Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo?

radiobrandon · 10-07-2007, 11:08 AM

Hey all,
so i've narrowed down the weirdness on my home pC to either my RAM -or- the motherboard. I can't get diagnostics to work long enough to show me what the problem really is before the system turns itself off - so I know it's either my memory banks, or the actual sticks.
Here's what i've got:

MSI RS482M4 Mobo w./AMD Athlon 64 @ 2.0GHz

Four sticks of APACER PC3200 RAM @ 512MB each.

The weird thing is that I have two identical sticks of ram in the correct bank -i took two out to remove a couple variables.
However - I KNOW i have two 512MB PC3200 sticks in there but windows is telling me that ive only got 768MB total.

If anyone has a clue - please fill me in, this is driving me absolutely freaking crazy.

Yes, I know everything else in this machine is in top working order. I am certain there is nothing else wrong with any other hardware.

**linderman** · 10-07-2007, 06:32 PM

have you tried running memtest on one stick of memory at a time for atleast two hours per stick ?????

http://memtest86.com/

what is the make and model and age of your PSU ???

**speedster123** · 10-07-2007, 07:44 PM

from their page:
Main Memory
• Supports four 184-pin DDR SDRAMs up to 4GB memory size
• Supports Dual Channel DDR400*/DDR333 DDR SDRAM (*Refer to MSI recommended modules)
• Support for 2Mx32 (with 64-bit interface), 4Mx32, 8Mx32 and 16Mx16 memory devices
Due to the High Performance Memory design, motherboards or system configurations may or may not operate smoothly at the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standard settings (BIOS Default on the motherboard) such as DDR voltage, memory speeds and memory timing. Please confirm and adjust your memory setting in the BIOS accordingly for better system stability.
Example: Kingston HyperX DDR500 PC4000 operates at 2.65V, 3-4-4-8, CL=3.
For more information about specification of high performance memory modules, please check with your Memory Manufactures for more details.

radiobrandon · 10-08-2007, 09:35 AM

The PSU is about a year old, and has a lightning bolt and the word "Power" on it. -Sad right?

I cannot test one stick at a time because apparently the board runs in dual channel mode and fails to boot if i have an odd number in.

**linderman** · 10-08-2007, 04:00 PM

the board "should" run with one stick of memory in the slot closest to the CPU

please verify

**linderman** · 10-08-2007, 04:03 PM

your PSU description is making sirens go off in my head, a good quality PSU is just as important and just a "brag" worthy as any CPU or motherboard or Video card

nothing will trash your system faster than dirty power

radiobrandon · 10-10-2007, 11:08 AM

OK, ill replace the PSU as soon as I can. And as well, I will try to get the system to post with only one stick of ram in it....but it's never worked before.
I did change the latency to match the RAM, and it seems to be much more stable at this point. I havent had it crash. However, it's still being strange...im trying to run checkdisk cos i know ive written some bad data to the hard drive...but it seems to not make it past 32 percent. WHen i get home, ill tinker some more. I know i can get this thing good to go.
Especially with all of your help! :)

**linderman** · 10-10-2007, 03:19 PM

I would also go to the hard drive manufacturers website and download their diagnostic utility (free) then run the utility to verify the mechanical condition of the drive , a bum drive can make a system very flaky too

10-07-2007, 11:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
radiobrandon Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Northwest Florida Posts: 14 OS: Windows XP Professional My System	Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? Hey all, so i've narrowed down the weirdness on my home pC to either my RAM -or- the motherboard. I can't get diagnostics to work long enough to show me what the problem really is before the system turns itself off - so I know it's either my memory banks, or the actual sticks. Here's what i've got: MSI RS482M4 Mobo w./AMD Athlon 64 @ 2.0GHz Four sticks of APACER PC3200 RAM @ 512MB each. The weird thing is that I have two identical sticks of ram in the correct bank -i took two out to remove a couple variables. However - I KNOW i have two 512MB PC3200 sticks in there but windows is telling me that ive only got 768MB total. If anyone has a clue - please fill me in, this is driving me absolutely freaking crazy. Yes, I know everything else in this machine is in top working order. I am certain there is nothing else wrong with any other hardware.

10-07-2007, 06:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,437 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? have you tried running memtest on one stick of memory at a time for atleast two hours per stick ????? http://memtest86.com/ what is the make and model and age of your PSU ??? __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

10-07-2007, 07:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
speedster123 Mentor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: United States-New York-Long Island Posts: 5,223 OS: xp pro SP3	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? from their page: Main Memory • Supports four 184-pin DDR SDRAMs up to 4GB memory size • Supports Dual Channel DDR400/DDR333 DDR SDRAM (Refer to MSI recommended modules) • Support for 2Mx32 (with 64-bit interface), 4Mx32, 8Mx32 and 16Mx16 memory devices Due to the High Performance Memory design, motherboards or system configurations may or may not operate smoothly at the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standard settings (BIOS Default on the motherboard) such as DDR voltage, memory speeds and memory timing. Please confirm and adjust your memory setting in the BIOS accordingly for better system stability. Example: Kingston HyperX DDR500 PC4000 operates at 2.65V, 3-4-4-8, CL=3. For more information about specification of high performance memory modules, please check with your Memory Manufactures for more details. __________________

10-08-2007, 09:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
radiobrandon Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Northwest Florida Posts: 14 OS: Windows XP Professional My System	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? The PSU is about a year old, and has a lightning bolt and the word "Power" on it. -Sad right? I cannot test one stick at a time because apparently the board runs in dual channel mode and fails to boot if i have an odd number in.

10-08-2007, 04:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,437 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? the board "should" run with one stick of memory in the slot closest to the CPU please verify __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

10-08-2007, 04:03 PM	#6 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,437 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? your PSU description is making sirens go off in my head, a good quality PSU is just as important and just a "brag" worthy as any CPU or motherboard or Video card nothing will trash your system faster than dirty power __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

10-10-2007, 11:08 AM	#7 (permalink)
radiobrandon Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Northwest Florida Posts: 14 OS: Windows XP Professional My System	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? OK, ill replace the PSU as soon as I can. And as well, I will try to get the system to post with only one stick of ram in it....but it's never worked before. I did change the latency to match the RAM, and it seems to be much more stable at this point. I havent had it crash. However, it's still being strange...im trying to run checkdisk cos i know ive written some bad data to the hard drive...but it seems to not make it past 32 percent. WHen i get home, ill tinker some more. I know i can get this thing good to go. Especially with all of your help! :)

10-10-2007, 03:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,437 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Replace the RAM, or Replace the Mobo? I would also go to the hard drive manufacturers website and download their diagnostic utility (free) then run the utility to verify the mechanical condition of the drive , a bum drive can make a system very flaky too __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial