3 sticks of DDR 2100 256mb ram does not work?

[Lead Head]

Originally Posted by stinger608

of course not, they are not all of the same make!!! If you check out MSI's web site, look under the supported ram, and check out the max ram that it shows, it will most likely show you nothing near 768mb of ram let alone a bunch of different makes of ram!!

I have an Athlon 650Mhz rig that takes SD-RAM with 1 256MB stick and 2 128MB sticks all from different makes, and it runs fine and sees all 512MB of ram. My old Socket A soyo mobo had ~864MB of ram in it in the form of a 512stick, 256 stick and a 128 stick.


@OP, try running memtest86 with all 3 sticks installed.

[Lokie]

What is your mobo model #, If memory serves me there was a couple of boards that were very weird as to the use of the memory slots.

[fps justin]

hmmm, well i have a few developments. I WAS able to get into the BIOS. The timing regulator isn't manual. It comes in terms of. Ultra, Turbo, fast, normal and safe. I added the third stick and changed the timing to "safe" but it still won't load windows. However, i DO see the windows bar, so i think timings it the problem, but i can't relax them anymore to make it work.

Another thing, i just learned this CPU isn't actually stable!!! Its half broken. It will restart from time to time. There is a backup 1.7ghz willimette cpu, that i will swap. After i swap the stable cpu, i will try relaxing timings again. If it doesn't work, then thats too bad. I might even get around to ocing this thing a little. Not sure about that part yet.

[fps justin]

STRANGE DEVELOPMENT!!!

Like i said before, this cpu is unstable, and causes random reboots at startup! I thought, mabye there is too much v. droop in the mobo.

I get cpu-Z and instead of finding a willimette. I find Intel Pentium 4 NORTHWOOD?!?! 0.13um, under specification, it says Intel Pentium 4 2.40ghz?

Its at 1.375-1.488volts. 100fsb x 18 = 1800mhz clock speed. It says rated fsb is 400mhz?

Any ideas? Is cpu-z just reading it wrong? or did somehow, somewhere this northwood got downclocked.

ITs socket 478 mPGA.

one mroe thing, it has 512mb of L2 cache.

EDIT: VERY INTERESTING!!!! 133fsb x 18 = 2400mhz!

[duckingzebra]

just a little side note, my comp is rated for one gig of memory and anything over 512 gets me bsod, rich said its just too old, so maybe yours is too.

[fps justin]

ok!!!! Very interesting find. The cpu IS a 2.4ghz northwood!

I set the fsb to 133 and now its running at stock! Finally.

Another thing. This stupid mobo has a v-droop of 0.05! No wonder the cpu is unstable!

[fps justin]

I learned that all the sticks were not actually PC2100. I was able to get all three sticks in finally! The cpu runs at a healthy 2.4ghz too. I guess i can commend myself today. =)

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by fps justin

I learned that all the sticks were not actually PC2100. I was able to get all three sticks in finally!

What were they and what ended up solving your problem?

[duckingzebra]

good job, i love it when i can do stuff without help, lol

[fps justin]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

What were they and what ended up solving your problem?

hmm. I believe they were the sticks before PC2100. Aren't they called PC1600 or something like that? They only ran at 100mhz. LOL