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Noob build: Crucial RAM - slow and stable or stability killer


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If I had spent some quality time on this forum before I bought all my kit, I would have spent less on my processor and more on my RAM. But I didn't, and now here I am relying on $90 Crucial 2 x 512 RAM. I know it's not fast (3-3-3-8), but will I have stability problems with it? I plan on getting better ram later, probably 2 x 1GB sticks, but for now I just want a stable system. I could probably afford the OCZ Gold pair on sale at Newegg (that's on a sticky right now), but I'd rather wait and save the money for a larger step later (the aforementioned 2 x 1GB). Recommendations?

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I'm running two sticks of pc3200 (unbuffered, non-ecc) 512mb crucial ddr ram in my ultra D board - it's running perfectly - no probs at all. Had it for about 3 months now. I checked with Crucial before i bought the set up to make sure it was compatible. I'm a gamer so I'm sure I'd have noticed any probs if there were any. Hope that helps.

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- no probs at all. Had it for about 3 months now.

 

Wizessor-

Did you have to mess around much to get it working? What BIOS are you using? Your experience is heartening. Windows crashed every time at the login screen until I turned CPC off (meaning I was running at 2T), even though memtest ran without errors at 1T. I just flashed to 510 -2, and I've loaded windows several times with RAM at 1T and no problems, but I'm still a bit on edge -- my first build and it took me about 20 hours of reading and trying to get windows stable. I don't trust it enough to do work on it yet.

 

Venice is supposed to have a better memory controller, but from what I've been seeing on the boards the opposite seems to be the case.

 

Thanks

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Guest burningrave101

You'll probably need to adjust the DRAM settings and maybe increase the voltage a little. Your going to face this problem with any RAM you install. Crucial's Value RAM is very good and as far as quality goes its just as good as the more expensive stuff. I just ordered 2x1024MB of the Crucal PC3200 Value on monday for my system.

 

Its not the price of RAM that makes it quality.

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just because it's slower does not mean it will not be stable .. sure it can be stable ... heck all the buisnesses I've worked for for all these years, buy the cheap stuff all the time ... for the desktops and they run forever ...

 

like ag said, learn those real well and it will make the next set (heck maybe your lucky and will not even want a new set) all the more rewarding, when you know personally how/what/why ...

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you've not even tested it and yet are thinking you made a bad choice?

 

how could you know if it works or not without testing it?

 

I was mainly interested in finding out quickly if it was known bad. Problem was that it wasn't passing a fairly basic test: booting Windows. I didn't see Crucial plain jane RAM mentioned anywhere, and I wondered if I'd stumbled into an egregious Newbie error that everyone else knew not to do. I was unsettled by the fact that I had all this brand new stuff and I couldn't get it to work. Now, with a bit of research and messing around, I seem to have found the solution and the problem does not seem to be the RAM but the BIOS/Memory controller combo, but reassurance from those that have gone before is always nice.

 

I think I'm hearing what I wanted to hear, which is that yeah, it may not be the fastest, but it should be stable. I have fairly modest goals at the moment. Overclocking comes later, after I've got some work out of the box. My next goal is to achieve at least a 1:1 ratio of use vs. fixing. Right now I'm about 0 for 20. I'm not complaining - it does make the success feel that much more rewarding. It's been (mostly) fun getting down and dirty with this serious board.

 

 

Thanks for the replies. This forum is a sweet resource.

 

I'd still like to hear about people's specific experience with plain Crucial RAM. Any more details?

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have a Crucial memory problem.

 

My NF3-U had Crucial 2x1GB Kit

16VDDT12864AG40BDB

16VDDT12864AG40BDB

 

These modules worked fine with Cas 3 and T2 timings.

 

I then purchased

 

Another Crucial 2x1GB Kit

 

16VDDT12864AG40BD1

16VDDT12864AG40BD1

 

However the motherboard will only count upto 3GB.

 

PC Wizzard can see the 4 1GB modules and report their speeds and serial numbers, but Windows and the BIOS cannot.

 

I have spoken to DFI in holland, and I went thorough series of procedures to test if the memory was at fault.

 

Here is what I have done so far (at the request of DFI)

 

Yellow slot: 1GB

Yellow slot: 1GB

Orange slot: Empty

Orange slot: Empty

OK 2GB Memory detected

 

Yellow slot: Empty

Yellow slot: Empty

Orange slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

OK 2GB Memory detected

 

Yellow slot: 1GB

Yellow slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

OK, but only 3GB memory detected!!!

 

Yellow slot: EMPTY

Yellow slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

Would not POST

 

Yellow slot: 1GB

Yellow slot: EMPTY

Orange slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

Would not POST

 

Yellow slot: 1GB

Yellow slot: 1GB

Orange slot: EMPTY

Orange slot: 1GB

Would not POST

 

Yellow slot: 1GB

Yellow slot: 1GB

Orange slot: 1GB

Orange slot: EMPTY

Would not POST

 

 

I was also told to increate the DDR voltage to 2.7V This made no differance. I have since returned this to 2.6V

 

I have also installed 2X1GB and 2X512MB = 3GB and this works.

 

Can anyone help?

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I thought that all of the X2 chip had the memory controler upgraded to support 4 memory slots filled.

 

The DFI support person also said that the board should support and should work with 4GB.

 

He suggested that I post here, as they cannot help me.

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Yes the X2s support 4 Sticks but Not 3...

 

So 2*1Gb+2*512 at 2T would be ok

4*1Gb should be ok (also at 2T)

but 3 * any combo of sticks is not ok.

 

U can Use 1 stick

2 sticks

or

4 sticks.

 

But why 4*1Gb only finds 3Gb RAM thats over my head. Id PM Angry_games or RGone about that. :dog:

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