RAM speed change from 400 to 333 in BIOS

[Alan T]

I got 2 x 1 GB DDR400 in my system.
Then added another identical 2 x 1 GB DDR400 RAM, now when the PC boot up it
shows DDR333 in the first boot up screen.

I tried to remove the old 2 GB, it shows DDR400, so the new RAM is OK.

Any idea?

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

I got 2 x 1 GB DDR400 in my system.
Then added another identical 2 x 1 GB DDR400 RAM, now when the PC
boot up it shows DDR333 in the first boot up screen.

I tried to remove the old 2 GB, it shows DDR400, so the new RAM is OK.

Any idea?

And the make and model of the motherboard is?

What does your motherboard manual have to say on the subject?

 

[Doug Knox - [MS-MVP]]

Are you sure its the same vendor and part number? If not, minor
discrepancies can cause RAM issues.

 

[Alan T]

Yes, I think so.
My original is
1 GB is Hynix DDR400
1 GB is Hyundai DDR400
Basically they are the same brand.

Then I bought another 2 x 1 GB Hyundai (Hynix) DDR 400

I just wonder it should be allowed for different brand RAM provided they are
DDR 400?

 

[Doug Knox - [MS-MVP]]

Even within the same manufacturere, DD4 400 RAM can be different if the
model number isn't an exact match. While it seems wasteful, if you can't
install the exact same RAM module for an upgrade, you're better off
replacing everything to get the new amount of memory you want.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart
Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com

 

[Alan T]

The interesting thing is:
My original 2 GB RAM give me DDR 400 reading in BIOS/first screen.
Added total to 4 GB RAM give me DDR 333 reading.
I removed original 2 GB RAM, ie, leave the new 2 GB in slot, give me DDR
400. It tells me that both new RAM are DDR 400.
Why it give me DDR333 when they come together?

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

I got 2 x 1 GB DDR400 in my system.
Then added another identical 2 x 1 GB DDR400 RAM, now when the PC
boot up it shows DDR333 in the first boot up screen.

I tried to remove the old 2 GB, it shows DDR400, so the new RAM is OK.

Any idea?

Your problem could be how your motherboard handles the dual channel RAM
setup, this is why I asked you about the make and model and what your manual
said, have a look at http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic24044.html

 

[Alan T]

OK, I think I need to look at the manual tonight.
My motherboard is ASUS A8N-E nForce 4.

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

OK, I think I need to look at the manual tonight.
My motherboard is ASUS A8N-E nForce 4.

I had a quick look at the manual, it is definately a dual-channel MB but I
saw no mention of the throttling back when all four slots are filled, you
MAY be able to get the RAM to run at 400 by playing around with the 1T/2T
settings in the BIOS. If this stops the machine from booting just pull the
MB battery out and reset the BIOS back to the defaults.

One other thing, unless you are running a 64bit operating system you are
only likely to see about 3.25Gb or so of your RAM due to the fact that the
32bit O/S's reserve the memory addresses above that point for device drivers
and devices.

 

[Alan T]

I had a quick look at the manual, it is definately a dual-channel MB but I

saw no mention of the throttling back when all four slots are filled, you
MAY be able to get the RAM to run at 400 by playing around with the 1T/2T
settings in the BIOS. If this stops the machine from booting just pull the
MB battery out and reset the BIOS back to the defaults.

What tab it would be the 1T/2T located?

 

[PowerUser]

The 4Gig limit should not affect the RAM speed. This is a very curious
issue. Maybe one of the modules is not running at speed? (Try combinations
to narrow it?)
Most likely, it does appear to be a mobo restriction. Check for BIOS
updates too, Alan.

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

What tab it would be the 1T/2T located?

In the BIOS configuration, under Advanced, CPU configuration, DRAM
Configuration. Look at page 2-21 of the MB manual

 

[Bob Knowlden]

I didn't find the same listing for your board, but I'd bet that it's the
same feature as for an A8N-SLI:

http://support.asus.com/faq/faq.aspx?no=FFC7FB3A-68C0-6372-EE3B-D9013EB965D3&SLanguage=en-us

which says:

To be more compatible and stable with some memory modules, the default clock
will be at 333MHz if four DDR400 memory modules are plugged on the A8N-SLI.
But you still can set at 400MHz manually in the Bios to gain better
performance. Moreover, in order to get best performance and compatibility,
please choose those memory modules which are verified by us. You can get the
QVL from the link below.
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=15&l3=148&model=375&modelmenu=1


Return address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.