256MB stick of Kingston Hyper X PC3500 memory for $69 @ Best Buy

[stevejst]

If I am not mistaken this memory is Winbond BH-5 and it is SPD at 2-4-4-8-1. Therefore if it says that tRCD is 4 you cannot expect it to run at 3 and certainly not 2. If you have N-Force 2 motherboard some will simply refuse to run these kinds of timings and might even refuse to run SPD. That is why so many compatibility problems with N-Force 2 motherboards.
I was amazed how little problems there are with Intel chipsets. Not to mention 50-80% higher bandwidth that is not only theoretical but practical as well. I used not to believe Intel fans how their mobos are more stable but I now know that is very much true.

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: stevejst
If I am not mistaken this memory is Winbond BH-5 and it is SPD at 2-4-4-8-1. Therefore if it says that tRCD is 4 you cannot expect it to run at 3 and certainly not 2. If you have N-Force 2 motherboard some will simply refuse to run these kinds of timings and might even refuse to run SPD. That is why so many compatibility problems with N-Force 2 motherboards.
I was amazed how little problems there are with Intel chipsets. Not to mention 50-80% higher bandwidth that is not only theoretical but practical as well. I used not to believe Intel fans how their mobos are more stable but I now know that is very much true.

I guess my HyperX running 200MHz @ 2.0-2-2-5 stable now for over 2 months on my nForce2 chipset kinda shoots the hell out of your theory. Then again, I did'nt rip the heatspreaders off of mine to check for Winbond chips.

 

[gsethi]

hello

the 2.50v version is better than the 2.60v...

I bought 2 sticks of 2.60v and they were Kingston chips inside (removed the heatspreader to check it)....as i had thought, they never reached DDR 415 (let alone DDR433 speeds)...so i returned them.
I have heard good things about the 2.50v version of the chips as they are mostly Winbond CH-5 chips and will do DDR400 @ CAS2 easily and higher...

RE: NForce2 chipset users: I have heard that if you get a bad memory that wont run at rated speeds on your system, Contact Kingston and they will replace them for free and the sticks that Kingston sends for NForce2 boards do run @ their rated speeds and higher....(again, never tired this, just heard it)

 

[stevejst]

I guess my HyperX running 200MHz @ 2.0-2-2-5 stable now for over 2 months on my nForce2 chipset kinda shoots the hell out of your theory.

Well, some mobo can run some memory fine, others won't. And that is not theory, you need to frequent amd forums to find out how shaky is N-Force 2 memory compatibility. It is all over the web.
I know that Winbond has no problem running in Abit NF7-S board, I run three different sticks with Winbond chips - HyperX, Kingston Value, and Buffalo - all at 2-2-2-6-1T and they all run fine 400 MHz. They could run at 2-2-2-5-1T as well though that is rather unsafe timing by itself irrespective of memory. I tested this all with MemTest-86. On the other hand I tried Kingston Value on A7N8X Deluxe and I could tun it only at 2.5-4-4-8 at 400 MHz. The very same chip.
N-Force 2 motherboards are not a good test boards for any memory. The real test for quality memory should be done on Intel motherboard.

 

[zettler]

Maybe I am lucky, as I was able to exchange the one labeled 2.6V for another one labeled 2.5V that was from the same batch as the other one I already had. So, now I have two that are matched and ready for the EP-8RDA+ - when my son gets off it someday....

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: zettler
Maybe I am lucky, as I was able to exchange the one labeled 2.6V for another one labeled 2.5V that was from the same batch as the other one I already had. So, now I have two that are matched and ready for the EP-8RDA+ - when my son gets off it someday....

Thanks for the feedback!

can you figure out what kind of chips these are without cracking open the heat spreader or installing them and using something like sandra?

i mean whether is is 2.5 or 2.6 V?

 

[rbV5]

I guess my HyperX running 200MHz @ 2.0-2-2-5 stable now for over 2 months on my nForce2 chipset kinda shoots the hell out of your theory. Then again, I did'nt rip the heatspreaders off of mine to check for Winbond chips

Me neither, and yet mine runs fine 2-2-2-5 @ 207MHz, but my rig runs best 2-2-2-4 @ 195 ASUS dlx NForce2 rev 1.4, been running that way for months @ stock volts.

 

[zettler]

can you figure out what kind of chips these are without cracking open the heat spreader or installing them and using something like sandra?

i mean whether is is 2.5 or 2.6 V?

I dont know. The 2.5V and the 2.6V show on the labels for the respective Ram. However, several people have stated that these are most likely Winbond - 5B's and 5C's...

More conjecture, less fact, but I am waiting to hear from Kingston regarding my emailed (below) question after I talked with someone at their 800# and read a little more on-line:

"Tech Support:

I guess I am more confused/worried as before. No, I have not opened this RAM - yet - but after talking with the Kingston Tech Support just now (7/30/03, 11:30 AM CDT), I discover that the 2.5V chips were some of the first ones made, as the 2.6V are shall we say, newer ones. There is supposed to be no difference...

They did not say if either one is better than the other, BUT they are aware that what with many people attempting to OVERCLOCK their systems - including RAM - that problems are starting to crop up all over...

There was no "quarante" that these will work in an EPOX-8RDA+ motherboard, as the only guarantee is that they are supposed to work at 2.6V - both the 2.5V and the 2.6V labeled ones.

Now that should cause some people to worry.

In addition, if you go to the Kingston website, and search the PC3500 HyperX 256MB Ram, you will find that there are NO MATCHES for (ANY) systems that this Ram is supposed to work in!

Now that is interesting...

So, even though I have all this information and concern, I will keep them and try to see if they will work in my EP-8RDA+, as I am not into overclocking.

PS At least I now have a case number with Kingston..."

I sent this three hours ago and posted it on another forum where this was being discussed, and will post what I hear back, when I hear back, if I hear...

 

[froinlaven]

Originally posted by: iwearnosox

Originally posted by: froinlaven

Originally posted by: iwearnosox

Originally posted by: froinlaven
I got two of these and i'm testing them on my P4P800 deluxe right now. They're kicking some major ass, I've already gotten to 270 fsb running at 400mhz!

A worthless figure unless you include the timings as well.

It wasnt' 1:1 like I thought it was, more like 3:4 or something, but the timings were at 2:2:2:5 I think. And you really didn't have to be such an ass about it.

Oversensitive newb alert.

Ok, let me try this:

Hey froinlaven, thanks for sharing your super uber cool experiences, and welcome to Anandtech! It'd be awesome if you could take some of your valuable time out and also post your timings, as that's also important to people who might be in the market for this memory. Imagine what a great deal it would be if it performed well in all aspects and it was cheap! It'd be like dating both of the Olsen twins at the same time!

Maybe later we could get together and play some video games together, or maybe watch some tv?

Your pal,

Iwearnosox.

As insincere and sarcastic as your apology sounds, I'll accept it anyway. And btw, if someone has <5000 posts, it doesn't necessarily make them a n00b.

 

[bupkus]

I just got two of these 2.5v's. But I'm still not sure if I should go for Intel or AMD. I'm not trying to stir up anything mind you but I've been AMD for years now and this system is gonna go to a relative who's clueless about computers. :evil: Heheheheheheh

 

[Confuse]

For the guys running this memory at fairly aggressive timings without overclocking, did you have to up the voltage? If so, how high? I tried to run my 512 pc3500 hyperx at I can't remember the timings now, but they weren't too demanding and windows just rebooted. I apologize for the lack of details, my memory fails me at the moment.

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: bupkus
I just got two of these 2.5v's. But I'm still not sure if I should go for Intel or AMD. I'm not trying to stir up anything mind you but I've been AMD for years now and this system is gonna go to a relative who's clueless about computers. :evil: Heheheheheheh

scored 2 2.5 V's at best buy yesterday

make sure you send to 2 different addresses for the rebates

anyway I suggest intel if you want to overclock

i just picked up an abit IS7 and a 2.4C hopefully i'll hit 3.2 Ghz+

 

[bupkus]

Originally posted by: mchammer187

Originally posted by: bupkus
I just got two of these 2.5v's. But I'm still not sure if I should go for Intel or AMD. I'm not trying to stir up anything mind you but I've been AMD for years now and this system is gonna go to a relative who's clueless about computers. :evil: Heheheheheheh

scored 2 2.5 V's at staples yesterday

make sure you send to 2 different addresses for the rebates

anyway I suggest intel if you want to overclock

i just picked up an abit IS7 and a 2.4C hopefully i'll hit 3.2 Ghz+

I just checked Staples.com and they don't list HyperX mem. ??

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: bupkus

Originally posted by: mchammer187

Originally posted by: bupkus
I just got two of these 2.5v's. But I'm still not sure if I should go for Intel or AMD. I'm not trying to stir up anything mind you but I've been AMD for years now and this system is gonna go to a relative who's clueless about computers. :evil: Heheheheheheh

scored 2 2.5 V's at staples yesterday

make sure you send to 2 different addresses for the rebates

anyway I suggest intel if you want to overclock

i just picked up an abit IS7 and a 2.4C hopefully i'll hit 3.2 Ghz+

I just checked Staples.com and they don't list HyperX mem. ??

whoops my bad post has been edited

 

[stevejst]

i just picked up an abit IS7 and a 2.4C hopefully i'll hit 3.2 Ghz+

2.4 HT scorches Pentium IV B and AMD cpus but you better have some good cooling to go with that. And a decent PSU. I found that my old Enermax 365 is perfect for Pentium though I already gave up on it with AMD computers. You'll need such a PSU with fine 12V line. But it is very satisfying to look at the benchmarks my Malay puts out, just amazing.

 

[quincy2002]

Originally posted by: zettler
Maybe I am lucky, as I was able to exchange the one labeled 2.6V for another one labeled 2.5V that was from the same batch as the other one I already had. So, now I have two that are matched and ready for the EP-8RDA+ - when my son gets off it someday....

Thanks for the feedback!

Did you get yours to run on the 8RDA+? I got 2 2.5V sticks and my 8RDA+ doesn't like them. PC boots but windows locks up immediately when trying to run at 200 MHz and relaxed settings. Can run OK at 166. I called Kingston and the guy said for the 8RDA+, they aren't guaranteeing anything higher than 166 MHz. He acknowledges there's some problem but they haven't figured it out yet.

Major bummer since this was quite a good deal on this mem. Oh well, back to BB they go.

 

[zettler]

Here is what Kingston Tech sent me in an email just now (4 PM, July 31:

<<<Due to the fact that these memory modules are for over clocking, we technically don't recommend it to be used with any motherboards (although it does work, this is why none of the HyperX part numbers are attached with any motherboard). In your case, it should work with your motherboard. Make sure you have the latest BIOS update, a 800MHz FSB CPU, and a 400-Watt or better power supply. Feel free to contact us at (800) 435-0640 (6AM - 6PM
PST) if you need further assistance. Anyone here will be able to assist you.>>>

This was in response to my query above and here they refer to a Pentium motherboard NOT the AMD CPU motherboard I am talking about; and no, I haven't tried them out but will this weekend.

Kinda irritating that you spend a bunch a money on something and your not sure it will work...

 

[quincy2002]

Please let us know how it goes. Like I said a couple posts up, this Hyperx does not run on my 8RDA+.

 

[stevejst]

This was in response to my query above and here they refer to a Pentium motherboard NOT the AMD CPU motherboard I am talking about; and no, I haven't tried them out but will this weekend.

These modules will work with just about any Pentium motherboard. The trouble are AMD boards and the chipsets on these boards. If the memory does not run it is almost certainly the board fault.
I can tell you these chips run fine with NF7-S with updated BIOS or newer version 2. That is probably the best N-Force 2 board anyway.

 

[docinthebox]

Originally posted by: zettlerKinda irritating that you spend a bunch a money on something and your not sure it will work...

Buy it with a credit card that has return protection. If it doesn't work and BB will not take it back, just return it to the credit card company for a full refund.

 

[zettler]

These modules will work with just about any Pentium motherboard. The trouble are AMD boards and the chipsets on these boards. If the memory does not run it is almost certainly the board fault.
I can tell you these chips run fine with NF7-S with updated BIOS or newer version 2. That is probably the best N-Force 2 board anyway.

I wish I had one but I just received my second (this one was refurbed) EPOX-8RDA+ motherboard from NewEgg and would sure hate to switch when I only paid $58 delievered for this one.

But, hey, who knows what will happen next week....maybe I will finally get my review and raise that was SUPPOSED to have been made effective 11/1/02!!!

Been a bad day at work - can you tell!/?