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Getting the most out of my new (and old) ram

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Ok so I just got this new stick of ram for my ecs gf8200a mobo. It's the second stick of the same ram. I noticed there I could adjust voltage setting to get the most out of it and I saw it's recommended voltage was 2.3v. I went and dled cpuz to see what it the ram was running at before I changed anything and saw it was running at only 412.6mhz when it should be running at 1066 right? 2 sticks each at 533mhz should be 1066? So I'm thinking damn I could have had better speeds all this time if I wouldve just upped the voltage on the original stick. So then I went into the bios and upped the voltage from 1.9 to 2.26 (the next highest was 2.33 would that be better even though it's slightly over 2.3?). I then saved the settings and got back into windows and there was no change the DRAM Frequency (this is what i should be looking at right?) was still only 412.6. I also noticed then under the spd tab it says its only pc26400 when it's actually 8500.




Also I was looking in the system information and I noticed my available memory is only like 2.16gb when I have 4gb total, any way to get that higher?

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Memory Master

Welcome to Tom's Forums! :) 

You have one major problem and one misunderstanding.

Major Problem - Don't Mix RAM in a Dual Channel with non-matched Set(s).

Misunderstanding - currently your RAM is running at ~ 800MHz {412.5 X 2 = 825 MHz}; DDR = Double Data Rate therefore the frequency in CPUz is 1/2 of the running Speed.

Solution, purchase a matched-set of DDR2 compatible for your MOBO, don't use the new/old in the same channel. In the BIOS, assuming your MOBO supports 1066 MHz, set the DRAM Frequency -> DDR2-1066MHz. In CPUz it will read as 533 MHz.

The second image is the JEDEC information for 400 MHz, 532 MHz, and 800 MHz, CAS,and Voltages.

edit:
"* (Whether 1066 MHz memory speed is supported depends on the CPU being used.)"
ref - http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail...

Ah thanks. The two sticks of ram I have r the same, they're both this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104072&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=. So are you saying even tho theyre the same I shouldnt have them in the same channel just because one is older? I did try to change the DRAM frequency in the bios but the highest was 533mhz. So does this mean Im unable to utilize the 1066 capabilities? pretty sure this is the processor i have link

edit: The manual for my mobo said not to mess with the dram freq so I changed it back to auto when i tried it at 533 b4. Now that u say I should do it I have again and it says 550 in cpuz and it said 1066 at startup so i should b good right?
Memory Master

'SAME' = SINGLE and is NOT 'MATCHED' ; RAM is BIN Sorted into sets, there are small but measurable differnecne between the 'same' stick to another 'same' stick.

Matched Set-> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Refer to page 11 for proper installation including {ganged/unganged} -> http://download.ecsusa.com/dlfileecs/manual/mb/eng/k8/G...(1.0A)_low.pdf

Reading the following it would seem to indicate 800 MHz. However, you can try "
DRAM Frequency -> DDR2-1066 MHz"

CPU -> Socket AM2+ AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 7750 (B3)(95W) 2700 MHz 3600 512KB X 2
Manual ->
"The memory controller supports DDR2 memory DIMM frequencies of 1066*1 (AM2+)/800/667/533/400.

*1. Due to the limitation of AMD CPU spec, please refer to Memory QVL for more information."
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Ah I see what u mean about the matched sets. Now Im confused tho, I have the memory in slots 3 and 4 as it says that those r best but they arent matched so do I not want this? It is set to unganged mode so its not like its trying to run in dual channel. Since I've turned the voltage up and manually put the DRAM Freq. at 533 ive been getting an occasional black screen flash and then a notification saying the video driver had an error :/ 

another question that is somewhat unrelated I searched my processor and motherboard on google and found something about overclocking. the person was ocing by increasing the fsb and the replier told them to do it by increasing the multiplier instead. i remembered that my brother increased the fsb to fix problems i was having with running at 1080p. so now i decreased the fsb back to 200 and increased the multiplier and everything seems to be working fine. my question is tho is it bad that in cpuz it shows the multiplier at what i set it at and the cpu running at the higher speed but then it drops to x6.75 and 1300mhz and sometimes will pop back and forth between x6.75 and x12
Memory Master

You can try:
| old | blank | new | new | + Unganged mode.
| blank | blank | new | new | + Ganged mode.

If it's failing then get a Matched Set. DRAM Voltage, according to the SPD above is 1.8~1.9v @ 800 MHz, and 'maybe' 1.85~2.00v @ 1066 MHz. Setting the Voltage too high or too low will have the same result = unstable; you might want to raise the NB Voltage 1.15~1.25v.
Memory Authority

jaquith said:
You can try:
| old | blank | new | new | + Unganged mode.
| blank | blank | new | new | + Ganged mode.

If it's failing then get a Matched Set. DRAM Voltage, according to the SPD above is 1.8~1.9v @ 800 MHz, and 'maybe' 1.85~2.00v @ 1066 MHz. Setting the Voltage too high or too low will have the same result = unstable; you might want to raise the NB Voltage 1.15~1.25v.



I think you are misunderstanding, he only has 2 sticks of memory, you are looking at the 3 possible settings this particular memory can run at on the screen shots above.
Memory Authority

slyman said:
Ah I see what u mean about the matched sets. Now Im confused tho, I have the memory in slots 3 and 4 as it says that those r best but they arent matched so do I not want this? It is set to unganged mode so its not like its trying to run in dual channel. Since I've turned the voltage up and manually put the DRAM Freq. at 533 ive been getting an occasional black screen flash and then a notification saying the video driver had an error :/ 



What processor are you running? Unless you are running a Black Edition, you cannot adjust the multiplier, it is locked. To do any overclocking you must raise the FSB if it is not a Black Edition.
What you are noticing is Cool and Quiet, it will adjust your CPU speed up and down to match the workload to conserve power.
2 sticks of memory you want running in unganged mode. This is because your processor has 2 memory controllers, each controls a bank of memory. If you run your memory in ganged mode, only 1 memory controller can be utilized at time, and this actually hurts your memory performance on these CPUs (AM2+ and AM3 socketed CPUS)
Your memory should run fine at 533 setting, make certain the voltage is correct, and the timings are correct for the speed you are running at. Be sure it is set to unganged mode.
And as jaquith noted, if you are having problems at 1066, you may need to get a matched set. Although to tell you the truth, you won't ever notice any difference between 800 and 1066.
Memory Master

jitpublisher said:
I think you are misunderstanding, he only has 2 sticks of memory, you are looking at the 3 possible settings this particular memory can run at on the screen shots above.


Maybe, I read the HEADER = "Getting the most out of my new (and old) ram" and assumed a mix + a mix from the new non-matched set...

pretty sure its all good now thanks guys. jit i do have a black series processor i posted a link a couple posts up. when i knocked the fsb back down to 200 and adjusted the multiplier it fixed the black screen flashing.

i found a thing on kingstons site for timings and adjusted them to 5-5-5-18 @ 1.9v. i had the voltage at 2.26 and couldve adjusted timings to 5-5-5-15 but figured it would b less wear on the memory at the lower voltage
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