first time post. need help.

[LudaCHRI5]

hi everyone, this is my first post, and my first problem im memory. i recently upgraded my rig, and i bought with some corsair ddr2 10066 ram

my mobo's memory standard is 1066.

i installed everything, and so far most things are working well. however, when i checked the spped on the memory, it said its only running at 400MHz.

im truly new to the world of RAM and its problems. any help is much appreciated.
thanks in advance.

 

[miamirain]

What are the rest of your setup?

 

[rwpritchett]

More specs please (Motherboard, etc.)

Just to take a shot at the problem, most high speed RAM default to lower settings to ensure the system will boot properly the first time. You will need to go into the BIOS for your motherboard and manually set the frequency, voltage, and timings for your particular model of RAM to get it to run at full speed.

By default, you are probably running at 1.8V, DDR2-800 speed, and 5-5-5-15 timings. Without knowing your exact model of RAM I can't tell you what it should be set at.

 

[LudaCHRI5]

ah sorry for not providing enough info bout my setup.

mobo: ASUS M3A32-MVP deluxe wi-fi
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131224

RAM: Corsair Dominator
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145043

and a AMD Phenom 9600 BE

thanks again

 

[LudaCHRI5]

ah sorry for not providing enough info about my setup.

mobo: ASUS M3A32-MVP deluxe wi-fi
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131224

RAM: Corsair Dominator
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145043

and a AMD Phenom 9600 BE

thanks again

 

[rwpritchett]

Did you go into the BIOS and under the Advanced settings manually set up the RAM for DDR2-1066 (533MHz), 2.1V, and 5-5-5-15 timings?

From what I read on Asus' website, only AM2+ CPU's can run DDR2-1066 on this board, so you should be able to do it since your running with a Phenom.

Here's a thread on the Asus forum from someone having the same problem:

[Problem]M3A32-MVP Deluxe Wi-Fi - RAM will not run at PC8500

Maybe keep an eye on that thread in case manually configuring the RAM in the BIOS doesn't work.

 

[LudaCHRI5]

i cant seem to find the setting on the BIOS menu, however AMD overdrive says that my voltage IS running at 1.8

should i increase the voltage to 2.1?

and ill take a look at the link you gave.

thanks again, ill update you in a little.

 

[rwpritchett]

1.8V is the default voltage for DDR2 RAM. You'll want 2.1V in order to run at DDR2-1066 speed.

I don't know how your exact BIOS is setup, but I can give some general guidance. In the BIOS there should be a tab that says "ADVANCED".

Under that tab, if there's anything that refers to "AI AUTO" or "AUTO OVERCLOCKING", you'll want to change it so it says "MANUAL". DDR voltage settings might appear after you set things to manual.

Also in BIOS, look for something that says "MEMORY FREQUENCY" or "MEMORY CLOCK" and also "DRAM TIMINGS" or "MEMORY TIMINGS".

Before you start messing with manual settings in the BIOS, be sure you know how to clear the CMOS just in case you are unable to boot after changing settings.

 

[LudaCHRI5]

ok, i found what you are talking about in the BIOS, and i increased the voltage to 2.1 but cpu-z says im still running at 400MHz.

is there anything else i should do?

also my ratio is 1:2 is that part of the problem?

 

[LudaCHRI5]

also i just noticed my timing is 5-5-5-18

if i remember right it SHOULD be running 5-5-5-15

 

[rwpritchett]

Yes, the memory ratio will change the speed of the RAM with respect to the FSB. I believe AMD CPU's still run on a 200MHz FSB so 1:2 = 400MHz (DDR2-800 effective). So, now that you know where the memory ratio is found in the BIOS, you will need to play with it to get the 200MHz FSB to run at 533MHz for DDR2-1066.

Is there something like a 3:8 option? I think that would put you at 533MHz RAM speed, but I could be wrong. Post back what you find as options for memory ratios.

 

[rwpritchett]

Yes, the spec for that RAM is 5-5-5-15 so you can tighten it a little bit. The difference between 15 and 18 is probably negligable though, but if you can find the setting in BIOS, go ahead and change it.

 

[LudaCHRI5]

i dont see a specific option for changing the ratio, however i can change my FSB and most of the timings.

i tried changing them, but then everything failed to load.

sry for being such a noob to memory

 

[LudaCHRI5]

ok i managed to somehow get the ratio to be 3:8

however, now all my timing have changed. it says that i am now running
533 MHz
3:8 ratio
5-7-7-15
bank cycle time (tRC) 31 clocks
CR - 2T

 

[rwpritchett]

Sounds like you're on your way to getting this taken care of. Now you just need to find where the settings for memory timings are in the BIOS and you're done.

 

[LudaCHRI5]

so once i get my timings back to 5-5-5-15 my ram should be running at 1066?

obtw my FSB is still at its default of 200, should i try and change that?