RAM not "usable" - Windows 8

Tom Slater

Reputable
May 27, 2014
2
0
4,510
I have a Gigabyte GA-H55 USB3 motherboard and am trying to add RAM.
The RAM that works (in any slot of the four on the board) is 2x 2GB G.Skil DDR3 1600 sticks.
The one that windows recognizes as present but not as "usable" is 1x 2GB Kingston DDR3 1600 mhz.
In BIOS, I've tried booting with "optimized defaults" and I've tried manually setting memory clock at the "8" factor, which = 1280 mhz (I think...) with no changes observed. Memory voltage is set at 1.5.
Any ideas?
 

Tom Slater

Reputable
May 27, 2014
2
0
4,510
I dug around on the forums a bit more.
I saw it mentioned that matched sticks of RAM go in the same color slot on the board.
When I first opened the case, the matched sticks of RAM were next to each other and one in a blue slot, one in white.
I moved one of the original RAM sticks over a slot so that the matched sticks were in matching color. I then inserted the odd-man-out stick of RAM, the Kingston, in one of the available slots.
BIOS immediately recognized the additional RAM and Windows is willing to admit that it is usable: I now have 6 GB of ram (not bad for a free-to-me system) My Windows 8 assessment of the computer's memory went from 7.1 to 7.2, and my wife finds me more attractive. All is well.