Anybody have 4 GB (ram) in their system ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Skybuck Flying
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Skybuck Flying

Hi,

I read some people are having problems with the an8-sli-premium motherboard
when trying to use 4 memory sticks.

I am considering buying this motherboard because it has enough room for air
flow for two dual slot gtx 7800, 512 MB cards.

However I also want my system to be ready for 64 bit computing, like windows
vista in the future.

So who on these newsgroups is 64 bit ready ? and is already running 64 bit
linux or windows 64 bit or beta versions of windows vista with 4 GB or
memory ? ;) !!

(I am also interested to hear about any other motherboards being able to use
4 GB/4 memory sticks in practice ! ;))

Bye,
Skybuck.
 
A8N-sli (not "premium" so I suppose this is all OT) ... 2 Kingston
KVR400X64C31K2/1G = 4, dual boot with that free trial XP64 ... only one
bfg7800gtx so far but it is tempting to get a 2nd ... all running just fine.
I went with the Seasonic 600W ATX12 V2.0 ... comes with all the right
connectors for sli.

Linux .. that reminds me ... where'd I put all those distros ???

The 4 sticks are only the result of selling off one PC without mem, else
would go with 2.

My board, PS, disks etc are sitting here on the desk ... no case. Here's a
question ... I'm using the BIOS start on spacebar, but it does not always
work. Once in a while have to power off/on the PS to get the start on
spacebar to work.???

Note ... I'm only responding only to this .asus newsgroup ... no tolerance
for cross posters.
 
Skybuck said:
Hi,

I read some people are having problems with the an8-sli-premium motherboard
when trying to use 4 memory sticks.

I am considering buying this motherboard because it has enough room for air
flow for two dual slot gtx 7800, 512 MB cards.

However I also want my system to be ready for 64 bit computing, like windows
vista in the future.

So who on these newsgroups is 64 bit ready ? and is already running 64 bit
linux or windows 64 bit or beta versions of windows vista with 4 GB or
memory ? ;) !!

(I am also interested to hear about any other motherboards being able to use
4 GB/4 memory sticks in practice ! ;))

Bye,
Skybuck.
Click to expand...
At work we have a Thunder K8QW (S4881) with 2 optrons an 8gb ram DDR
3200. running debain. We also have more power but thats the one I know
what's in it
 
(I am also interested to hear about any other motherboards being able to
I have an MSI GNB Max with P4 3.06GHz and 4GB dual channel DDR RAM.


Tom Lake
 
Tom said:
I have an MSI GNB Max with P4 3.06GHz and 4GB dual channel DDR RAM.
Click to expand...

Do you get the full 4GB in Windows?

In my experience, there's no motherboard out there today designed for
non-workstation chips (i.e. non-Xeon / Opteron) that works 100% - and I
mean 100% - stable with more than 2GB of memory.

The chipset design prevents the full 4GB being available, and populating
all four memory slots generally takes the FSB down to 333MHz. Windows
stability is also flaky.


Odie
 
Odie Ferrous said:
Do you get the full 4GB in Windows?

In my experience, there's no motherboard out there today designed for
non-workstation chips (i.e. non-Xeon / Opteron) that works 100% - and I
mean 100% - stable with more than 2GB of memory.

The chipset design prevents the full 4GB being available, and populating
all four memory slots generally takes the FSB down to 333MHz. Windows
stability is also flaky.
Click to expand...
I'm running 4GB with normal WXP, on the Asus SLI board being discussed.
You have to use the /3GB switch, to allocate 3GB to the user memory space,
otherwise Windows is only allocating 2GB, and reserving the rest for
system use, which is then rarely taken advantage of. The SLI, does
implement the extended addressing mode, allowing WXP, and latter OS's to
'see' 4GB (without this, the memory space used for things like the video
card, PCI devices etc., will be 'lost' from the available memory). It
works fine. There is a caveat, that a few applications don't like the /3GB
mode (only two that I have met so far, and both very old). I am running
with the memory at PC3200 (Samsung memory). There was a change a little
while ago, in either the board, processor, or the BIOS (can't now remember
which), which had a significant effect on stability when all four memory
slots are filled. A bit of research ought to find details of this, and
before this was implemented, earlier machines had to slow down the memory
bus, when they were fully populated like this.

Best Wishes
 
I have an MSI GNB Max with P4 3.06GHz and 4GB dual channel DDR RAM.
Do you get the full 4GB in Windows?

In my experience, there's no motherboard out there today designed for
non-workstation chips (i.e. non-Xeon / Opteron) that works 100% - and I
mean 100% - stable with more than 2GB of memory.
Click to expand...

Windows reports 3.5GB RAM and the GNB Max *IS* 100% stable.
The chipset is the Intel E7205 server chipset with a 533MHz FSB and can
only use up to DDR 2100 but with the dual channel configuration, that gives
the CPU all the bandwidth it can use anyway. Using faster RAM wouldn't
speed up the processor at all. I've run it 24/7 for about two years now,
only rebooting after new software installs or updates

Tom Lake
 
Tom Lake said:
Windows reports 3.5GB RAM and the GNB Max *IS* 100% stable.
The chipset is the Intel E7205 server chipset with a 533MHz FSB and can
only use up to DDR 2100 but with the dual channel configuration, that
gives
the CPU all the bandwidth it can use anyway. Using faster RAM wouldn't
speed up the processor at all. I've run it 24/7 for about two years now,
only rebooting after new software installs or updates

Tom Lake
Click to expand...
If you ran with XP server, given that yours is a 'server' chipset, you
ought to see 4GB reported, rather than 3.5GB. This is because of the
memory limitations I mentioned, where the motherboard devices need some
memory area. There is an address extension mode, that gets round this, is
supported on the SLI, ought to be supported on your board, but requires XP
server, or 'better' to use. On the SLI, how much memory you see in
standard XP, depends on what video cards you have fitted. It can drop to
only about 3.2GB, if you have two cards using SLI.

Best Wishes
 
If you ran with XP server, given that yours is a 'server' chipset, you
ought to see 4GB reported, rather than 3.5GB. This is because of the
memory limitations I mentioned, where the motherboard devices need some
memory area. There is an address extension mode, that gets round this, is
supported on the SLI, ought to be supported on your board, but requires XP
server, or 'better' to use. On the SLI, how much memory you see in
standard XP, depends on what video cards you have fitted. It can drop to
only about 3.2GB, if you have two cards using SLI.

Best Wishes
Click to expand...
I'm running 4 gigs of DDR 3200 on a P4C800-E Deluxe, W2K Pro, and the
machine is showing 3,797,740 KB of Ram.
 
justindavid said:
I'm running 4 gigs of DDR 3200 on a P4C800-E Deluxe, W2K Pro, and the
machine is showing 3,797,740 KB of Ram.
Click to expand...
Yes. The loss is dependant on how many areas are mapped into the area
below 4GB (and how large they are). Your figure would drop if (for
instance), you added a typical SCSI adapter, or some video cards. Two SLI
cards, create _large_ holes in this area...

Best Wishes
 
Yes. The loss is dependant on how many areas are mapped into the area
below 4GB (and how large they are). Your figure would drop if (for
instance), you added a typical SCSI adapter, or some video cards. Two SLI
cards, create _large_ holes in this area...

Best Wishes
Click to expand...

I am running an Adaptec 2940 U2/U2W scsi card with a scsi hard
drive...
 
justindavid said:
I am running an Adaptec 2940 U2/U2W scsi card with a scsi hard
drive...
Click to expand...
Your figure sounds just a fraction lower than I'd have expected, with a
modern AGP video card, and a SCSI card, but it is still a possible level.
However the memory 'holes' vary so much from card to card, that it is very
difficult to be sure. For example, a Radeon, 9800GT, with 128MB fitted,
normally creates a 128MB hole on it's own. Two 256MB GeForce cards running
in SLI, make a 512MB hole, just for their main memory (and a few others as
well...). Conversely, a standard Matrox AGP card, with just 64MB of RAM,
only creates a 64MB hole, and the Adaptec, normally creates a small hole
for a buffer, and another for it's BIOS (if the BIOS isn't enabled, the
space drops a little).
This is why I say 'some video cards'. Also some makes of older SCSI card
are a little 'naughty', and despite only having a small BIOS, reserve a
hole, that is far larger than the memory that is fitted.
If you run a couple of large video cards, some network cards (many older
designs only reserve ports, not parts of the main PCI memory map), with a
BIOS present, etc. etc., it is suprisingly 'easy' to find 3/4GB, having
disappeared!...

Best Wishes
 
Skybuck Flying said:
Hi,

I read some people are having problems with the an8-sli-premium
motherboard
when trying to use 4 memory sticks.

I am considering buying this motherboard because it has enough room for
air
flow for two dual slot gtx 7800, 512 MB cards.

However I also want my system to be ready for 64 bit computing, like
windows
vista in the future.

So who on these newsgroups is 64 bit ready ? and is already running 64 bit
linux or windows 64 bit or beta versions of windows vista with 4 GB or
memory ? ;) !!

(I am also interested to hear about any other motherboards being able to
use
4 GB/4 memory sticks in practice ! ;))

Bye,
Skybuck.
Click to expand...

Hi Starbuck

I'm running the AN8-SLI-Deluxe, which looks to be much like the premium but
with a noisy fan rather than the heat pipe arrangement, with 4 x 1Gb sticks
and XP64. Until I enabled the memory remap BIOS function, XP could only see
around 3Gb (due to memory-mapped IO in the 3-4 GB address range). With the
BIOS function enabled, the system sees almost all of the 4Gb. Only problem
so far has been finding drivers for bluetooth. No notable performance
changes with my 32-bit games or software, and no glitches with them. My
full spec:

Athlon 64 4000+
4 x 1Gb RAM (DDR 400)
XP64 Professional
3 x 250Gb SATA hard disks
2 x Nvidia 6800GT
Wireless NIC
Additional USB & Firewire card

So far, I haven't felt the need to overclock, but with the CPU at 56C under
prime95 for 24 hours, there should be some headroom.

Hope this is some use,

Charlie
 
Charles Spalton said:
Hi Starbuck

I'm running the AN8-SLI-Deluxe, which looks to be much like the premium but
with a noisy fan rather than the heat pipe arrangement, with 4 x 1Gb sticks
and XP64. Until I enabled the memory remap BIOS function, XP could only see
around 3Gb (due to memory-mapped IO in the 3-4 GB address range). With the
BIOS function enabled, the system sees almost all of the 4Gb. Only problem
so far has been finding drivers for bluetooth. No notable performance
changes with my 32-bit games or software, and no glitches with them. My
full spec:

Athlon 64 4000+
4 x 1Gb RAM (DDR 400)
XP64 Professional
3 x 250Gb SATA hard disks
2 x Nvidia 6800GT
Wireless NIC
Additional USB & Firewire card
Click to expand...

Ok,

Hi there yourself ! :)

Thats good to hear.

Also thanks to all other people in this/these threads it was most
informative :D

Bye,
Skybuck.
 
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