4gig ram = stable but 8gig = not? please help

[quattrob]

Hi all,

I need some help with memory.. when I run my system with 4gig memory ram it runs fine but when I put another 4gigs into my system it either crashes/doesn't boot OR it works for about 2 days then the only way to fix it is to use system restore which lasts for another 2 days and process repeats...

I know this isn't a faulty ram hardware problem cause I've run tests and the rams are fine. They are all the same rams too.

Here are my system specs:

Processor - Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E7200
(3M Cache, 2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB)
Memory Ram - XMS2 — 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 Memory Kit (TWIN2X4096-6400C5) x2 (8gigs total all 4 slot used)
Motherboard - GA-EP43-UD3L
Videocard - MSI 560 Twin frozr II OC Ti
PSU - Antec EarthWatts EA 650W Power Supply Green

Everything is set to default.
I'm guessing it could be a voltage issue or timing speed issue? If anyone can help or give some advice, it would be greatly appreciated thanks.

 

[quattrob]

Sorry forgot to mention I'm use Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OS.

 

[beenthere]

It looks like you bought two 2 x 2GB. RAM kits instead of one matched, tested 8 GB.RAM kit? As Corsair states on their website, mixing of RAM - even of the same part number, does not guarantee that the RAM will function without issues... See their Memory Update tutorial for details.

Did you run Memtest86+ with ALL DIMMs installed or did you check them individually? Have you tried manually setting the voltage and timings in the BIOS or at least checked that they are correct?

 

[quattrob]

I checked them individually and all DIMMs together. I've tried manually setting voltages but not too sure how high I should set it as.. as for timings I'm not too certain how I should do it. I checked the timings and voltages they all seem to be correct.

On their website it says:

"While it is defintiely possible that two kits would run together in the same system, there is a chance that you may need to reduce the speed of the memory due to motherboard chipset limitations when populating more than one memory module per channel on the board. If you have problems mixing sets, it is suggested to manually lower the frequency of the memory."

So I should reduce the speed of the memory? how would I go about doing that? I know its' in Bios but I'm not too familiar on how to set speeds lower. Should I even try this? Any help would be greatly appreciated it thanks.

 

[beenthere]

Your DIMMs should have a label on them with the voltage and timings. Those are what you should set in the BIOS if they are not correct. You can try lowering the frequency to 800 Mhz. if it's at 1066 Mhz. now but it still may not make them function together properly. All you can do is try. This is why I suggested the matched kit.

The first messages in the links below should help with BIOS settings as should your mobo Owner's Manual.

http://forums.legitreviews.com/about1034.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/252149-30-memory-settings-bios

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Understanding-RAM-Timings/26/2