Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H Memory Compatibility

N

NixDragon

I am thinking about buying a system with a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H, and
I have 2x4GB DDR2. Unfortunately the memory speed is 533MHz. Will this
adversely affect the performance of the system, or might it not even
work in the motherboard? The manufacturer claims it can support 16GB
(with 4 DIMM slots).
 
P

Paul

NixDragon said:
I am thinking about buying a system with a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H, and
I have 2x4GB DDR2. Unfortunately the memory speed is 533MHz. Will this
adversely affect the performance of the system, or might it not even
work in the motherboard? The manufacturer claims it can support 16GB
(with 4 DIMM slots).

Does the memory have a brand and model number ? Perhaps
the sticks are registered ?

I see an example here, of pretty ordinary looking 4GB sticks. These
are using 256Mx8 chips. I don't know if they're stacked die, or
real 2gigabit technology. These run at DDR2-800 at a relatively high
CAS, and cost $756 for a pair. Only $1500 to fill your computer.
One of the nicer aspects of this product, is the inclusion of ECC.
At 16GB total, ECC protection is a good idea, and your AMD processor
should support it (ECC is part of the memory interface).

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator_new/PartsInfo.asp?ktcpartno=KVR800D2E6K2/8G

There are a couple products listed on Newegg, at that capacity level,
but they don't have ECC. They're also cheaper, and are out of stock.

4x4GB DDR2-800 CAS6 $450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16820231183

DDR2 is normally around $25 a gigabyte, so that is a reasonable price,
especially considering the density provided.

The QVL for your board, shows it has not been tested with 4GB sticks.
And with four sticks, you're most likely to top out at DDR2-800 under
the best of circumstances.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/MemorySupport/motherboard_memory_ga-ma78gm-s2h.pdf

Normally, when people seek that kind of memory quantity, they want it
bad enough to accept any slight loss in performance.

The biggest memory quantity I know of in a motherboard now, is a
server board that can hold 256GB of FBDIMMs. In case you seek to
set a record.

Paul
 
N

NixDragon

Does the memory have a brand and model number ? Perhaps
the sticks are registered ?

I see an example here, of pretty ordinary looking 4GB sticks. These
are using 256Mx8 chips. I don't know if they're stacked die, or
real 2gigabit technology. These run at DDR2-800 at a relatively high
CAS, and cost $756 for a pair. Only $1500 to fill your computer.
One of the nicer aspects of this product, is the inclusion of ECC.
At 16GB total, ECC protection is a good idea, and your AMD processor
should support it (ECC is part of the memory interface).

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator_new/PartsInfo.asp?ktcpar...

There are a couple products listed on Newegg, at that capacity level,
but they don't have ECC. They're also cheaper, and are out of stock.

4x4GB DDR2-800 CAS6 $450http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16820231183

DDR2 is normally around $25 a gigabyte, so that is a reasonable price,
especially considering the density provided.

The QVL for your board, shows it has not been tested with 4GB sticks.
And with four sticks, you're most likely to top out at DDR2-800 under
the best of circumstances.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/MemorySupport/motherboard_memory_...

Normally, when people seek that kind of memory quantity, they want it
bad enough to accept any slight loss in performance.

The biggest memory quantity I know of in a motherboard now, is a
server board that can hold 256GB of FBDIMMs. In case you seek to
set a record.

Paul

Thanks for your advice, I'm not looking to set any kind of record.
Those server boards are pretty darn expensive.

I think I'm going the 4x4GB DDR2-800 CAS6 route right now, if they
ever get in stock. I would like ECC, but it's like twice the price and
it's just for a desktop system.

=
NixDragon
 
C

CBFalconer

NixDragon said:
.... snip ...

I think I'm going the 4x4GB DDR2-800 CAS6 route right now, if they
ever get in stock. I would like ECC, but it's like twice the price
and it's just for a desktop system.

No it isn't. In general ECC memory costs about 10% more, and
doesn't have the big sales that inferior memory has. Meanwhile you
KNOW your memory is completely protected at all times.
 
W

WebWalker

NixDragon said:
Thanks for your advice, I'm not looking to set any kind of record.
Those server boards are pretty darn expensive.

I think I'm going the 4x4GB DDR2-800 CAS6 route right now, if they
ever get in stock. I would like ECC, but it's like twice the price and
it's just for a desktop system.

Don't waste money on ECC RAM because it only can be used in server
motherboard.

--
WebWalker

Ubuntu-http://www.ubuntu.com
Firefox-http://www.mozilla.com/firefox
Thunderbird-http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird
 
P

Paul

WebWalker said:
Don't waste money on ECC RAM because it only can be used in server
motherboard.

Here is another 780G AM2+ board, which lists ECC support. This
is a desktop board. The support for ECC is present on the processor
interface, which is why it doesn't cost any extra to add it. It
just needs to be wired up. ECC does not imply registered RAM -
it is possible to get unbuffered ECC, which is what was being
discussed.

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=2270&l1=3&l2=149&l3=639&l4=0

Paul
 
C

CBFalconer

WebWalker said:
Don't waste money on ECC RAM because it only can be used in server
motherboard.

Nonsense. However, it does require a system with the appropriate
memory hardware, which all good (not ultra cheapened) systems have.
 

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