Help with Asus P5N-E SLI, E6300, Corsair 2x512MB XMS2 PC6400

[paraffin]

Hello

I have a few questions relating the the above setup.

Has anyone got a similar setup because I cannot seem to get this system stable.

I would like to know someones stable settings to see if mine might become stable after using them.

How do I find the Voltage my Ram should be running at my Mobo is set to Auto?

I dropped the CAS timing manually as they were set to 5-5-5-12 and they are rated at 4-4-4-12 so I changed them.

Help Please

 

[lmimmfn]

i have/had a similar setup, but i rma'd the mobo because it kept switching off on me and im waiting for a replacement. Anyways i was using 2Gig Twin XMS2m and its recommended voltage was 2.1volts( whereas it sets all to 1.8 by default ), the voltage settings are in the bios, from memory( 2 weeks ago and only used if 5-6 times ) its the rightmost menu in the bios.

If its unstable check your temps also, from experience( and maybe it was because my one was faulty ) that board runs a little hot, my GFX card ran 12degrees hotter, i.e. 90 degrees celcius on that asus board compared to 78max on my old asrock 939 board

 

[paraffin]

I tried running the memory at 2.1 but on this board the voltages are not whole numbers. The nearest option are 2.08 and 2.17 I think and on both of these the system was very unstable at 2.08 programs failed to start and at 2.17 XP booted but while loading startup programs it just re-booted.

I would love someone to take pics of their whole BIOS set-up so I can have a look.

Where do I find the voltages for my RAM? Corsairs website is not that informative.

What are you using to get your temps? If you give me the program and tell me which temps you want I can post them.

However it never seems to run hotter than 54 degrees on the CPU and the Mobo runs at a max of 40.

 

[Marco_polo]

mmmm I heard that mobo doesnt like CORSAIR ....
some Newegg review...

Pros: Its a pretty looking board, SLI is cool, nice upgrade.

Cons: Its doesnt recognize Corsair XMS2 Twin2x1024A-6400 even though corsair says it should. RMA'd the memory back and I should be getting new stuff in a day or so.

Buyer Beware!!!


Pros: Integrated RAID, SATA, and great upgrade potential. RAID works great - none of the SATA issues of the 680i boards

Cons: Memory Timing and Voltage Issues. ****If you have problems getting the OS to load try switcing the RAM to black slots (check the Asus Forums for more info).**** I have two boards - the first would not even load the OS until I switched to the back slots and used higher memory timing. The second board had bad sound/network and had to Be RMA'd (Nice turn around for new Egg on this). In checking the forums I see that people seem to have better luck with Balistix - nstead of the Corsair 2X2048-6400 that I use.

Worked good.


Pros: I was prepared to deal with major RAM issues after reading the reviews for this thing. However, it sensed all my RAM (CORSAIR XMS2 2GB) perfectly. Sensed everything i threw at it, in fact. I haven't even updated the BIOS yet Great documentation (it was my first build)

Cons: Runs slightly hot. Maybe I'm stupid, but I also didn't notice any 1934 slots for an additional firewire (theres already one on the back, but I was hoping for an extra)

You can still reading if u want :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142&SortField=3&SummaryType=ALL&Pagesize=10&Page=2

 

[lmimmfn]

I tried running the memory at 2.1 but on this board the voltages are not whole numbers. The nearest option are 2.08 and 2.17 I think and on both of these the system was very unstable at 2.08 programs failed to start and at 2.17 XP booted but while loading startup programs it just re-booted.

Thats always the case with voltages, what you set the value to is the value it will try and maintain, but it will fluctuate

I would love someone to take pics of their whole BIOS set-up so I can have a look.

Wish i could but i have no board

Where do I find the voltages for my RAM? Corsairs website is not that informative.
The voltages should be on the site, but post here if you cant find them( official corasir support ) - http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=130

What are you using to get your temps? If you give me the program and tell me which temps you want I can post them.

Use the AI software that Asus supply with the board, run a cpu intensive job( using e.g. systool ), and atitool 3d test( works with nvidia cards also ). Have the CPU test and the spinny cube test running in ati tool, if you've got temp issues it should all lock up in 15 minutes or so, but post your temps at idel then on full load for 15 minutes

However it never seems to run hotter than 54 degrees on the CPU and the Mobo runs at a max of 40.[/quote]

 

[lmimmfn]

mmmm I heard that mobo doesnt like CORSAIR ....
some Newegg review...

Pros: Its a pretty looking board, SLI is cool, nice upgrade.

Cons: Its doesnt recognize Corsair XMS2 Twin2x1024A-6400 even though corsair says it should. RMA'd the memory back and I should be getting new stuff in a day or so.

Buyer Beware!!!


Pros: Integrated RAID, SATA, and great upgrade potential. RAID works great - none of the SATA issues of the 680i boards

Cons: Memory Timing and Voltage Issues. ****If you have problems getting the OS to load try switcing the RAM to black slots (check the Asus Forums for more info).**** I have two boards - the first would not even load the OS until I switched to the back slots and used higher memory timing. The second board had bad sound/network and had to Be RMA'd (Nice turn around for new Egg on this). In checking the forums I see that people seem to have better luck with Balistix - nstead of the Corsair 2X2048-6400 that I use.

Worked good.


Pros: I was prepared to deal with major RAM issues after reading the reviews for this thing. However, it sensed all my RAM (CORSAIR XMS2 2GB) perfectly. Sensed everything i threw at it, in fact. I haven't even updated the BIOS yet Great documentation (it was my first build)

Cons: Runs slightly hot. Maybe I'm stupid, but I also didn't notice any 1934 slots for an additional firewire (theres already one on the back, but I was hoping for an extra)

You can still reading if u want :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142&SortField=3&SummaryType=ALL&Pagesize=10&Page=2

As far as i know this was fixed in the 1.6 BIOS update( cant remember the exact number but it had 6 in it )
As i had the same memory and it was fine( apart from switching off after half an hour, lol, but i would be very very doubtful if that was mem related )
Also it runs the TWIN XMS2 at the wrong voltage, wrong timings and @T1 by default, it should be T2, lots of people had issues with the T1/T2. The OP should make sure that the ram is set to T2 also

 

[paraffin]

I will try changing the timings I know my board is specifying T1 so I will set it to T2.

Hopefully this will help things but I do not hold out to much hope.

I will post temps after a change this setting

 

[lmimmfn]

I will try changing the timings I know my board is specifying T1 so I will set it to T2.

Hopefully this will help things but I do not hold out to much hope.

I will post temps after a change this setting

A few other things you should try for stability also( if its not temp related ) is use 1 stick and use it on different memory slots, if that doesnt work try the other stick on different slots. IF it seemed more stable before you started tinkering then you can reset the cmos, Asus actually told me to remove the battery after i changed the jumper

 

[paraffin]

Well I change the setting to T2 and Prime95 has run for 40mins no errors so much improved. However when I stopped Prime95 on the first core the system re-booted but still it is an improvement.

I have not changed the voltage but it looks like 2.1 is the recommendation. I wil let these settings bed in and test over night before changing anything else.

I think from now on slow and steady is the way forward. I want to OC again but stabilty is now my priority and if these are stable settings then I will save them so I can always go back.

Thanks for the help and in a good way hope this thread is finished but I doubt it.

 

[lmimmfn]

best of luck with it, but is it stable without any OC? get it stable first so you have a starting point then OC incrementally, it takes ages but at least you can save proiles in the BIOS for the 100% stable and best stable OC, theres nothing worse that an unstable PC, then again maybe no PC, lol

 

[Marco_polo]

I have same board but im using (512 x 2 OCZ-p6400-4-5-4-15) but i boot fine at firts try ... but i didnt run ( memtest or some bench ) yet... i will when i get some 3rd party cooler ...

6300
same board
OCZ 800 4-5-4-15
Aspire 520w
7600GT xfx

Just for play Counter-strike at 640x480 at 100fps

I hope u get what u spec ...

 

[aoe]

If you would like more ideas on solving this problem, then I have a some suggestions.

Firstly, I have had some problems previously on other Asus motherboards when the 'USB Legacy Support' has been enabled. I don't know if this problem is still prevalent with DDR2 memory, but it may be something worth trying (disable this function in BIOS - it's the first thing I do each time I install an Asus motherboard ).

Next, to test memory stability, you really should be using a program like Memtest 86+ and not Prime95 (Prime95 does not stress test the memory). The site provides details on how to create a bootable CD for testing purposes.

Could you also check the SPD timings for those modules with CPU-Z. You should have multiple SPD timings available depending on memory frequency.

I agree that the Corsair website is poor when looking for technical specifications, but their forums have some useful info. Check their FAQ section. There's some info on XMS qualitication and testing that may be useful.

Also, as previously suggested, check for BIOS updates for your motherboard. The Asus website is also poor (and very slow), but by searching forums such at this, you may come across related topics that can suggest a good BIOS to use.

It's not clear from your original post what FSB your running at presently. You mention that you want to OC again, but I'm not sure if your system is currently OCd or not. Your current FSB and memory frequency (or ratio) would be useful.

You could also try the Corsair forums previously mentioned. They seem to have a good support setup there, and the forum administrator should have bags of experience with similar setups to yours.

Hope this helps.

 

[lmimmfn]

i forgot to mention this, also boot the PC and leave it in the bios( best on the temp monitoring menu ), just leave it there( discounts all software issues and theres no load on it ). See how long it lasts, if it lasts forever then its temps/memory problem, if it doesnt last long then i would be 99% sure your ram is faulty in which case as was suggested run memtest( i find it a pain to setup on a USB stick as i dont have a floppy so best try the easier things first if you can )

 

[paraffin]

I ran Prime95 overnight, 9 hours to be exact and it ran with no errors and temps hovering around 45 degrees.

Can I assume from this that my current settings are stable?

In answer to AOE's suggestions

USB Legacy Support is already disabled (Saw that in another thread)
Memtest has always been succesful even after running for a few hours

What are SPD timings?

Voltages are set to Auto still and if its stable at Stock then thats where they should stay. Is that Right?

All BIOS updates and latest drivers for everything are applied.

My FSB and Memory Frequency are at stock at the moment. I reverted back because the machine was even more unstable OC'ed.

 

[lmimmfn]

I wiould say you're stable now, last test would be( if you want to be 100% sure ) run the 3d view in ATITool, CPU test in SysInfo and play some music( preferably a DVD ) and and harddrive use you can think of, reason is to make sure with everythign running together it doesnt get too hot

 

[aoe]

What are SPD timings?

These are the default timings stored on the memory modules. There can be mulitple values for different frequencies.

If you run CPU-Z, there will be an SPD tab and a Memory tab. The memory tab details the actual settings at which the memory is currently running, and the SPD shows the default values stored on each module for each supported frequency.

I would say that your system at stock is stable based on your testing. If you wish to try and OC, then give it a go. There is a good guide on this forum here. If you begin experiencing stability issues early on, then relax the memory timings. You will get much more performance from an increased FSB compared to using aggressive memory timings (which will most likely not be noticeable in day-to-day tasks, only with a synthetic memory benchmark).

Hope this helps.