High spec ram on mid spec board ~ problem?

[lots]

RAM can fail at any point. Have you tried each stick on its own to see if the system would post? Another thought, would also be to check that all the RAM slots on the motherboard still work properly, as these can fail too.

There can be a variety of reasons for the failures. They range from external forces, such as a surge, to just pure chance that you got a dud part.

[cyphyr]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes I have tried each of the 1 gig ram chips individually in the first ram slot and now only one works. The other three refuse to post. Its been working fine with all 4 for the last 2 months. I doubt that if a stick will not work in the first slot it might work in another slot so since only one works in the first slot (correct me if I'm wrong but ram must be slotted in sequance, as in you cant put nothing in the first slot and sticks in other slots, it just wont work). The company I got the ram from is trying to say I fried the ram by running it at a lower frequancy than its built for. I dont see the logic in this.
cyphyr

[davegraham]

for a little more granular error reporting, I'd HIGHLY recommend running Memtest86+ (available here (http://www.memtest.org/)). that should provide you with some decent results on the memory you're currently using.

the company that sold you the RAM is, politely, full of BS.

a.) no damage can occur if you underclock the memory. That's well within the JEDEC tolerances of the memory chips themselves.
b.) damage CAN occur if you're running out of voltage spec

OCZ warranties their memory directly. Please call your local OCZ tech support # (available from this page (http://www.ocztechnology.com/contact/)) and start the RMA process.

cheers,

dave

[cyphyr]

b.) damage CAN occur if you're running out of voltage spec


Thanks for that, can you be a little more specific about what this means, my system has tons of extra wattage capacity but how would I run out of/low of voltage spec?

cyphyr

ps running vista on just 1 gig is tortuous!!

[lots]

You wont fry RAM by running it below spec. The only real way to fry ram is running the voltage out of spec (by a large enough margin) underclocking generally is harmless.

As for ram being in a specific slot, it depends more on the motherboard and chipset.

Like Dave says, run mem test on these modules to get a more clear picture of what's going on.

[davegraham]

Thanks for that, can you be a little more specific about what this means, my system has tons of extra wattage capacity but how would I run out of/low of voltage spec?

cyphyr

ps running vista on just 1 gig is tortuous!!

ok, so JEDEC (the consortium that creates memory standards) specifies that DDR2 memory should not operate at more than x.x volts per rated speed. DDR2-800 (the current JEDEC top-end standard that's been accepted) requires only 1.8v to operate.

OCZ, in order to "hit" higher speeds on their memory dimms, specifically picks the memory chips that can handle EXTREME voltages (like the 2.3v required by your memory above) to hit rated speeds (like DDR2-9600 or whatever you have listed above). the chips are still DDR2-800 chips but they're rated to run at DDR2-9600 @ 2.3V).

For your situation, unless you were running those chips at 2.4V or greater, you shouldn't have had a problem with the chips "failing" if they were just running at DDR2-800. that's why I'm saying the reseller is full of bull-ticky by saying that you fried them by running at a lower than rated "frequency." honestly, sounds like those guys are toolbags.

does that makes sense?

cheers,

Dave

[cyphyr]

honestly, sounds like those guys are toolbags.

does that makes sense?

Yeah ;) that makes sense

thanks again

cyphyr

[davegraham]

Yeah ;) that makes sense

thanks again

cyphyr

gosh i love selective editing. ;)

dave

[Randybob]

Is that RAM on the QVL for that motherboard? Even if it isn't, it shouldn't fry though. It should just not work if the two are incompatible.

[cyphyr]

Well I'm sure learning a lot here. Whats QVL? The ram has been working just fine for two months so my guess is a powerspike or simmilar. What gets me is for 3 out of 4 sticks to go at once. Oh well its getting RMA'd today and I dont expect Overclockers to make a fuss, they have a good rep. I think just to be on the safe side I'll get ram spec'd for the board when I got some spare cash.
cyphyr

[Randybob]

Qualified Vendor List I think. It is hardware (mostly RAM) that has been tested with the motherboard and passed Asus's tests. There's usually a link to the left on the mobo's product page on the Asus site.

[CLONEOPS]

Well I'm sure learning a lot here. Whats QVL? The ram has been working just fine for two months so my guess is a powerspike or simmilar. What gets me is for 3 out of 4 sticks to go at once. Oh well its getting RMA'd today and I dont expect Overclockers to make a fuss, they have a good rep. I think just to be on the safe side I'll get ram spec'd for the board when I got some spare cash.
cyphyr
I hope you don't plan on slapping the replacement ram that you get, back into the same motherboard with getting it checked out!!,having 3 !! mem sticks frazzle on you is a pretty big indicator of a fairly serious problem somewhere.You have 2 choices -here scrap the power supply/cheap solution...replace the motherboard maybe not so cheap.the third is to take your system to a shop that you can trust and have both checked out....
g-luck.

[cyphyr]

Well I dont realy see what option I have. Everything had been working just fine untill the ram died. And with a single stick it still works ok (albeit vista is laboured under limited resources) What could a pc shop actually do?
cyphyr

[davegraham]

Well I dont realy see what option I have. Everything had been working just fine untill the ram died. And with a single stick it still works ok (albeit vista is laboured under limited resources) What could a pc shop actually do?
cyphyr

they could fry your new ram in another board. :)

cheers,

dave

[davegraham]

Qualified Vendor List I think. It is hardware (mostly RAM) that has been tested with the motherboard and passed Asus's tests. There's usually a link to the left on the mobo's product page on the Asus site.

it's more pertinent to check the manufacturer's listing of tested boards than Asus'. the things i've found are that the memory manufacturer's spend a heck of a lot more time (esp. with workstation boards) on qualifying their memory than the board manufacturers do and against more boards (similar chipsets, etc.). the board manufacturers have their selection of "favourites" that they'll test against and punch it through that way.

AGAIN, ANY dimm that is manufacturerd to JEDEC specifications SHOULD work in these boards.

cheers,

dave

[CLONEOPS]

Well I dont realy see what option I have. Everything had been working just fine untill the ram died. And with a single stick it still works ok (albeit vista is laboured under limited resources) What could a pc shop actually do?
cyphyr
.sorry
You have the option to basically re-sacrifice some perfectly great ram sticks(Ocz's) to the barbecue you are running.happy cooking!
What will a "good"tech do...mmmh maybe stick a multimeter on a few key points on your motherboard to see what is not operating correctly and run diagnostic software that you probably don't have.
You said it youself everything was running fine until what??.the ram frazzled.no.
The ram sits there like an electronic bingo card waiting to be filled up,it does no real massive electric wizardy,-given the right circumstances it will get fried right down to the core.
Your power supply on the other hand is a bomb.can be.
The motheboard is the power grid control for the power,it regulates the flow to various components/ram...its feed the power to the ram in controlled measures but it's built to take only so much abuse.The one and only time in 15 years i have ever had a ram problem (Bsod..bsod.bsod..)was when capacitors on a motherboard blew,yet the ram survived even this.
And hey is the board still under warranty???:thumbsup:

[cyphyr]

.hmmm
Well I cant deny your logic, but thats not the answer I wanted to read. :( As to my options I was planning to stick the replacement ram back in the board but now your giving me seccond thoughts. I live effectively out in the sticks and whilst my local pc repair shop is well intentioned and perfectly capable from a "lego" construction point of view I dont think I have ever seen them with a multimeter. The power supply is a BFG 1000W UK/PFC Approved PSU and claims to have "over-volt, over-current and short circuit protection". So that focuses my attention on the MB. I would have thought that a MB being such a complex bit of kit that any problem with it would have multiple indicators (or just the 1, it dont work!). The next step I guess is to talk to the guys at ASUS and see if they can reccomend any diagnostic utilities that can highlight any issues with the MB.
Thanks to everyone for all your help and advice
cyphyr

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