P5WD2 reports incorrect speed of RAM

[Jim]

Instead of PC2 5400, BIOS recognizes it as 4200. A hard drive from an
earlier build with the same motherboard is being used in this system
but it should not affect what is displayed in the BIOS. I removed the
battery and repositioned the jumper cap to clear system parameters but
after rebooting the system still does not acknowledge faster RAM.
Will this affect the performance of the latest build?

 

[Paul]

Instead of PC2 5400, BIOS recognizes it as 4200. A hard drive from an
earlier build with the same motherboard is being used in this system
but it should not affect what is displayed in the BIOS. I removed the
battery and repositioned the jumper cap to clear system parameters but
after rebooting the system still does not acknowledge faster RAM.
Will this affect the performance of the latest build?

Timing information is stored in the SPD chip on a DIMM.

Performance memory operates faster than any JEDEC spec.
Yet, to operate in a default situation, it would be good
to have the SPD contain information appropriate for the
top JEDEC approved speed, because chances are the chipset
maker adheres to those rules.

What it boils down to, is the SPD probably contains "safe"
values, and if you want to actually run the memory at
its rated speed, you may have to set those higher speed
parameters manually in the BIOS. (No amount of playing
with the clear CMOS jumper is going to fix this.)

Asus does apply special conditions to RAM in some of their
BIOS. I have looked inside some of the BIOS modules, and you
can see the model numbers of some memory products in there.
This has been used in the past, to make a motherboard work
properly, in spite of the SPD on a DIMM being mis-coded by
the manufacturer. This is a case of making the "safe"
settings "safer". Asus generally doesn't make the memory
more aggressive, with the exception of things like the
"Turbo" setting, where only a CAS2 memory can survive the
use of "Turbo".

For a little background about memory, Corsair Micro has
a slide set. Slide 24 of this presentation says
CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS is the order of parameters when you
see something like 2-3-3-8 as a timing spec for a memory.

http://corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/tech/memory_basics/

To see more of what your BIOS has to offer, try settings
like "AI Overclocking" [Manual] and "Performance Mode"
[Standard]. That might give you a few more controls to work
with. You might find a DRAM frequency control to work with
then, to get that magic "5400" you are looking for (DDR2-667).

When you are finished, verify the settings that result, by
using CPUZ from www.cpuid.com. It will display the timing
parameters and frequencies being used. Verification is
important, because some BIOS versions don't actually set
the hardware according to the numbers entered by the
user. (My P4C800-E was like that.)

HTH,
Paul

 

[Jim]

Instead of PC2 5400, BIOS recognizes it as 4200. A hard drive from an
earlier build with the same motherboard is being used in this system
but it should not affect what is displayed in the BIOS. I removed the
battery and repositioned the jumper cap to clear system parameters but
after rebooting the system still does not acknowledge faster RAM.
Will this affect the performance of the latest build?

Timing information is stored in the SPD chip on a DIMM.

Performance memory operates faster than any JEDEC spec.
Yet, to operate in a default situation, it would be good
to have the SPD contain information appropriate for the
top JEDEC approved speed, because chances are the chipset
maker adheres to those rules.

What it boils down to, is the SPD probably contains "safe"
values, and if you want to actually run the memory at
its rated speed, you may have to set those higher speed
parameters manually in the BIOS. (No amount of playing
with the clear CMOS jumper is going to fix this.)

Asus does apply special conditions to RAM in some of their
BIOS. I have looked inside some of the BIOS modules, and you
can see the model numbers of some memory products in there.
This has been used in the past, to make a motherboard work
properly, in spite of the SPD on a DIMM being mis-coded by
the manufacturer. This is a case of making the "safe"
settings "safer". Asus generally doesn't make the memory
more aggressive, with the exception of things like the
"Turbo" setting, where only a CAS2 memory can survive the
use of "Turbo".

For a little background about memory, Corsair Micro has
a slide set. Slide 24 of this presentation says
CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS is the order of parameters when you
see something like 2-3-3-8 as a timing spec for a memory.

http://corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/tech/memory_basics/

To see more of what your BIOS has to offer, try settings
like "AI Overclocking" [Manual] and "Performance Mode"
[Standard]. That might give you a few more controls to work
with. You might find a DRAM frequency control to work with
then, to get that magic "5400" you are looking for (DDR2-667).

When you are finished, verify the settings that result, by
using CPUZ from www.cpuid.com. It will display the timing
parameters and frequencies being used. Verification is
important, because some BIOS versions don't actually set
the hardware according to the numbers entered by the
user. (My P4C800-E was like that.)

HTH,
Paul

Just found out in another newsgroup that this board does not support
DDR2 675 (PC2 5400). Guess I'll have to live with the disappointment of
not gaining extra nanoseconds of speed. This was my first build and
everything was compatible except those damn sticks of RAM and it's
highly unlikely that I'll foot the bill to send it back to Newegg. Plan
to take your advise and hopefully fix this blunder by tinkering with
the BIOS.

Thank you very much for replying -

 

[Justin Scott]

Instead of PC2 5400, BIOS recognizes it as 4200. A hard drive from an
earlier build with the same motherboard is being used in this system
but it should not affect what is displayed in the BIOS. I removed the
battery and repositioned the jumper cap to clear system parameters but
after rebooting the system still does not acknowledge faster RAM.
Will this affect the performance of the latest build?

Timing information is stored in the SPD chip on a DIMM.

Performance memory operates faster than any JEDEC spec.
Yet, to operate in a default situation, it would be good
to have the SPD contain information appropriate for the
top JEDEC approved speed, because chances are the chipset
maker adheres to those rules.

What it boils down to, is the SPD probably contains "safe"
values, and if you want to actually run the memory at
its rated speed, you may have to set those higher speed
parameters manually in the BIOS. (No amount of playing
with the clear CMOS jumper is going to fix this.)

Asus does apply special conditions to RAM in some of their
BIOS. I have looked inside some of the BIOS modules, and you
can see the model numbers of some memory products in there.
This has been used in the past, to make a motherboard work
properly, in spite of the SPD on a DIMM being mis-coded by
the manufacturer. This is a case of making the "safe"
settings "safer". Asus generally doesn't make the memory
more aggressive, with the exception of things like the
"Turbo" setting, where only a CAS2 memory can survive the
use of "Turbo".

For a little background about memory, Corsair Micro has
a slide set. Slide 24 of this presentation says
CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS is the order of parameters when you
see something like 2-3-3-8 as a timing spec for a memory.

http://corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/tech/memory_basics/

To see more of what your BIOS has to offer, try settings
like "AI Overclocking" [Manual] and "Performance Mode"
[Standard]. That might give you a few more controls to work
with. You might find a DRAM frequency control to work with
then, to get that magic "5400" you are looking for (DDR2-667).

When you are finished, verify the settings that result, by
using CPUZ from www.cpuid.com. It will display the timing
parameters and frequencies being used. Verification is
important, because some BIOS versions don't actually set
the hardware according to the numbers entered by the
user. (My P4C800-E was like that.)

HTH,
Paul

Just found out in another newsgroup that this board does not support
DDR2 675 (PC2 5400). Guess I'll have to live with the disappointment of
not gaining extra nanoseconds of speed. This was my first build and
everything was compatible except those damn sticks of RAM and it's
highly unlikely that I'll foot the bill to send it back to Newegg. Plan
to take your advise and hopefully fix this blunder by tinkering with
the BIOS.

Thank you very much for replying -

Not true; the P5WD2 absolutely does support DDR2 667, I am running
Corsair 5400C4 RAM with it just fine. Check with Corsair support for the
proper settings for that RAM (they have a forum at houseofhelp.com , and
within the Corsair forum look for the "Proper settings" messages -- this
link should work
http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38150 ).

You'll need to go into the BIOS as suggested and make the settings
manually, both for the RAM speed and the timings. Once you set those, it
should work fine.

The only gotcha is I didn't realise I had to boost the DRAM voltage to
1.9V (from 1.8V, I think) and the computer kept telling me the overclock
failed and put it back to 4200.

It'll work, just do some digging.

Justin

 

[Justin Scott]

Instead of PC2 5400, BIOS recognizes it as 4200. A hard drive from an
earlier build with the same motherboard is being used in this system
but it should not affect what is displayed in the BIOS. I removed the
battery and repositioned the jumper cap to clear system parameters but
after rebooting the system still does not acknowledge faster RAM.
Will this affect the performance of the latest build?

Timing information is stored in the SPD chip on a DIMM.

Performance memory operates faster than any JEDEC spec.
Yet, to operate in a default situation, it would be good
to have the SPD contain information appropriate for the
top JEDEC approved speed, because chances are the chipset
maker adheres to those rules.

What it boils down to, is the SPD probably contains "safe"
values, and if you want to actually run the memory at
its rated speed, you may have to set those higher speed
parameters manually in the BIOS. (No amount of playing
with the clear CMOS jumper is going to fix this.)

Asus does apply special conditions to RAM in some of their
BIOS. I have looked inside some of the BIOS modules, and you
can see the model numbers of some memory products in there.
This has been used in the past, to make a motherboard work
properly, in spite of the SPD on a DIMM being mis-coded by
the manufacturer. This is a case of making the "safe"
settings "safer". Asus generally doesn't make the memory
more aggressive, with the exception of things like the
"Turbo" setting, where only a CAS2 memory can survive the
use of "Turbo".

For a little background about memory, Corsair Micro has
a slide set. Slide 24 of this presentation says
CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS is the order of parameters when you
see something like 2-3-3-8 as a timing spec for a memory.

http://corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/tech/memory_basics/

To see more of what your BIOS has to offer, try settings
like "AI Overclocking" [Manual] and "Performance Mode"
[Standard]. That might give you a few more controls to work
with. You might find a DRAM frequency control to work with
then, to get that magic "5400" you are looking for (DDR2-667).

When you are finished, verify the settings that result, by
using CPUZ from www.cpuid.com. It will display the timing
parameters and frequencies being used. Verification is
important, because some BIOS versions don't actually set
the hardware according to the numbers entered by the
user. (My P4C800-E was like that.)

HTH,
Paul

Just found out in another newsgroup that this board does not support
DDR2 675 (PC2 5400). Guess I'll have to live with the disappointment of
not gaining extra nanoseconds of speed. This was my first build and
everything was compatible except those damn sticks of RAM and it's
highly unlikely that I'll foot the bill to send it back to Newegg. Plan
to take your advise and hopefully fix this blunder by tinkering with
the BIOS.

Thank you very much for replying -

Not true; the P5WD2 absolutely does support DDR2 667, I am running
Corsair 5400C4 RAM with it just fine. Check with Corsair support for the
proper settings for that RAM (they have a forum at houseofhelp.com , and
within the Corsair forum look for the "Proper settings" messages -- this
link should work
http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38150 ).

You'll need to go into the BIOS as suggested and make the settings
manually, both for the RAM speed and the timings. Once you set those, it
should work fine.

The only gotcha is I didn't realise I had to boost the DRAM voltage to
1.9V (from 1.8V, I think) and the computer kept telling me the overclock
failed and put it back to 4200.

It'll work, just do some digging.

Justin

I should clarify, the "official" speed is DDR2 667, but Corsair (from
what I have read) calls their lower-latency modules DDR2 675 because you
can lower the timing so much. So look for the 667 RAM speed, and set the
timing as appropriate for your module.

 

[John]

Instead of PC2 5400, BIOS recognizes it as 4200. A hard drive from an
earlier build with the same motherboard is being used in this system
but it should not affect what is displayed in the BIOS. I removed the
battery and repositioned the jumper cap to clear system parameters but
after rebooting the system still does not acknowledge faster RAM.
Will this affect the performance of the latest build?

Timing information is stored in the SPD chip on a DIMM.

Performance memory operates faster than any JEDEC spec.
Yet, to operate in a default situation, it would be good
to have the SPD contain information appropriate for the
top JEDEC approved speed, because chances are the chipset
maker adheres to those rules.

What it boils down to, is the SPD probably contains "safe"
values, and if you want to actually run the memory at
its rated speed, you may have to set those higher speed
parameters manually in the BIOS. (No amount of playing
with the clear CMOS jumper is going to fix this.)

Asus does apply special conditions to RAM in some of their
BIOS. I have looked inside some of the BIOS modules, and you
can see the model numbers of some memory products in there.
This has been used in the past, to make a motherboard work
properly, in spite of the SPD on a DIMM being mis-coded by
the manufacturer. This is a case of making the "safe"
settings "safer". Asus generally doesn't make the memory
more aggressive, with the exception of things like the
"Turbo" setting, where only a CAS2 memory can survive the
use of "Turbo".

For a little background about memory, Corsair Micro has
a slide set. Slide 24 of this presentation says
CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS is the order of parameters when you
see something like 2-3-3-8 as a timing spec for a memory.

http://corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/tech/memory_basics/

To see more of what your BIOS has to offer, try settings
like "AI Overclocking" [Manual] and "Performance Mode"
[Standard]. That might give you a few more controls to work
with. You might find a DRAM frequency control to work with
then, to get that magic "5400" you are looking for (DDR2-667).

When you are finished, verify the settings that result, by
using CPUZ from www.cpuid.com. It will display the timing
parameters and frequencies being used. Verification is
important, because some BIOS versions don't actually set
the hardware according to the numbers entered by the
user. (My P4C800-E was like that.)

HTH,
Paul

Just found out in another newsgroup that this board does not support
DDR2 675 (PC2 5400). Guess I'll have to live with the disappointment of
not gaining extra nanoseconds of speed. This was my first build and
everything was compatible except those damn sticks of RAM and it's
highly unlikely that I'll foot the bill to send it back to Newegg. Plan
to take your advise and hopefully fix this blunder by tinkering with
the BIOS.

Thank you very much for replying -

From Asus website - your board supports:

4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support max. 8GB DDR2 800/ 667/ 533 ECC and non-ECC
memory