Asus M4A78-EM work with Ripjaw PC2-9600?

[Mike9685]

I currently have the following configuration on a home built machine -

ASUS M4A78-EM (Bios 1010)
AMD Phenom II X4 965
Kingston DDR2 (PC2-6400) 2x1024 MB
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
2x 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor - RAID 1
3x 1TB Seagate Constellation
Windows 7 Ultimate x86 32 bit

I have the following (brand new - friend went with a DDR3 board) that I'd like to use -

Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Model F2-9600CL6D-4GBRH

Has anyone used it, and how do I set it up to run with this motherboard. The ASUS certified list only recommends the following-

DDR2 1200 Qualified Vendors List (QVL)
*Ensure that you download and update to the latest BIOS at www.asus.com and purchase the memory modules listed in the ASUS official memory Qualified Vendors Lists (QVL).
**We recommend that you install the DDR2 1200 memory modules on the yellow slots for better performance.

Kingston KHX96002K2/2G DDR2 1200 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-15 2.2V ● ●

OCZ OCZ2FX12002GK DDR2 1200 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS N/A Heat-Sink Package 5-5-5-18 2.1 - 2.3 V ● ●

Team TXDD1024M1300HC6 DDR2 1200 2048MB(Kit of 2) DS Heat-Sink Package Heat-Sink Package 6-6-6-18 2.35V~2.45V ●

Any help/advise would be appreciated.

 

[jaquith]

Thankfully you're smart enough to know about Certified {QVL}, in addition you can use Tested per RAM Mfg but you loose the {XMP} if supported by your MOBO.

G.SKILL Tested - http://gskill.com/configurator.php
Ref - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131384

The only snag is that I need your help to confirm your MOBO model, I "see" it on Newegg but not on the ASUS site {ASUS M4A78-EM} - http://usa.asus.com/Search.aspx?SearchKey=M4A78 so please post a link to the ASUS site specific to your MOBO.

I want to verify prior to confirming any RAM.

 

[Mike9685]

WOW, I couldn't confirm it on the ASUS website you posted either (that's strange)...
here's 2 other websites that list it-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131384

Here's the ASUS website that profiles it-

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=0KyowHKUFAQqH2DO

Here's what they say about PC2-9600-

O.C. DDR2 1200
To attain top performance, ASUS engineers have successfully unleashed DDR2 1200(O.C.) MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operation system, 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications.

*Ensure that you download and update to the latest BIOS (Here's where I'm alittle confused - I HAVE Bios 1010 - what IS Bios #2001 or 2007? NOTHING is on the website and they haven't replied to my emails...) at www.asus.com and purchase the memory modules listed in the ASUS official memory Qualified Vendors Lists (QVL).
** We recommend that you install the DDR2 1200 memory modules on the yellow slots for better performance.

I know I'm not "picking" memory from the QVL list, but can I get it to run with this board and how do I set it up???...

Most important - THANKS for your help!
Mike

 

[jaquith]

The BIOS revisions from your 1010 are only to support new CPU see the {CPU Support List -tab}. Example: Phenom IIX6 1055T(HDT55TFBK6DGR), 2.8GHz,125W,rev.E0, SocketAM3, 6-Core ALL 2007 <- Required BIOS version.

Tested RAM - http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=M4A78-EM

Again, Certified {QVL} or Tested, but if you already purchased say 1200
BIOS:
1. Memory Clock Mode {AUTO} -> {Manual}
Then review my chart - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280639-30-memory-frequency
{FSB is more complicated }

Another good reference - http://www.overclock.net/amd-memory/235668-ddr2-memory-speeds-explained.html

 

[Mike9685]

Thanks for all your help. It worked -CPU's up to 3.6 GHz, memory's showing 1200 in CPUz. Memtested 4 hours with no errors. Stress tested (Everest) with no problems. I AM watching the CPU temps closely...

Room temp: 29 C
MB temp: 36 C
CPU temp (ASUS Probe & Everest) IDLE: 43 C

CPU temp @ 100% during stress testing: 57 C stable

This is the CPU cooler - Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU Cooler
2 Case fans (Ultra case) - Scythe 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan (110 cfm - yes, there in the right direction)

Is the temp too high?

Thanks again for all your help!

Mike

 

[jaquith]

No, the CPU temp at 57C is fine under a stress test with your CM N520. Especially how hot you ambient room temp is {29C 84.2F}.

Glad to hear your up and running!