problem with 3200+ & FSB400 in an A7N8X-X & A7N8X-E Deluxe...

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Vin

Ok, I posted sometime ago a question regarding a problem I've got with my
Athlon XP 3200+ and fsb400, ok?

I got new data to share, and I really need help! some light, something! ;)

This is the story:
I've got an A7N8X-X mobo ok, with an Athlon XP 3200+ and some generic ddr400
memo.
When I use the FSB at 333mhz for memo and cpu the PC works great at 2500+,
ok? but if I use the FSB at 400 (again cpu and memo) the PC hangs at boot up
XP. The cpu heat do not goes above 45-50.

Ok, so I changed the memory, I bought a Kingston memory (not the one
supported by asus). The only change is that at FSB400 the windows boot up
normal. But later do not works fine, it gives me a general protection fault
sporadically , the games do not work (at few seconds the game crash). The
cpu heat do not goes above 45-50 also.

I also change the mother, A7N8X-E Deluxe, and same story.

So, I could say that the problem it's the memory compatibility, right? or
the cpu could be the problem also?


Vini
 
Ok, I posted sometime ago a question regarding a problem I've got with my
Athlon XP 3200+ and fsb400, ok?

I got new data to share, and I really need help! some light, something! ;)

This is the story:
I've got an A7N8X-X mobo ok, with an Athlon XP 3200+ and some generic ddr400
memo.
When I use the FSB at 333mhz for memo and cpu the PC works great at 2500+,
ok? but if I use the FSB at 400 (again cpu and memo) the PC hangs at boot up
XP. The cpu heat do not goes above 45-50.

Ok, so I changed the memory, I bought a Kingston memory (not the one
supported by asus). The only change is that at FSB400 the windows boot up
normal. But later do not works fine, it gives me a general protection fault
sporadically , the games do not work (at few seconds the game crash). The
cpu heat do not goes above 45-50 also.

I also change the mother, A7N8X-E Deluxe, and same story.

So, I could say that the problem it's the memory compatibility, right? or
the cpu could be the problem also?


Vini
Click to expand...

Nforce2 is picky about memory.

My experience was:

Dual channel CAS3 memory would work at up to 185MHz (DDR370) or so.

1) Placing the memory in slot 1 and slot 2 (which is single channel
config) on the A7N8X-E allows the memory to go a little faster.
2) Running a 2T command rate BIOS (so-called CPC off BIOS) should
allow you to get to 200MHz.

http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=352326
Example of a CPC off modded BIOS...
http://www.senorpanadero.net/uploader/userfiles/trats/asus/a7n8x_e/1012-Emod_2T.zip

3) Buying CAS2 memory was the permanent fix for me. I got some
PC3200 CAS2 Ballistix memory from Crucial, and can run two
or three sticks error free on the Nforce2 at full speed.

Workaround (1) and (2) reduce memory bandwidth, while using the
CAS2 memory allows running "CPC on" at DDR400 CAS2 speed. All released
Asus BIOS come with "CPC on", which stands for "command per clock"
otherwise known as "command rate 1T", the most aggressive setting
for the address/command bus.

Workaround (1) and (2) will give memory bandwidth of around
900MB/sec, while (3) will give you 1400MB/sec (as measured by the
memtest86+ bandwidth indicator). While that might look like a large
difference, the effect isn't so great with real world applications.

With the picky Nforce2 problem, I recommend testing with Prime95
from mersenne.org. Use the "Torture Test" option in that program,
as it finds memory problems better than memtest86. I could pass
memtest86, but not pass Prime95, until I got my CAS2 memory. I
have had one report here, of someone who has managed to run
an Nforce2 board with CAS3 DDR400 memory dual channel, but such
reports don't seem to be that common.

And if someone tells you their comp runs great, ask them if
they've tried Prime95, because a lot of people have not
tested their computer in any systematic way. Booting Windows
doesn't prove anything (you just need to wait longer for it
to crash, without knowing why it crashed).

Paul
 
the nforce2 is quite picky about memory.

it took some tries to get my cpu and memory running at a 400fsb with
different types of ram.

in the end corsair 3200C2 ram at 2-3-3-6 worked in dual channel mode at a
400fsb.


 
Thanks boths for your answers, these were really helpfull!

I got 2 more question:
1) CAS 2 it's better than 3?
2)It's seems that corsair memo it's my option, so...

Can you give me the model of the memory?
or it's this?

512MB DDR PC3200 . 2-2-2-6 . UNBUFFERED . NON-ECC . DDR400 . 2.8V . 64Meg x
64
http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/st...7A5CA7304&WSMD=A7N8X-E+Deluxe&WSPN=BL6464Z402

I will try to found the exact memory! ;)

Vini
FriskyD said:
the nforce2 is quite picky about memory.

it took some tries to get my cpu and memory running at a 400fsb with
different types of ram.

in the end corsair 3200C2 ram at 2-3-3-6 worked in dual channel mode at a
400fsb.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks boths for your answers, these were really helpfull!

I got 2 more question:
1) CAS 2 it's better than 3?
2)It's seems that corsair memo it's my option, so...

Can you give me the model of the memory?
or it's this?

512MB DDR PC3200 . 2-2-2-6 . UNBUFFERED . NON-ECC . DDR400 . 2.8V . 64Meg x
64
http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/st...7A5CA7304&WSMD=A7N8X-E+Deluxe&WSPN=BL6464Z402

I will try to found the exact memory! ;)

Vini
Click to expand...

That is the stuff I'm using. CAS2 is faster than CAS3. The CAS
number is the delay until the data comes back, and two cycles is
less time than three cycles. CAS2 memory is termed a "low latency"
memory.

Paul
 
Vin said:
Thanks boths for your answers, these were really helpfull!

I got 2 more question:
1) CAS 2 it's better than 3?
2)It's seems that corsair memo it's my option, so...

Can you give me the model of the memory?
or it's this?

512MB DDR PC3200 . 2-2-2-6 . UNBUFFERED . NON-ECC . DDR400 . 2.8V .
64Meg x 64
http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/st...7A5CA7304&WSMD=A7N8X-E+Deluxe&WSPN=BL6464Z402

I will try to found the exact memory! ;)
Click to expand...

I can confirm that CAS 2 is necessary for 200/400 MHz dual channel
operation.
I have also had success with some TwinMos CAS 2.5 matched sticks (the ones
with heatsinks on them)

Watch out because some dealers say that it is CAS 2 memory without
specifying the clock speed, some of them are CAS 2 at 166 MHz and CAS 2.5 or
3 at 200 MHz.

Best bet is to install the sticks in a computer and run some sysinfo
software like Everest or Sandra to read what is given in the SPD of the
sticks.

Cheers

Clive
 
Clive Lumb said:
I can confirm that CAS 2 is necessary for 200/400 MHz dual channel
operation.
I have also had success with some TwinMos CAS 2.5 matched sticks (the ones
with heatsinks on them)

Watch out because some dealers say that it is CAS 2 memory without
specifying the clock speed, some of them are CAS 2 at 166 MHz and CAS 2.5 or
3 at 200 MHz.
Click to expand...

Here running 2x512 meg Elixir CAS 3 @ 200/400 dual channel. One of the
sticks had to be RMA'd however, because it contained errors, and if
placed in the dual channel slot, wouldn't boot at all.
 
Alex Wilde said:
Here running 2x512 meg Elixir CAS 3 @ 200/400 dual channel. One of the
sticks had to be RMA'd however, because it contained errors, and if
placed in the dual channel slot, wouldn't boot at all.
Click to expand...

Have you tried running the Prime95 (mersenne.org) "torture test"
on your board ? I'd be curious as to whether your CAS3 is
actually Prime stable.

Paul
 
Paul said:
Have you tried running the Prime95 (mersenne.org) "torture test"
on your board ? I'd be curious as to whether your CAS3 is
actually Prime stable.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Prime95 ran without problem for many hours, even with the stick I
sent back. It was only because Half-Life 2 crashed with this set-up that
I tried Memtest86 and found the errors, all above 512 MB.

The new stick shows no errors in either test, and it fixed the HL2 crash
:^)
 
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