Kenny said:
Another question re: RAM.
Crucial Memory Advisor tells me that this:
"DDR PC3200 . CL=3 . Unbuffered . NON-ECC . DDR400 . 2.6V . 128Meg x 64 184
pin DIMM"
is what my m/b supports.
Is this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-VS2...uffered/dp/tech-data/B0009W7OJO/ref=de_a_smtd
suitable?
Replies appreciated, don't want to be buying the wrong thing!
Kenny
It is a socket 939 motherboard (GA-K8NSC-939), so DDR would be
a good bet for the memory type.
You can check the customer reviews here, to see if any RAM arrives DOA.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16820145579
When you use four sticks of RAM, the timing may have to be adjusted
for stable operation. The two parameters of interest are the DDR speed
setting and the Command Rate. Command Rate determines how many cycles
the address/command are presented on the bus. That is set to 2 for
heavy loading situations, or 1 for light loading situations. The
2 setting cuts address/command bandwidth in half, but the address/command
bus is not used full time anyway, so the impact is less severe than
a factor of 2.
These are some options for S939 memory.
DDR400 Command Rate 1T 2 sticks of RAM
DDR400 Command Rate 2T 4 sticks of RAM
DDR333 Command Rate 1T 4 sticks of RAM
Of the two options for four sticks, the first gives slightly better
performance.
So yes, your memory choice looks OK. You'll end up with 2x512MB+2x1GB
for a total of 3GB. If the current BIOS settings are full auto, the
BIOS may select a stable combination of settings. For example, it might do
DDR333 Command Rate 2T 4 sticks of RAM
which is unnecessarily pessimistic. You can change the settings if
you want, but do thorough testing with memtest86+ (memtest.org) and
Prime95 from mersenne.org, before concluding you're finished. You
should at least use memtest86+ on a floppy or CD, before booting
into Windows - if there is a problem with the RAM, you want to
discover that before booting into Windows.
You can verify the memory settings with CPUZ. But that would have
to wait, until your memtest86+ testing is finished.
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
Your BIOS has a "DDR Voltage Control" setting. Sometimes, a little
extra voltage can help with memory stability, such as if you have
say, one error per total pass of memtest86+. But based on the layout
of your DIMM slots, and the fact they're very close together,
with no breathing room for cooling between modules, I wouldn't
reach for that option unless absolutely necessary. Extra voltage
means a bit of extra heat, which you don't need.
Paul
