1.5GB ram installed, XP is only seeing 512mb?

[Inappropriate4AT]

I've got a 1GB stick and a 512mb stick in right now, but Windows XP seems to think I only have 512mb (when I open task manager and under the System Properties > General tab). Weird thing is CPU-Z is pickin up all 1536mb...should I just ignore it?

 

[Robor]

Just curious, what does your BIOS say?

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

Originally posted by: Robor
Just curious, what does your BIOS say?

Eh, not sure I'll have to reboot. I've got quickboot enabled so it doesn't do a ram test.

Just rebooted and disabled quickboot, and it tested up to 512mb, then restarted, went up to 512mb again, restarted, up to 512mb a third time and booted into Windows. I'm not sure if that means 1.5GB or what lol.

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: Inappropriate4AT

Originally posted by: Robor
Just curious, what does your BIOS say?

Eh, not sure I'll have to reboot. I've got quickboot enabled so it doesn't do a ram test.

Just rebooted and disabled quickboot, and it tested up to 512mb, then restarted, went up to 512mb again, restarted, up to 512mb a third time and booted into Windows. I'm not sure if that means 1.5GB or what lol.

Sounds to me like bad ram (1GB)...

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

Originally posted by: ITJunkie

Originally posted by: Inappropriate4AT

Originally posted by: Robor
Just curious, what does your BIOS say?

Eh, not sure I'll have to reboot. I've got quickboot enabled so it doesn't do a ram test.

Just rebooted and disabled quickboot, and it tested up to 512mb, then restarted, went up to 512mb again, restarted, up to 512mb a third time and booted into Windows. I'm not sure if that means 1.5GB or what lol.

Sounds to me like bad ram (1GB)...

Well when I say restarted, I mean the memory test, not the computer. Instead of counting from 1 all the way up to 1536 or whatever, it stops when it hits 512 and then goes back to 1 and starts over, and does this 3 times. I think the ram is stable, I just put it in today but it's already passed 4 loops of Memtest without any errors.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Inappropriate4AT
Well when I say restarted, I mean the memory test, not the computer. Instead of counting from 1 all the way up to 1536 or whatever, it stops when it hits 512 and then goes back to 1 and starts over, and does this 3 times. I think the ram is stable, I just put it in today but it's already passed 4 loops of Memtest without any errors.

It's not reading the 1GB DIMM. If it was, the test would loop up to 1536MB rather than just 512MB. Either you have it in the wrong slot, or it's bad, or the MB is bad.

 

[mechBgon]

What motherboard is this?

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

It's a DFI Lanparty UT (754). I guess I'll try switching up the slots and see what happens.

 

[mechBgon]

The new module's not ECC and/or registered, is it?

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

No sir, regular stick of DDR ram.

 

[lotharamious]

try this, go to start -> run -> msconfig, click on the BOOT.INI tab, click advanced options and make sure that maxmem is unchecked

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: lotharamious
try this, go to start -> run -> msconfig, click on the BOOT.INI tab, click advanced options and make sure that maxmem is unchecked

if the bios isn't reading it, nothing in windows is going to help that.

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

Maxmem is unchecked, I pulled the 512mb stick and now the BIOS detects the 1GB stick by itself... kinda weird. Windows is seeing 1GB ram, too.

I used to have 2x512mb in slots 1 and 2, and both of those sticks are good, I've memtested them. When I got my 1GB stick I pulled a 512 from slot 1 and put in the 1 gigger. I guess it could be possible that the 2 sticks just don't like each other or somethin. I'm gonna keep swappin things around and see what happens.

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

lol jesus christ, I tried each of the 512 sticks in combo with the 1 gig and BIOS/Windows was still only pickin up 512mb. So I moved the 1GB stick from DIMM 1 to DIMM 2 and put the 512mb from DIMM 2 to DIMM 1 and now BIOS/Windows is only pickin up 1GB.

So apparently, when 2 sticks are in at the same time, whichever one is in DIMM 2 is the only one that gets recognized. And CPU-Z has been pickin up all 1536mb the entire time btw. I don't know what the deal is. I guess I'll throw DIMM 3 into the mix, but I've always avoided that one cuz it's supposed to be the retarded slot of the NF3 bunch.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Inappropriate4AT
lol jesus christ, I tried each of the 512 sticks in combo with the 1 gig and BIOS/Windows was still only pickin up 512mb. So I moved the 1GB stick from DIMM 1 to DIMM 2 and put the 512mb from DIMM 2 to DIMM 1 and now BIOS/Windows is only pickin up 1GB.

So apparently, when 2 sticks are in at the same time, whichever one is in DIMM 2 is the only one that gets recognized. And CPU-Z has been pickin up all 1536mb the entire time btw. I don't know what the deal is. I guess I'll throw DIMM 3 into the mix, but I've always avoided that one cuz it's supposed to be the retarded slot of the NF3 bunch.

Check your motherboard manual. Sometimes there are very specific slot combinations you need to use when adding RAM.

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

Nothin in the manual regarding ram.

 

[imported_Imp]

used to have 2x512mb in slots 1 and 2, and both of those sticks are good, I've memtested them. When I got my 1GB stick I pulled a 512 from slot 1 and put in the 1 gigger. I guess it could be possible that the 2 sticks just don't like each other or somethin. I'm gonna keep swappin things around and see what happens.

Umm... I don't know how many slots a Lanparty has, but I bet it's more than 2. If you put the sticks in slot 1 and slot 2, it may be trying to run it in dual channel, which it can't since the sticks aren't even remotely matched. So it's just picking up slot 1. Check the manual (find one online?) that tells you where to put sticks. If it doesn't work in slot 1 and slot 2, try slot 1 and slot 3. If slot 1 and slot 2 are the same colour, mix it up where you put Ram in. Good luck.

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

Originally posted by: Imp

Umm... I don't know how many slots a Lanparty has, but I bet it's more than 2. If you put the sticks in slot 1 and slot 2, it may be trying to run it in dual channel, which it can't since the sticks aren't even remotely matched. So it's just picking up slot 1. Check the manual (find one online?) that tells you where to put sticks. If it doesn't work in slot 1 and slot 2, try slot 1 and slot 3. If slot 1 and slot 2 are the same colour, mix it up where you put Ram in. Good luck.

There are 3 slots on the Lanparty, for the best performance on a 754 board only 2 slots should be used, cause thats the max the integrated mem controller can handle I believe. I'm just assuming that 1 and 2 are the corresponding ram slots because it makes more sense, but they could very well be 2 and 3 I suppose. 754 setups are incapable of dual channel so I don't think that's causing any sort of problems. The only discrepancy regarding ram in the manual was that up to 2GB of pc3200 could be run, and 3GB would default to pc2700.

 

[imported_Imp]

Scanned the manual for your board, since the stuff in my last post doesn't apply, read page 19 about Ram configurations over again:
http://us.dfi.com.tw/Upload/Manual/lp%20ut%20nf3%20250gb%2081000414-r.pdf

If you haven't, try out the two sticks in slot 1 and slot 3. Otherwise, try to slow down the Ram(manually set DDR333 or *gasp* DDR200), and set the 1T or 2T according to the manual. If that's a bust, board may just not like the configuration?

 

[Inappropriate4AT]

Well I just tried every configuration possible and still no luck, it'd either detect 512mb or 1024mb. I then redid every single possible configuration in 2T and DDR333 and still no luck. I even threw all 3 sticks in each combo possible and at 2T and DDR333 just for shytkicks and giggles. At this point I'm just gonna say fvck it and assume the sticks don't like each other. I'm not even gonna bother trying DDR200, even if that did work I wouldn't run it in that configuration anyways. Guess I'd better start lookin for a different 512 stick.

What a pain in the ass... now my thumbs are sore.

 

[Brentx]

Originally posted by: Imp

used to have 2x512mb in slots 1 and 2, and both of those sticks are good, I've memtested them. When I got my 1GB stick I pulled a 512 from slot 1 and put in the 1 gigger. I guess it could be possible that the 2 sticks just don't like each other or somethin. I'm gonna keep swappin things around and see what happens.

Umm... I don't know how many slots a Lanparty has, but I bet it's more than 2. If you put the sticks in slot 1 and slot 2, it may be trying to run it in dual channel, which it can't since the sticks aren't even remotely matched. So it's just picking up slot 1. Check the manual (find one online?) that tells you where to put sticks. If it doesn't work in slot 1 and slot 2, try slot 1 and slot 3. If slot 1 and slot 2 are the same colour, mix it up where you put Ram in. Good luck.

Socket 754 platform can't run in dual channel mode.

Do you have a clawhammer core AMD athlon 64 by any chance? I know this was a problem on a lot of the first clawhammer's produced by AMD. I also know that this was a problem with some of the first Newcastles too. I could look up the exact CPU stepping #'s, but that would probably be a waist of time since you probably don't want to take off your heatsink.

I had this limitation in my machine too. System specs are in my signature. I now have 3 512MB sticks and it work fine, but in 2T command rate. Ohh well.

Remember, Newcastle and Clawhammer were AMD's fist embedded CPU memory cotrollers. They were far from perfect, and had a bunch of bugs in them. They were nothing as good as the new controllers on the S939 AMD's are.