Mushkin Level II Dual Pack Testing Troubles

[Rick]

I'm new to overclocking the P4C on i865 chipset boards using dual pack
modules, so please bear with me on this memory testing question (especially
if my question sounds stupid).

I've put together a P4-2.4C system and it's running fine with a pair of
512Mb Mushkin Level II PC3500 modules (bought as a dual pack) on a DFI
PS83-BL board (i865 chipset) at standard speed of 200 with the recommended
2-3-2-6 memory settings suggested on the Mushkin website for i865/875
boards. Stable with Prime95 and no errors on the memory when tested both
individually and together at 200 and 1:1 using memtest86 v3.0.

Also, the original bios for the DFI has a AGP/PCI/SATA frequency lock that I
have set to 66/33/100, which I understand is necessary to overclock the
i865/875 chipset boards ... Right?

Okay, now when I move up the FSB from 200 to 216 and leave the memory ratio
at 1:1 the PC3500 memory should be at spec or DDR433 ... right?

Okay ... after I do that and run memtest86 on the Mushkin Level II PC3500
modules (again both individually and as a pair), I now get errors .....
random errors .... sometimes one or two and sometime lots of errors,
regardless of the timing used (from 2-3-2-6 to 3-4-4-8). I also tried
bumping the default voltage from 2.6 to 2.7 with no improvement.

However, when I use the 5:4 or 3:2 ratio to slow down the memory, it all
tests fine while the FSB is still above 200 (I once set it as high as 250
for testing purposes).

So my question is am I using the correct technique to check my DDR433 memory
and does it sound like it may be bad? Should it not test good using 1:1 at
least up to 216 (DDR433)? Any help or suggestions would be much
appreciated .... thanks, Rick

 

[Skid]

Your ram should indeed pass MemTest 1:1 at its rated speed of 216 using the
spd timings. It passes when you have the fsb at 250 5:4 because the ram is
only running at 200.

Mushkin guarantees that ram, as it should, considering the price. I'd call
them for advice, and/or an RMA.

Most people can get a little more than the rated speed out of their memory.
Getting less is unacceptable.

 

[Wayne Youngman]

"Rick" wrote

So my question is am I using the correct technique to check my DDR433 memory
and does it sound like it may be bad? Should it not test good using 1:1 at
least up to 216 (DDR433)? Any help or suggestions would be much
appreciated .... thanks, Rick

Hi,

I was looking at that memory also, seems a few people have had some problems
with it. Read this forum post:
http://forums.mushkin.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=606

All I can think of it to apply more vDimm voltage.

 

[Alceryes]

I used to buy *only* Mushkin but their prices are just too high. Their RMA
policy is the best I've ever experienced though. I'd just RMA the mem.
(Yes, it does seem that you've done all the proper testing)

 

[LeeB18509]

You can buy Mushkin memory a lot cheaper thru www.newegg.com than thru
Mushkin.

 

[Bill Gates]

According to the latest issue of Maximum PC (Nov 03) - they report that
their testing showed both Mushkina and Kingston Hyper X as working well
above the stated speed. I would RMA the Mushkin.