garantee if i dont go above 2.8v, so i dont want to go higher than that.
the other problem is that if i try to overclock AT ALL, it wont boot up. i can set the speeds to 3-4-4-8 1T 2.8v and it wont break 210mhz!!!
i dont know what to do, and im very angry because i paid over $250 for good ram, and my old crappy corsair valueram could go to 220mhz stable, so i see no reason why my ram isnt working.
the only thing i can think of is that there are two settings in cpu-z that i dont know what they do. they are "Bank Cycle Time (Trc)" and "DRAM Idle Timer", and i have them set to 8 and 16 clocks respectively. if these settings could be to fault, let me know.

 

[Mondoman]

What model number RAM do you have? Also, you need to consider the possibility that your MB may be marginal for overclocking.
If you haven't yet, run memtest86+ with the RAM settings (including voltage) on "auto". If no errrors, you can start to adjust settings, but always verify w/memtest86+. The RAM should certainly run at DDR-400 at the timings/voltage in its spec.

 

[trixst4r]

www.bleedinedge.com

official OCZ support forum, bring your problem there. They are really nice people and will definitely get your problem fixed (they helped me out very quickly).

 

[emogoch]

Definitly go to OCZ's support forum. They are online there all day, with test machines sitting right beside them, so you can typically get responses in under 2 hours from them. Helped me out very quickly when I was trying out my RAM and my system wouldn't even POST.

 

[frank43]

Twolf,
Send ocz an email or post in their forum and they will help you with it.
I had the same probelms with my Ocz platinum Rev2 DDR 3200.
My problem was memory settings in the bios.

Now I am able to run the fsb of 270 with a 1 to 1 ratio on my Dfi lanparty board.
Mem voltage is 2.75

They were great help and very quick in the response.

 

[Crashman]

i dont know what to do, and im very angry because i paid over $250 for good ram, and my old crappy corsair valueram could go to 220mhz stable

Easy answer: You paide over $250 for crappy OCZ RAM when your good old Corsair RAM was better.

 

[frank43]

"Easy answer: You paide over $250 for crappy OCZ RAM when your good old Corsair RAM was better.[/quote]"

LOL I think that way about Corsair ram.
My old Corsair ram would not even hit 210 mhz when overclocked.
Where the Ocz platinum rev 2 ddr 3200 hits 270 mhz fsb and its rock solid at 2.75 volts with samsung tccd chips. (2 512 mb sticks in dual channel)
I only paid $120 for my ram a while back at newegg when they had a sale.

 

[Crashman]

OCZ makes great ram. I have built several computers using their DDR2-800. Only had a problem because my mobo didnt properly detect the correct voltage for the ram.

There's no excuse for that. DDR2 is supposed to be 1.80V. Many companies produce RAM with an approved overclock (using non-default voltage), but all of them use lower speed SPD values to assure the system will boot at 1.80V. I only have Corsair, Crucial, and Super Talent memory to compare, but all three companies produce better quality RAM in that boots at 1.80V properly and also reaches higher overclocked speeds.

 

[twolfe18]

i got it all hammered out and it runs great now. it turn out that i had two settings i had never heard of too low and this was causing the memory to be unstable (trc and something else).

anywho, i got them running prime95 stable at 230 mhz @ 2.5-3-3-5, but i have yet to try them any higher. i think they certainly could go higher (although they cant keep up with the rev 2's), but i have no need, i dont want to lower my multiplier just to run the ram faster.

 

[twolfe18]

i have an amd x2 4200+ s939 running on a asus a8n-sli premium. the ram itself is an OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Dual Channel Platinum 2 gig kit (SPDs are 2-3-2-5 @ 200mhz). they ARE NOT REV 2 chips (the famous ones that oc like crazy).

i cool my cpu with a scythe ninja heatsink and a silverstone fm-121 fan, but i am not into the hardcore oc-ing. i wanted to see what i could go up to for the future, i am happy with my performance right now. i think eventually i will run it at 230*11= 2.53 ghz, which i have done already completely stable. i wont do this though until i get a new video card because right now i have no need (ati x850 xt pci-e). maybe one of those nice new dx10 cards...

 

[Crashman]

Anything I'd like to add? How about a bunch in the teeth. You called ME wrong on something where I was so obviously right? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT STANDARDS ARE? Talk about stupid.

THE standard for DDR2 SDRAM DIMMs is 1.80V. There is no other standard, unless you want to discuss "proprietary standards" which by being proprietary kind of makes them non-standard.

The problem isn't with the ONE BRAND of RAM, it's with the DOZENS of motherboards you say? I have news for you: All DDR2 in this format is SUPPOSED to work at 1.80V. Sure, we accept 2.20V as a way to overclock RAM to get better speed or timings, because we want the performance. But most of us understand that we're overclocking and that 2.20V is a nonstandard voltage.

So you need your system to boot in order to change the voltage, or you need a motherboard that can detect the nonstandard voltage. Either one will work. nVidia "SLI Memory" aka Corsair "Enhanced Performance Profiles" happens to be such a technology, but it's NOT BUILT INTO THE DDR2 STANDARD. It's a proprietary extension of DDR2 standards. By opening it up to other companies, it may be included in future JDEC standards...

So OCZ fixed the SPD problem. That's great, but like I said it should have never been there in the first place. OCZ has a history of releasing memory "too tight" in its SPD values to boot on some boards, that's a history of failure that they should have learned to avoid a long time ago.

But like I said, I only have Corsair, Crucial, and Super Talent to compare to OCZ, and perhaps those three companies have quality standards "too high" and we should instead accept OCZ's?

 

[frank43]

"anywho, i got them running prime95 stable at 230 mhz @ 2.5-3-3-5, but i have yet to try them any higher. i think they certainly could go higher (although they cant keep up with the rev 2's), but i have no need, i dont want to lower my multiplier just to run the ram faster"

Twolfe18,

Most of the time,
If you have your ram settings correct (with good quality ram) and the core ver of the cpu is a known overclocker you do not have to lower multiplier to get real good overclocks.
Like with the Athlon 64's cpu has to with the memory controller on the cpu that makes the difference for overclocking.
It just takes time with the voltage settings and tweaking the timings of the ram at a given fsb speed.

Even at 230 mhz fsb I would put a small fan over your ram to help with the cooling.
It does make a difference.

Glad you got it fixed.
You get help from Ocz ?

 

[Crashman]

Usually if you don't know what a setting does, its best to leave it at "auto". Did that work?

 

[twolfe18]

i did not go through OCZ, but i am sure they have great service based on what i have heard from you guys.

what actually happened was i ended up setting everything to auto (which i hate to do), and then see what it says in cpu-z. usually, when you set something to auto in bios, when you change it to manual, it stays on the auto settings by default until you change them. in my case this did not happen. my mobo was setting the bank cycle time (trc) to 8 cycles instead of 11 on auto. as soon as i manually changed that to 11 i was able to really ramp up the speed.

works great now

 

[Mondoman]

OCZ makes great ram. I have built several computers using their DDR2-800. Only had a problem because my mobo didnt properly detect the correct voltage for the ram.

There's no excuse for that. DDR2 is supposed to be 1.80V. Many companies produce RAM with an approved overclock (using non-default voltage), but all of them use lower speed SPD values to assure the system will boot at 1.80V. I only have Corsair, Crucial, and Super Talent memory to compare, but all three companies produce better quality RAM in that boots at 1.80V properly and also reaches higher overclocked speeds.

Ummm...wrong! :roll:
Since he was actually right, this assertion doesn't do wonders for your rep.

Maybe all DDR2-667 should be 1.8 or DDR2-800 cas 5 but cas 4 and lower DDR2-800 are mostly 2.0-2.2v.

You're referring to the manufacturer-sanctioned overclocks (see Crashman's post that you quoted); all DDR2 RAM must run at 1.8V by definition (otherwise it's not DDR2).

...In fact Geils DDR2-800 is 2.2v. Crucials DDR2-667 is 2.2v. Corsair XMS DDR2-667 is 1.9v. Corsair XMS DDR2-800 is 2.1v and its cas5. My OCZ DDR2-800 is 2.1v.

Again, since you're referring to manufacturer-sanctioned overclocks, you're just repeating what Crashman said.

So you can see you have no idea what your talking about.

Some more hints on how to improve the impression you leave with others:
1) Work on your grammar. (for example it's "you're", not "your")
2) Don't claim someone has no idea what they're talking about when (a) they are in fact right and (b) you supported their view just a few sentences earlier.

Thats 2 posts in the same thread that neither helped the poster, or made any sense meanwhile making you look even stupider. Anything else you would like to add??

Last hint: when you call someone stupid in a post where you've already shown that (a) you're wrong, (b) your grammar needs work, and (c) your attitude does, too, then don't be surprised if people see your photo when they look up "bozo" in the dictionary...

PS - This may help you with the facts: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1249881#1249881

 

[Crashman]

PS - This may help you with the facts: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1249881#1249881

That, dear sir, is a quality link. Hats off to you!

 

[Crashman]

It's obvious that you have no understanding of real reality and only rely on marketing's substitution for reality. The "standard for standard parts" is the proper standard for making a system bootable. OCZ doesn't even program its own modules to boot at full rated "2.2V" speed, it programs them to boot at a lower speed, just like everyone else does, to make the system bootable. Yet OCZ's LOWER settings are the ones that failed to work. Those are the "standard standard" settings.

If other companies "standard" settings worked and OCZ's didn't, I guess we just need to hold OCZ to a lower "standard" and praise them anyway.

Do you work for OCZ or are you just an ordinary fanboy?

 

[twolfe18]

wow, nice flamewar!
im gonna make some popcorn

 

[reader850]

Crashman has earned an excellent reputation on this forum by contributing over 40,000 QUALITY posts over many years. I have been an avid reader for a fair number of years, and have great respect for his expertise and willingness to offer help and advice in a sincere and courteous manner. You and Crash could have had an interesting and professional discussion of the meaning of “standards”, but you quickly turned to personal insults. You are new, and you're off to a bad start; your last post (Msg. 23) was offensive to the honorable members of this forum of all ages; it was undeserved and just plain foolish. Please keep your comments constructive, and help build up this community, not tear it down.

 

[frank43]

The point is when it comes to memory is use what ram for your system that gives you the most and is compatable with your system.
Who cares who makes it, just as long as it works in your system the way you want it too.

Every manufacturer has its good points and bad points, there is no one company that is "king of the ram segment".
Your pointing to Corsair as being king of the ram world and that is just not so.

Owning a pc shop here in Fl, we use all kinds of ram, Corsair, Ocz, G skill,
Patriot, etc.
We have the most failure rate and incompatibility with Corsair as compared to other brands.
This is why we pulled away from using Corsair and went with other brands. Saved us a lot of money big time not having to deal with the returns and the free labor replacing the faulty ram.
One of the best brands of ram we use all the time is Patriot and G skill and OCZ.

 

[Crashman]

Sorry, I mentioned three brands though, Corsair, Crucial, and Super Talent. Three brands that consistantly boot in every board I throw them in. I too have a lot of OCZ RAM

 

[Mondoman]

... we use all kinds of ram, Corsair, Ocz, G skill,
Patriot, etc.
We have the most failure rate and incompatibility with Corsair as compared to other brands....

Interesting! Does that hold true if you exclude Corsair's ValueSelect? My experience has been that ValueSelect is terrible, while the "main" Corsair stuff is excellent.

 

[frank43]

When it comes to memory whichever brand we use we do not use the Value lines of the products.

We learned a few years ago that is best to stick with the main product when it comes to ram. Just get better results and the customer is really happy.

We do get value ram time to time if the customer requests it.

The only reason we started using Ocz was, I just want to see if the ram overclocked as good as the reviews said it did. So About a year ago I ordered some from Newegg and liked what I saw.
Been using Ocz at our shop ever since. We do have lots of people who build their own pc's and request that ram. We tend to use more G-skill than anything and they have failure rates too but not as high as others and they are real quick about taking the ram back and replacing it.