No POST with new memory - 2x1GB and 2X512MB upgrade

[tb28w3]

Hey guys - I need help. (DUH) : )

I have an ECS Nforce4M-A AM2 Motherboard.

I had OCZ 2X512 Platinum DDR2 PC6400 RAM in first and second slot. They run Dual Channel.

I purchased 2X1GB Wintec AmpX Extreme DDR2 PC6400 RAM and inserted them in third and fourth slot.

When I turn on my comp there is no signal from the video card to my monitor. The fans spool up and there is activity from my HD, but no POST or anything . I tried to leave it and see if Windows Vista loads, but nothing after 3 minutes.

The new Wintec AmpX memory works fine without the OCZ and the OCZ works fine without the AmpX memory.

Can I not run these with each other?

 

[prong]

It should work. Try each DIMM individually in Slot 1 and verify each of the four DIMMs are indeed good and power up the machine. I would say the possibility of a bad MB would then come in to play. Check the forums or email support at OCZ and see if anyone else has a problem combining those particular DIMMS.

 

[tb28w3]

Each DIMM is okay. Each set runs in dual channel and will work independently of each other. I don't understand this. ECS' manual stated that it supports up to 32GB RAM and says nothing of the different sizes being problems. I've emailed them about this and am awaiting their response

 

[prong]

Go into BIOS and raise you voltage to the RAM to the higher of the two mfg. specifications or slightly higher.

 

[geofelt]

Motherboards may require memory to be of the same characteristics. I suspect that there is a difference(voltage?) that is causing you a problem. Can you manually set the voltage in the bios to the maximum of the two?

 

[tb28w3]

I cannot change the voltage on the memory. The BIOS will not allow changes to the vcore, etc.

 

[prong]

I cannot change the voltage on the memory. The BIOS will not allow changes to the vcore, etc.

It looks like you MB does not have the voltage regulators necessary to run the four DIMMS you have? Mixing and matching RAM can work fine or cause problems, or not work at all as in your case. It's a grab bag proposition.

 

[tb28w3]

my manual is kind of vague about the diff dimms. it supports 4 dimms up to 32 gb total with a max of 8 gb per dimm

nforce4 is the chipset and i'm not sure of the bios off hand

 

[prong]

Yeah, I was going to say maybe update to the latest BIOS. Also, you might try running the latest NF4 chipset. Nvidia.com has it. Platform drivers>Nforce 4 AMD (I beilive):

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

 

[tb28w3]

the bios is Phoenix version 6.00 pg - release date 8/8/2006 where do i look for a new bios?

 

[tb28w3]

everest show memory voltage @ 1.8v on the AmpX

I believe that the OCZ was rated @ 2.1 v

Would this make a difference?

 

[prong]

The BIOS releases would be on the ECS website on the download page for your MB. August 2006 is relatively new. Is your MB a micro? Sorry I'm not familiar with ECS at all. Your BIOS should support voltage regulation to your RAM. Check your manual under BIOS carefully. Supporting that much RAM should allow for voltage adjustments.

 

[prong]

When I go to the ecs website and put in your board, ECS nForce4M-A, I get nothing. No product.

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Index.aspx?MenuID=0&LanID=9

 

[prong]

everest show memory voltage @ 1.8v on the AmpX

I believe that the OCZ was rated @ 2.1 v

Would this make a difference?

Yes, it can definately make a difference. 1.8 volt is a default your MB is set at very likely. You definately need to bump up the voltage to 2.1 like your RAM specifies.

 

[Mondoman]

In theory it all should work together. However, the 2nd set of RAM you bought is lower quality, and the MB is low quality, which greatly increases the chances of incompatibilities like this. The problem could very well be that your MB just isn't happy with 4 DIMMs installed. You might try using some DIMMs with good compatibility reps, like Kingston, to go with the OCZ and see if that works.

 

[jitpublisher]

Also check the timings, if one set runs at different timings than the other, the board may trying to set the timing too fast for one of the sets to run at. Running memory in all 4 slots can be tricky if they all do not match EXACTLY. Even different brands, although spec'd exactly the same can be troublesome.

 

[Mondoman]

The issue here is that desktop boards used "unbuffered" RAM, which means the total signal strength is shared among the installed RAM modules. With double the number of modules installed, the signals to each module are roughly halved; some DIMMs are more sensitive to this and won't work properly.