A7N8X-X memory limits

  • Thread starter Thread starter Adam S
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A

Adam S

Hi,

I am in the process of building a couple of PCs based on the Asus A7N8X-X
motherboard, one has 512MB of PC3200 the other has 1GB of PC2700. The one
with 1GB will not POST past where it counts the memory.

I have a 1GB stick of PC2700 memory and one stick of 512MB PC3200.

From the Asus website it says that 3GB of memory is the maximum, unless you
are using PC3200 where a 2GB limit is imposed. As there are three dimm slots
I assumed that I could put three x 1GB sticks of PC2700 in there to get the
3GB max, hence I brought a single stick of 1GB so that it left the maximum
slots free for upgrades at a later date.

Have I miss read the specs on the motherboard and will each slot only take
512MB, unless I use PC2100?

The motherboard manual says to check the website for compatable PC3200
memory but does not mention a limit on each dimm slot.

Does anyone know if there is more information on memory capacity for this
board anywhere?

Adam S
 
Nero said:
Max 1 Gig in each slot unless using pc3200 and then the 2 gig max thing as
far as I know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
--

Just spoken to the tech sopport at Scan (where I brought the bits) who
immediately said I needed a refund as the memory is not compatable with this
board!

Each slot is capable of taking 1GB of any speed memory, giving a limit of
3GB, unless PC3200 is used where 2GB is the limit as you can only use 2 of
the memory slots.

However if a 1GB stick of memory is used it MUST be 256x32 in order for it
to work and the memory I have brought is 512x16. Not quite sure what this
means except that one costs £100 the other £300, guess which one I need :-(

Looks like my best cost effective option is to buy 2x 512MB PC2700 at the
moment.

Adam S
 
"Adam S" said:
Hi,

I am in the process of building a couple of PCs based on the Asus A7N8X-X
motherboard, one has 512MB of PC3200 the other has 1GB of PC2700. The one
with 1GB will not POST past where it counts the memory.

I have a 1GB stick of PC2700 memory and one stick of 512MB PC3200.

From the Asus website it says that 3GB of memory is the maximum, unless you
are using PC3200 where a 2GB limit is imposed. As there are three dimm slots
I assumed that I could put three x 1GB sticks of PC2700 in there to get the
3GB max, hence I brought a single stick of 1GB so that it left the maximum
slots free for upgrades at a later date.

Have I miss read the specs on the motherboard and will each slot only take
512MB, unless I use PC2100?

The motherboard manual says to check the website for compatable PC3200
memory but does not mention a limit on each dimm slot.

Does anyone know if there is more information on memory capacity for this
board anywhere?

Adam S
Click to expand...

Buying 1GB DIMMs is problematic. There is plenty of cheap, bad
product out there. It is unclear to me, exactly what kind of
motherboard that memory would every work in. I think it is a
jolly scam to collect a "restocking fee", when all customers
return their purchases. Sellers of the cheap memory are none
too honest about what they are selling.

1GB DIMMs can be constructed using "stacked" RAM. This has
double the loading of a normal memory stick, and there is the
odd design that supports it. Visit the Mushkin.com site, as
they sell a stacked product, and are honest and up-front about
how well it works. They have a 1GB compatibility web page, with
examples of configurations they have been successful with.

http://www.mushkin.com/epages/Mushkin.storefront/******/Product/View/990925

To use the link above, visit the main address first, then click
"DDR SDRAM", and the web site will insert a custom cookie in
place of the ******. Copy that fresh cookie string, plus my URL
above, and build your own URL, replacing my ****** with the
cookie. The cookie looks like this 40a877cd01f3f6402740c0a80102067f
and is stale in an hour or two.

To see some real 1GB DIMMs, use the search engine on web sites
like Kingston.com or Crucial.com and see what they offer. You'll
notice a much higher asking price, but at least they don't use
stacked ram.

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/con...sp?SysID=+15609+&distributor=0&submit1=Search
KVR333X64C25/1G 1GB 333MHz DDR PC2700 DIMM CL2.5 $298.00 US
http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KVR333X64C25_1G.pdf

If you look at the Kingston spec sheet, it talks about 64Mx8
chips. These are the good ones, an honest single die memory
chip, with a price to match. The construction of the module
is very similar to a 512MB double sided DIMM (which uses
32Mx8 memory chips), only using a 64Mx8 part.

Crucial has three modules at the 1GB level:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpa...ards&mfr=ASUS&cat=RAM&model=A7N8X-X&submit=Go

CT12864Z335 1GB DDR PC2700, CL=2.5, Unbuffered, Non-parity, DDR333 $271.99
CT12864Z40B 1GB DDR PC3200, CL=3, Unbuffered, Non-parity, DDR400 $389.99

With those kinds of prices, it is easy to see why people base
their machines on 512MB modules.

If I go to Pricewatch.com and shop by price, 1GB PC2700 starts at $99
and 1GB PC3200 starts at $130. Quite a difference from the two
companies above, and to me, a dead giveaway of a "stacked" module.

Just for a laugh, try the 1GB module in DIMM slot 3, as that is the
best slot for a single DIMM configuration. Slot 3 is the one furthest
from the processor. Sometimes it makes a slight difference.

Good luck,
Paul
 
Just for a laugh, try the 1GB module in DIMM slot 3, as that is the
best slot for a single DIMM configuration. Slot 3 is the one furthest
from the processor. Sometimes it makes a slight difference.
Click to expand...

Already tried it in all three slots and no joy in any of them.

Thanks for the info on 'cheap' memory vs 'proper' memory, now I know a bit
more about why it does not work and I won't be so easily caught next time.

Adam S
 
Adam said:
Hi,

I am in the process of building a couple of PCs based on the Asus
A7N8X-X motherboard, one has 512MB of PC3200 the other has 1GB of
PC2700. The one with 1GB will not POST past where it counts the
memory.

I have a 1GB stick of PC2700 memory and one stick of 512MB PC3200.
Click to expand...


Try the 1009 BIOS. Place RAM in the slot closest to the CPU. Set Halt On to
"No Errors". Disable SPD and set relaxed memory timings manually. Run
memory at less than 166MHz to start; 133 should be fine. If it boots, go
from there.
 
Adam S said:
Hi,

I am in the process of building a couple of PCs based on the Asus A7N8X-X
motherboard, one has 512MB of PC3200 the other has 1GB of PC2700. The one
with 1GB will not POST past where it counts the memory.

I have a 1GB stick of PC2700 memory and one stick of 512MB PC3200.

From the Asus website it says that 3GB of memory is the maximum, unless you
are using PC3200 where a 2GB limit is imposed. As there are three dimm slots
I assumed that I could put three x 1GB sticks of PC2700 in there to get the
3GB max, hence I brought a single stick of 1GB so that it left the maximum
slots free for upgrades at a later date.

Have I miss read the specs on the motherboard and will each slot only take
512MB, unless I use PC2100?

The motherboard manual says to check the website for compatable PC3200
memory but does not mention a limit on each dimm slot.

Does anyone know if there is more information on memory capacity for this
board anywhere?

Adam S
Click to expand...

I think that the reason that this limitation exists is not the type of
memory involved but the ability of the chipset to drive the capacitive
load of three memory SIMMs at 200MHz bus frequency. Thus, when you
back off to 166MHz (PC2700) you gain enough margin that it works
reliably.

arnie
 
Arnie Berger said:
"Adam S" <[email protected]> wrote in message

I think that the reason that this limitation exists is not the type of
memory involved but the ability of the chipset to drive the capacitive
load of three memory SIMMs at 200MHz bus frequency. Thus, when you
back off to 166MHz (PC2700) you gain enough margin that it works
reliably.

arnie
Click to expand...

The faster PC3200 worked OK, but the slower PC2700 didn't.

Problem solved, (sort of) as the two 512Mb sticks arrived yesterday and are
working great.

Thanks for all your ideas and input folks.

Adam S
 
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