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Quick Computer Question

Started by Andriandas Apr 25, 2006 at 6:50 PM 4 replies 1k views

Original Post

Apr 25, 2006 at 6:50 PM

Hey, I used to post here about a year ago (forgot my user name/pass) so this was the first place I thought to come to when I had a problem...hope y'all don't mind. Heres my problem: I have, as of right now, 1GB of ram in my computer. My specs say it can take up to 3GB. When I put in the third strip of ram (I checked manufacturer's website, it says it is compatible) to bring it up to 1.5GB my computer crashes. It doesn't crash as the computer turns on, and I get no errors, but as my desktop loads the computer just turns off. Anyone have any suggestions? Computer specs: Motherboard: Abit KV7 Processor: AMD Athalon XP 2900+ Video Card: nVidia GeForce 6600 AGP The two sets of RAM I am using are: 1 - PNY 512MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory 2 - Ultra 512MB 3200 DDR 400MHz CL2.5

knowyourrole

Apr 25, 2006 at 7:14 PM

Hi, try running a memory test on your ram to see if its a bad stick, thats pretty common. I would try it with one stick in at a time, and start with the last stick you put in that made it crash, and leave it running overnight (best to let it run for a long time). Also, mixing ram from different brand names, or mixing different sizes can sometimes cause problems, although I think thats pretty rare.

Hope that helps =)

Don Quioxte

Apr 25, 2006 at 7:18 PM

It might be a latency issue. Do the sticks have the same latency? If not, try using three sticks that are identical. If it doesn't work, your motherboard may not like odd numbers of RAM sticks.My friend's didn't, when he upgraded.

I say this because my computer puked when I used 2 sticks with different latencies.

Also, are you overclocking or dual-channeling?

Andriandas

Author

Andriandas

Apr 25, 2006 at 10:11 PM

Im not overclocking, and I dont know what duel-channeling is ><. I'll try the memtest, tonight at some point, I hope it helps too :D. They are both 400MHz (thats what you ment by latecy right?)

Don Quioxte

Apr 26, 2006 at 6:00 PM

Quote:
Original post by Andriandas
Im not overclocking, and I dont know what duel-channeling is ><. I'll try the memtest, tonight at some point, I hope it helps too :D. They are both 400MHz (thats what you ment by latecy right?)

Dual channeling basically doubles output from 64 to 128 bit. It just makes RAM run faster.

That's not quite what the latency is. 400MHz is the speed of the ram. The latency of RAM is usually measured in FSB cycles, shown in numbers like 2-3-3-8, or something like that. In practical terms, think of it as how efficient your RAM will be. A lower FSB will generally mean more efficient RAM. Check out wikipedia and google for more information.

If it works with just two sticks and just the third at a time, it's a compatibility issue.

If the 3rd stick doesn't work, then I agree with knowyourrole when he suggested that you try memtest.

If all else fails, you could just buy a third stick that is exactly the same model as the other two.

Gaiiden

589

Gaiiden

Apr 27, 2006 at 2:29 AM

I'd be willing to bet a hefty sum that it's because you're using unpaired memory. Especially with DDR memory. If you want 1GB of additional RAM you're going to have to buy two sticks of 512MB. That's just the way dual-channel RAM works. I can get technical if you want, but it's late and I'm tired, haha.

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