P4P8x SE Memory Issue

Welcome to TSF:

Not all memory models and makes are so interchangeable as we expect them to be. The modern P4 boards are actually very fussy and selective about the volatage stability and memory compatability

Sounds to me like you have a mismatch of ram specs that isnt going to fly with your mobo. My suggestion would be to find a memory model that is tested for your mobo / you can accomplish this by going to the memory makers of crucial, corsair or OCZ and use their compatability selector and check the memory has been tested for your mobo.

At least you are somewhat lucky / I have seen many instances where the initial boot up got nowhere with either swap of memory modules / yet when tried in other boards they work (leading the user to the conclusion the memory is good) only to find they arent compatible with the mobo / many boards get sent back for RMA because of this issue when nothing is wrong with them / you could sell of any unused memory on ebay as well as check prices for model numbers you find WILL work on your board in a four stick configuration

if you carefully read and note (interpret) the key symbols within the QVL list in your mobo manual you will see finding a four stick configuration is not as easy or as common as a working two stick configuration ??!!
regards

joe

Jack:

Yes the suggestion you have been given does work / but I would not rush right into the the voltages settings of 2.85 quite so eagerly / try bumping them up .10 at a time / ie. if they are 2.75 now then try 2.80 if that setting is available

these settings are in the bios under "system or CPU configuration" you will need to change from auto detect to manual settings. (see manual)

one other note / I would be hesitatant to do so unless your board supports some form of bios crash recovery ????? if the settings get too out of acceptable norm the system will hang up at which time you will need to reset or clear the CMOS (see the section in your manual on how to clear the cmos or CLRTC)

Personally I favor the move to two matching sticks of 512 if you are lloking at a gig of memory / if more than go with two matching stricks of "tested" ONE gig memory

the manipulation of the ram volatages and timings do cure your problem many times, but not every time !! before you are done you will definetly make your system unstable and hang-up or crash / this is normal for this endeavor / but you must be prepared to deal with the steps to recitify

regards

joe

jackstermania said:

My specs: P4 2.8ghz Prescott, 2x512mb Elixir RAM, P4P8X-SE MB..

Question: I recently bought 2x512mb of ram and added them with my current 2x256mb... No matter the combination of the slots i used, one pair of either ram would work, but if i used all four slots the computer would not boot up properly, and the monitor would not turn on as well...

Both sets of ram are PC3200 400mhz.

Click to expand...

Last week I had the exact same motherboard with the same problem just as you describe it. The problem isn't always the mobo but don't rule out anything. Originally I had 2x256MB Wintec DIMMs (Infineon chipset) and decided to buy 2x512MB Corsair ValueSelect DIMMS with all the same specs and CAS Latency. I installed all 4 DIMMs as instructed in the P4P8X manual's charts. After doing so the pc would turn on but it would not even run POST. The monitor stayed blank as if there were no video signal from the pc. If I installed only the new memory, or only the old ones, then the pc booted up properly. This was an indication that the two sets of memory were not compatible for whatever reason. I took my ValueSelect memory back to the store and bought 2x512MB Ultra brand DIMMs instead and the computer booted up properly after detecting all 1536MB.

Since I don't overclock anything on my pc, I assume my problem was that the motherboard is overclocking my memory somehow and the Infineon DIMMs could handle it but the economy-line ValueSelect DIMMs could not. I bought the Ultra brand DIMMs after finding out they overclock well. I think Kingston or PNY memory would've resolved my problem too, but from now on I'm going to review brands and their offerings before buying, and I'll probably stay away from their "value" lines.