DDR2 ram Stabilty

[firewolfrl]

Here are my system specs:
• Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe motherboard & AMD Athlon 64 x2 (4400) (AM2)
• US Modular Cold Fusion Dual Channel 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)

http://www.usmodular.com/MCE/default/0/product/3114

• G.Skill same ram as above

http://www.gskill.com/en/f2-6400phu2-hz.html

• A good power supply
• A good boot manager (XOSL)
• Multiple hard drives (IDE converted to SATA) and some SATA
• Windows XP
• Windows Vista Ultimate


There is a lot of debate as to whether more expensive 4-4-4-12 latency ram versus 5-5-5-15 latency ram is worth the money. The good thing is the 5-5-5-15 setting is default for the cheaper ram and may run stable. This is something I don’t know because I bought the higher end ram and have no 5-5-5-15 ram to test.

I first received and installed US Modular….
That was a headache and a half. The motherboard on AUTO defaults runs the ram @ 5-5-5-12 latency @ 1.80 to 1.90 volts
I was getting reboots, blue screens, Lockups and no info in the event logs
After research I found that voltage changes would make the ram more stable
So I finally reached stability @ 2.2 volts (I did talk to the manufacturer and they said don’t go over 2.3 volts).
In talking to the manufacturer they said each motherboard is different in the aspect of voltage requirements.
Then I installed the G.Skill ram
So my new specs are now 4-4-4-12 T2 @ 2.2volts with 4 x 1024MB (4gig) and the system ran stable for 24hrs with prime95 torture test.
I am not running VISTA 64 or XP 64 so I don’t know if I will get better performance running the 64 bit versions. As it is the 32 bit versions read 3.5 gig …LOL …I can live with that.


The Asus motherboard has an extreme amount of settings for adjusting the DDR2 ram…the only thing I have done is change the voltage and latency.


So far (keeping my fingers crossed) I have had no more reboots or blue screens
I did fix the explorer issue concerning Adobe Flash 9.0

So if anyone has any ideas on how to make even more stable settings I am all open to ideas???

As it is now this is more an informative post then a question post to maybe help some poor soul that is having ram issues and is thinking it is something else.

 

[electronicsfreak]

Honestly I had the exact same problem with nvidias nforce 2 board. I quit using nforce boards due to ram instability. First one I had was gigabyte ga-ln400-l . It crashed 95 percent of the time no matter what I did. Used 3 different brands of ram that were listed compatible.

Eventually got me another board. msi kt880 and it ran stable for the 2 years i used the board. Later upgraded to intel with intel chipsets and have yet to run into another problem.

However a bright side of the equation that might help you, I just recently put together a computer for a friend who had some parts and the motherboard just happened to contain the nforce 2 chipset. Well his turned out to be stable. Only thing i noticed differently was it had heatsinks on the voltage regulators.

So you might try that.

There is a point in wisdom and knowledge that when you reach it, you exceed what is considered possible - Jason Schoon

 

[kmcferrin]

It sounds like you have it working stable now, after tweaking the voltage and timings. If that's the case I'd just keep an eye on it for awhile.

There's basically two things that will affect the stability of memory: the voltage and the timings. The faster the timings are, the less stable it can be. One way to offset the loss in stability with faster timings is to add more voltage, which is what most people do. But if you run too much power through them, you run the risk of getting heat-related stability issues.

The official DDR-2 spec calls for 1.8v or 1.9v operation (I can never remember which). Some motherboards are very particular and won't accept anything outside of spec. It sounds like you've got a better one that lets you tweak the voltage, which is good. One thing that I have noticed in my shopping is that there are very few modules being sold that actually run at the spec voltage, and those that do tend to be 5-5-5-15 or slower timings. Usually the manufacturers throw on some heat spreaders and test them at a higher voltage so that they can get a higher yield. So just be sure that when you're shopping around, you are aware of not just the speeds but the power requirements of your memory.

Which brings me to the next point, which is that you really will have the least trouble if you're running matched pairs of memory. Different manufacturers have different tolerances for heat and stability, so even two modules with the same specs can behave differently. When you're shopping around, if you can't get the same make and model then at least try to get the same timings and voltages. Otherwise you might find that you have a pair of modules that requires 2.2v to run at 4-4-4-12 while your other pair will do it at 2.v, but overheats and causes problems at 2.2v. Know what I mean?

 

[firewolfrl]

I have actually talked to both ram manufacturers of the ram in my machine.
both ram sets (I always buy matched sets)run at 2.0 volts and both have heat spreaders and are designed for extreme conditions
Both sets are designed to overclock too.

The US Modular range is 2.0 to 2.3 volts
The G.Skill range is 2.0 to 2.4 volts range
At either latency 5-5-5-15 or 4-4-4-12 @ the auto default voltage of 1.80 the stability is very poor. Both manufacturers say that is so and the voltages have to be changed manually. both have great tech support...and poor literature. Neither company addresses the voltage issue at all till you call them. Forums are the best source for info

So far the ram runs cool to the touch and when running hard the ram is warm. I have a great case that runs good solid flow of air over the ram and does not let heat build up in the case at all...best of all it is quiet. I used to have a case that I called my wind tunnel....lol

 

[mattey123]

firewolfrl do you notice that the motherboard seems to get very hot and so do the components?

 

[firewolfrl]

mattey123,
I am using this case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

It's very configurable and is the best cooling I have ever owned.

I am also running 6 harddrives and they create quite a bit of heat.

I have noticed the ram is warm to the touch but that is about it.
I used to own a Gigabyte board with an AMD 2400 and it was hard to keep the CPU temp under 128 degrees fahrenheit.

Running the ASUS probe on this MB I run as an average under 100 degrees fahrenheit. on a warm day and stressed it runs a maybe 110 degrees fahrenheit. I have an okay 530 watt PSU that I use with a 20 to 24 pin adapter. I am upgrading the PSU to a 800 watt SLI certified. with a Geforce 8000 series so I can run Directx 10. I have heard that if the SLI style MB's run alot warmer and they pull more on the 12volt circuit. the old PSU's almost can't handle the power requirements.
As you can see you will have to tweak your ram....lol as I posted above

All in all I really like this MB and I am kicking myself in the butt that I didn't buy the next up MB. Oh! Well! thats OK ...lol....prices are starting to go down and I may still buy it and the new quad core when it comes out.

Have you called ASUS on your heat issue?
I was really surprised that ASUS tech that I talked to was so knowledgeable.
here is a great link for parts for your MB.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/search.asp

I ordered the 4-pin SPDIF Optical out for my MB and a couple of other boards. the part number is not listed but it is C1B61P