800mhz FSB and ddr333 compatible?

[dimsum4u]

Im quite a noob when it comes to system memory.

I've been attempting to upgrade my pc on a budget, however i realize that my board cannot support more than 1gb ddr400 memory in dual channel mode. So i switched to ddr333 which can handle 4gb max. I've tried multiple brands of memory and so far they have caused intermittent system failures and program failures. The 1gb kit of ddr400 works like a charm.

I tried 2gb of ddr400 as the manual said was allowed, and it caused problems.
(G. Skill 2gb kit of 2 (1024mb x2)
Then i tried 2gb ddr333 and those caused similar problems.
PQI 2gb kit of 2 (1024mb x2)

I've checked on Kingston and ddr333 2gb kit of 2 checks out as verified working memory for my motherboard. I've purchased them in hopes they will really work for my system. I will be receiving them soon.

My question is, if anyone can help, could the crashes be attributed to the 800mhz FSB and the ddr333 memory? Or is it just bad sticks i bought? Either way i have read that ddr400 works best with an 800mhz FSB. But will ddr333 work?

Kingston told me that if the ddr333 is incompatible, then the system would probably just boot to a black screen. However the ddr333's i've purchased have worked but ultimately causes system problems. Kingston is my final hope.

The problems are typically 0xc0000005.

They never show up when my 1gb ddr400 is installed, but i want more memory.

My current system:
Motherboard: ASUS p4r800v-deluxe
CPU: Intel 3.2ghz Prescott 800mhz FSB
Memory: Kingston pc3200 ddr400 1gb k2 kit. (2x512mb)
AGP8x: ATi x1950 Pro 512mb 256bit

This is a socket 478 motherboard with the ancienct agp slot. It still handles great.

Any information any1 can provide would be most helpful. Thanks

 

[Scougs]

I'm not too familiar with the ATI chipset that is on your board.
What makes you think that the motherboard won't support more than 1GB of DDR400 RAM while running dual channel? It seems odd that the board would support up to 4GB of RAM but not at DDR400.

I would find it hard to believe that all the memory you have tried thus far is defective. It is possible that for some odd reason it is just not compatible with your board. Since you have a more obscure chipset that could be the problem. I was lucky with my socket 478 system in that it uses an Intel 865PE chipset and the particular board has had a reputation for being highly compatible.

I would stay away from DDR333 if at all possible because you would take a pretty severe performance drop.
The best way of getting more that 1GB or RAM would seem to be getting another 2x512 of DDR400.

 

[pshrk]

Hmmm... well just a few things i could think of off hand that may help you.

1) always use memtest86 and maybe orthos to confirm system stability before something important gets messed up! Some people run these for 24 hours or more straight just to be sure.

2) have you updated the bios to the latest?

3) manually set timings, memory voltages, and ratios in bios.

4) loosen the timings and/or slightly raise the voltages to see if that makes a difference (not ideal, but it might help you narrow down the problem).

5) just out of curiosity if none of the above helps, does 1G of ddr333 work?

Hope something here helps. I doubt the crashes are the direct result of an 800MHz FSB and ddr333 memory. yes ddr333 should work (as far as i know).

Edit: I agree with the above poster, it does seem odd to me that it would not support more than 1G at ddr400. I would think that for most applications you would get better perfromance from 1G ddr400 than 2G ddr333 so this might not be such an "upgrade" after all.

 

[dimsum4u]

Right, my motherboard has an ATi 9100 IGP chipset. As far as drivers for it, the motherboard cd has an ATi all in one driver. Originally it would install the complete catalyst software with it, but since i have an installed AGP card, it only has Gart drivers. I havent installed those yet, because i dont think i need to. Or am i wrong?

I've been purchasing my memory from newegg and i've been RMA'ing every last one of them. I know of the performance drop that i could encounter from downgrading to ddr333, however when the 2gb sticks of ddr333 did work, i could run multiple programs with a serious improvement in loading speed. Of course if the 2gb ddr400 worked, it would be much faster, but so far, even Kingston says not to use that much.

I've definitely tested 2gb of ddr400 in dual channel for this motherboard and ive encountered system instabilities. almost always its an 0xc0000005 blue screen of death. As well as application crashes with that code. With my 1gb in dual channel, it never happens. I verified with kingston that the ddr400 memory im currently using is verified to work 100% with my board.
This means that ASUS is probably overstating the memory capacity. The manual says the board can handle up to 2gb of pc3200 with 1 memory stick installed per channel. *DO NOT INSTALL TWO PC3200 MODULES IN ONE CHANNEL* (so says the manual). Interestingly, i have installed my ddr400 memory in the same channels for testing purposes and they worked just fine. Kingston makes a note however :
*This system only supports one single-sided DDR400 module per channel. If double-sided DDR400 modules are used and the channel limitation is exceeded, the memory will only run at 333.

ASUS qualified vendor list doesnt have any 1gb modules on their list for ddr400. They dont have a QVL list for ddr333. THe manual and their technical support have verified this. So once again, im hoping that Kingstons ddr333 verified ram will work like a charm.

I'll definitely run memtest86

BIOS was last released in 2004. I have the latest, 1.09

As far as timings, im not too smart with that. I've looked at them over and over and they are still factory. But when i get the 2gb kit i'll give it a try.

OH YEAH, 1gb of ddr333 works like a charm. I've taken out one of the 2gb and it worked perfectly. No crashes. But to make a strange point, my main test was World of Warcraft. After a clean reinstall of windows and the game, 10 seconds of in game loading, with 2gb of ddr333 or ddr400, would result in system failure. I've narrowed it down specifically to that game as a test for my hardware. So i took out 1 of the sticks of ddr333 and it worked flawlessly. I switched in the other 1gb to see if it was bad, no, it worked perfect. I put them both back in, and bam, original problem returns. This happened just yesterday with my 2gb of ddr333 and in the past with my 2gb of ddr400. Battlefield 2 would not load properly, or would auto restart with the 2gb of ddr400. It worked fine with the 2gb ddr333, but other software would malfunction with it.

My BF2 used to use my harddrive for virtual memory and it slowed my pc down for a bit after exiting the game. Having 2 gb of memory solves the problem. After exiting any game, with 2gb, everything runs nice and smooth. With 1gb, its just hard drive noise for about a 2 minutes before it runs smooth. So if 2gb of kingston ddr333 helps in my sitaution, its a downgrade i have to consider an upgrade.

Id rather not spend 3000 on a kickass pc yet.

 

[Mondoman]

Your description of the limits of your MB indicates that the MB design is marginal. As mentioned above, it's hard to believe that all those RAM modules have been defective; that said, using *all* higher-quality DIMMs might work. For example, in an audio system with a marginal amp, adding surround speakers might overtax the amp and result in the system not working. Adding very-low-power speakers instead might bring the power drain back within the amp's limits and result in the system working.
However, given the expense of high-quality DIMMs and the fact that they would not be usable on future systems (because of the switch to DDR2), I think you're stuck with hoping the Kingston RAM works. Good luck!

 

[dimsum4u]

I understand what your saying. I dont intend to use high quality dimms, i fully intend to build a new pc in 1-2 years. If the kingston memory doesnt work, im doing a final RMA and thats that. Its sad to believe i went for these upgrades to make my computer run better just for a 30 inch monitor i just bought.

I'll post a review of the memory i receive. *fingers crossed*

Thanks you guys for all your input.

 

[Mondoman]

Unfortunately, this shows that while the non-Intel chipsets may have more/newer features, sometimes their basics (supporting multiple DIMMs) aren't as good.

 

[dimsum4u]

For sure Mondoman. I was considering purchasing an ASUS p4p800-e deluxe motherboard with intel 865pe chipset. I know several friends that use that motherboard and its very stable with all kinds of stuff.

 

[dimsum4u]

I received the 2gb kit of 2 Kingston ddr333 memory. Ive installed them and run the pc for a little bit, and all the previous problems ive had have disappeared. World of Warcraft loads properly and runs just fine. My Battlefield 2 works just fine as well. So far its problem free. Im keeping my fingers crossed.