P5N-E SLI with bad memory slot... RMA or keep?

gentrinity

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Hello everybody!!

I have been troubleshooting my PC over the last couple of days, you can see what Ive been up to here;

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1682407#1682407

To sum it up, I have my system up and running. The only problem with the board seems to be that the second yellow slot doesnt work. XP wont boot. But as long as my DIMMS are in the black slots, I wont have a problem. Basically, my board is racist agaisnt yellow slots. :D

I have just ran Prime95 for 4 hours without a hitch. I plan on running Memtest86+ when i go to bed and leave it running, which should prove that I have no errors. Then i plan on doing a burn in with 3Dmark06 in loop mode while I sleep as well.

If all that goes without a single problem, do you guys still think that I should still RMA the board.

Reason I dont want to is because it would cost me an extra $100, plus another 2 weeks without my long awaited system.

What would you guys do?
 

pmr

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yellows are unstable, but try to push a little further (just before breaking). The 1st time I tried to run in yellows, my pc wouldn't boot, just beeps :D Try several time and if it doesn't boot, I'd rma it. Because sooner or later you'll install vista and using that slot may be needed.
 

gentrinity

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I have Corsair DDR2-800 CL4.

I have manually set the voltage and timings to 4-4-4-12 2T 2.1V

I do not plan on upgrading to Vista soon, nore do I plan on upgrading to 4GB soon, and even if I did, I would get 2 DIMMs of 2GB sticks, not 4 x 1GB, for stability issues while OCing. I would then sell my 2GBs to a friend.

My main concern is not that, but whether this will bring me future stability problems. I just think im being overly paranoid, but wanted to know what yall tought.

Again, forget about 4GBs cause it aint happening and it aint happening with 4 DIMMS.

Thank you very much for the suggestions, if you can think of any stability issues I might be facing in the future, please let me know. Take Care!!
 

gentrinity

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Thanks for the advice. I have tried dealing with yellow, but Windows has problems booting up, and Ive gotten Blue screens and everything, I know that if I relax the timings and stuff, it might work, but for now, black is it.
 

croc

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Having followed your travails with some interest (and a bit of amusement) I think that if I were you I'd return that MB under some sort of 'lemon law' get my refund and buy a DFI... Or an EVGA... Or a Gigabyte... anything but that frickin' Asus, given all the headaches it's caused!

Just my 2p.
 

gentrinity

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I thought about that and I would choose the MSI P6N Platinum.

The problem here is that I have to spend an extra $100 so I can ship everything out. That would suck and I would only wish to do that if I were to have future stability problems.
 

croc

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As opposed to the past stability problems? Three threads, several days, do you have any hair left? Get any other MB, and a 25 cent shotgun shell to take care of this one... I'll loan you the 25 cents.
 

gentrinity

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I see where you are going with this, but the stability problems have all come from having one DIMM in the wrong slot.

I just ran Prime95 for 4 hours and 3DMark06 without a single hitch. I will run Memtest86+ when I go to bed and after I wake up, I plan on running 3DMark06 in loop mode to burn in the PC. If anything happens, Ill definately know my PC isnt stable. But so far so good. It was just that damn yellow DIMM Slot.

Thanks for your concern. I will definately RMA if anything else happens from here until tomorow night.
 

croc

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I suppose that if its finally stable, you're happy with it and you ever need more RAM you can get 2x2gb memory... Because you didn't lose just a slot, effectively you lost a pair of slots.

Good luck, I'll admit that you have much more patience than I.
 

gentrinity

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Actually, you have a heck of a lot more patience than me apparently. The other side im not saying is that I really really really do not want to wait another 2 weeks to have my computer here. :D
 

gentrinity

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Yes I did. The BIOS update actually brought me problems because it changed the Command Rate to 1T, had to manually change it to 2T.

The latest BIOS is the 0604. Its a beta though. Latest full release is the 0602.

I think orgasmic is the word. Honestly, this thing is beautifull. Color accuracy so far looks very good, easy on the eyes. The 1:1 pixel mapping does this strange thing where it has black borders on all sides at 1920x1080 resolution, when it should have just the two at the top or bottom, but just selecting aspect mode takes care of that. I wish the PiP could allow for VGA connection though, that wouldve been super.

You shouldve seen my face when I first saw it, I never thought it was going to be this big. The picture quality is just amazing.

Best part about it, it only cost me $550 because I was able to trade in my old monitor professional 19" for $250.

Ive seen the Dell in action, and I definately recommend this one over the Dell. Cant wait to test out the 360.

Edit: What the hell, youre post dissapeared?
 

gentrinity

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Update: I ran Memtest86+ all night for 17 passes and not a single error.

MOBO seems to be stable enough. But if I can, I have an idea.

Ill order a new MOBO and as soon as I receive it, ill RMA it. That way, Im not left without a system for 3-4 weeks. Nice!!
 

croc

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If the pocket won't hurt too much, that sounds like a plan... You CAN'T have this many problems two in a row.... Perhaps you can find a convenient place to sell the second one after you get a good stable system.

I'm one of the ones that bought the Dell 2405, BTW. I know it won't keep up with the specs of the Benq, but it does not disappoint to the extent that I feel like replacing it. Perhaps Crysis will change my mind, but so far it does everything I need just fine. I use Photoshop Professional, and the Dell can be color corrected to a high degree. I use PMS cards to measure against, to this point I'm still satisfied.

Were the panel to die tomorrow, I'd surely be looking at the Benq.

Again, Good Luck...

Croc
 

gentrinity

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@StevenT

Im leaning on the MSI P6N Platinum. I am looking specifically for the 650i chipset cause its the cheapest SLI around with good OCing capabilities. The reviews on the net are very good and unlike the Asus board I have, it hasnt been giving people too much trouble. Im going to pay more attention to the Newegg reviews from now on. Asus in my mind has made a bad board, and they are tainted until they can prove me other wise.

I bought from mwave.com. Their service is excellent and they offer technical support which is awesome. I have to talk to the guy but Im going to RMA my two HDs and my board. The idea is that Im going to order the two HDs and the board upfront, then ask for the RMA and Ill get a refund.

@Croc

If the Mwave thing goes down smoothly, I wont have any problems at all.

The Dell is a nice monitor, most def. As long as you do the appropriate color corrections and you dont get the banding issues Ive heard about, youre good to go.