K8V-SE DELUXE Ram Question

[Ryan]

Just so you know, I have Googled this and didn't find any answers.

I have a gig (2x512) of PC3200 Samsung ram (k4h560838f-tccc) which does not
show up on Asus' compatability list but does show up on the list for the
K8V-X. Since it is the same Via chipset will I be ok? The Samsung ram that
does make the list for the Deluxe board is the same as the k4h560838f-tccc
except the "F" is an "E". I don't want to waste my time RMA'ing a board
because of compatability issues.

I already went through this with my A7N8X-E mobo. This ram (which is
PC3200) would only run dual channel @ 186mhz. I had to purchase another gig
of ram which hurts. Are these socket 754 boards as picky as the dual
channel, Socket A Nforce boards?

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks



Ryan

 

[Paul]

Just so you know, I have Googled this and didn't find any answers.

I have a gig (2x512) of PC3200 Samsung ram (k4h560838f-tccc) which does not
show up on Asus' compatability list but does show up on the list for the
K8V-X. Since it is the same Via chipset will I be ok? The Samsung ram that
does make the list for the Deluxe board is the same as the k4h560838f-tccc
except the "F" is an "E". I don't want to waste my time RMA'ing a board
because of compatability issues.

I already went through this with my A7N8X-E mobo. This ram (which is
PC3200) would only run dual channel @ 186mhz. I had to purchase another gig
of ram which hurts. Are these socket 754 boards as picky as the dual
channel, Socket A Nforce boards?

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks



Ryan

The memory controller on Athlon64 is right on the processor. So,
whether the memory will work with the processor, is (partially)
independent of the motherboard selection. The chipset doesn't
touch the memory. A motherboard designer can still screw up the
design, by not placing the copper tracks between the processor
and the DIMMs properly, and that could alter the compatibility
and loading characteristics of a board, but as long as the
designers follow whatever reference design exists for the board,
Athlon64 boards should have consistent characteristics from
one to another.

The BIOS on the board is another matter. This article shows the
difference a good BIOS can make.

http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20040602/memory_modules-22.html

I would say if you found the memory on another board's list, then
the chances are very good for that memory. Follow the rules in the
manual - if using two sticks, put them in slots 1 and 3. Usually
that is line 18 in Table 1 in the manual.

Whether RAM shows up in a list or not, there is still the possibility
the RAM won't work. This is because many "Value RAM" products are
obtained from multiple sources, so even though there is a "famous
name brand" stick on the module, they could be different designs.
This makes the lists that Asus provides to users, kinda useless,
as time changes everything, and the lists are not kept up to date.

Many Asus lists still have Winbond BH-5 memory chips mentioned,
and Winbond stopped making those a while ago. Don't place too
much weight on an Asus list - you are better off visiting the
private forums and doing a search for your brand and model of
RAM there. As long as the posts you read are fairly recent,
they may give you a better idea of whether some brand of memory
chips is really bad or not.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Ryan]

Thanks so much for the useful information. I went ahead and ordered the
k8v-x. My ram is on that list and I'm not as gutsy as I used to be.

I still am confued on why my ram will only run @ 333 instead of 400.
According to the manual, you can't have 2x 512mb double sided sticks and
still maintain 400mzh? I'm starting to think I should have gone down the
Intel road. The last time I went down that road was the Cely 300a and the
P3BF.


Ryan

 

[Paul]

Thanks so much for the useful information. I went ahead and ordered the
k8v-x. My ram is on that list and I'm not as gutsy as I used to be.

I still am confued on why my ram will only run @ 333 instead of 400.
According to the manual, you can't have 2x 512mb double sided sticks and
still maintain 400mzh? I'm starting to think I should have gone down the
Intel road. The last time I went down that road was the Cely 300a and the
P3BF.


Ryan

OK, I finally found the table of slot limits for S754 Athlon64. Page
16 of this document has the table. This table is what Asus copies
into the manual. The table is a function of the processor design, but
AMD has seen fit to hide the information, and that is why I had to
use the archive to find this document. (I've been looking for this
document for a while now - I didn't save a copy when I first read
it.) The current AMD version of the document is 2 pages long and
using modular documentation techniques, AMD has eliminated evidence
of the table (the table is not in 26094.pdf like AMD claims). See
page 16 and line 18 of Table 3:

http://web.archive.org/web/20031203...ent_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/24659.PDF

When a motherboard manufacturer chooses not to copy the table
exactly, I don't know if the info they are providing is based
on testing, or on some private communications with AMD. In this
case, I'm surprised to find that the table in the K8V-X and
other K8V boards is not the same - I've never looked at the
manual for the K8V-X before. (For example, one of the other
manufacturers, Abit or maybe MSI, allowed more DIMM loading than
the table - but since the processor drives the DIMMs, all this
table modifying and game playing, is crap.)

When you look at pictures of the motherboards, the layouts are
almost the same (the K8V-X is missing an Ethernet transformer,
which must be hidden inside the Ethernet connector riser). The
layout of tracks from the processor to the DIMMs looks the same
to me. In other words, I see no physical evidence of why the
table should be different. (One aspect you cannot see visually,
is the layer stackup - the thickness of dielectric layers and
copper - these determine track impedance and do affect
performance. Only a TDR, or peeling apart the board layers
would reveal the "inner truth".)

As a long time gambler, I'd say it will take 2xDDR400. You can
only try it and see, as even if you email Asus, I doubt you'll
get an answer as to what the difference is between these two K8V
family boards. I would try slot 1 and slot 3 for your RAM, then
test with memtest86 from memtest.org.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Ryan]

Thanks so much for the interesting follow up. Your post was very
informative and was greatly appreciated.

Ryan

 

[Ryan]

Just a follow up if anyone is curious. The ram seems to run fine @ 400mhz
with Hyper Transport despite the 333mhz rating in the K8V-X manual.

Also, fwiw, I have been very pleased with the K8V-X.