A7N8X and Dual Channel no workey?

[foxkm]

I am concerned that Dual chanel may not work with this motherboard properly. Here is my curent setting:

A7N8X Standard (1002A bios)
AMD XP 1700+ Running 1985mhz (10.5 multiplier/190mhz FSB)
Geforce 4 Ti4200
320 Watt Vantec PSU
2x PC3200 Sticks (512mb) Generic

I originally purchased my system and built it, only to find that one of the sticks of ram was bad, so I sent it back
I then got the system perfectly stable at 190mhz FSB with 1 stick of ram. In the mean time I borrowed 2x 256 Sticks of PC3200 Corsair
and put them in the machine. At 190mhz FSB (memory in sync) i was getting weird flickering in 2d and 3d would run crash almost immediately. I then put the FSB/Memory to 166mhz and I got the same thing, but 3d wouldn't crash as quickly. I figured it was something weird with that memory.

Last week I got my other stick of Generic PC3200 back (finally 1gb ram) and now I'm getting similar weird results, except for only problems with Video playback in 2d, no visual flickering, and 3d works for quite a while until it finally craps out. I have tried just the new stick of ram and it works fine by itself at 190mhz. Here is a list of the following Items I have changed in the bios to tune things down..

1. I Turned off AGP 8X as my Ti4200 is a 4x Card only - no change
2. I have set the AGP Aperature to the lowest (32mb i think) - no change
3. I set the memory timings up higher - no change
4. I have increased the AGP voltage 1 notch - no change

With all these symptoms and the problem only happening in a dual channel configuration, I'm starting to believe there might
be a design flaw in the Nforce2 Chipset or just in the A7N8X motherboard.

Has anyone else had similar symptoms with This motherboard in any Dual Channel configuration?

Thanks

foxkm

 

[Bacinator]

Someone doesn't read their manual.

There is a special configuration for using DDR with that board, and I may be wrong on the exact config, but the manual will be 100% correct.

On the a7n8x, there are 3 slots. For DDR you can use 1&3, 2&3, or 1&2&3, but NOT 1&2.
That is from memory, so it may be off. Refer to your MANUAL (book looking thing with info on your motherboard. It is green and also has large black "A7N8X" letters centered on the cover) for the proper setup.

 

[foxkm]

Originally posted by: Bacinator
Someone doesn't read their manual.

Someone doesn't read posts properly.

I know about the differend Dimm Slots which are required to enable Dual Channel.

My problem is when I have it in the Dual Channel configuration, my system acts wacky, as
when it doesn't act weird at all with only 1 dimm in, or with both dimms in the non Dual Channel Configuration

foxkm

 

[RexWrecks]

I had a similar problem on slots 1 and 3 the system would not post. BUT I got it to work in slots 2 and 3.

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

3. I set the memory timings up higher - no change

by this, do you mean you changed it to bigger numbers, or made it higher meaning more aggressive? if the latter, try the former

also, try raising vdimm to 2.7 or 2.8 even

 

[AkumaX]

how would dc be implemented when in 1-2-3?


lets just use sticks o 256

like if it was just 1-3, then its 512, but how does memory get addressed dually w/ 768?

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

Originally posted by: AkumaX
how would dc be implemented when in 1-2-3?


lets just use sticks o 256

like if it was just 1-3, then its 512, but how does memory get addressed dually w/ 768?

its ideally supposed to be
dimm1-256
dimm2-256
dimm3-512

that way theres 512mb in each dimm
pretty much, dimm1+dimm2 should equal dimm 3

but if you have 768 (256x3) then only 512mb will be addressed as dual channel, and 256 as single channel
dunno how it works, but im passing along waht ive heard (i thought 256mb would be wasted if it was the same as a raid0 array, but apparently its not the same in that aspect)

 

[NesuD]

hey you mention the raid 0 thing just made me realize something. If the ram is running in dual channel mode and you create a ram drive then you could in effect have a ram drive raid 0 array. It's late and I'm getting tired so I am thinking up goofy crap.:beer:

 

[human2k]

Originally posted by: foxkm

Originally posted by: Bacinator
Someone doesn't read their manual.

Someone doesn't read posts properly.

Owned.

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

Originally posted by: human2k

Originally posted by: foxkm

Originally posted by: Bacinator
Someone doesn't read their manual.

Someone doesn't read posts properly.

Owned.

ehehee
exactly what i thought when i read it

 

[Pilsnerpete]

Gentlemen. I have a problem it seems. My 2- 512mb chips of Twinmos3200 don't like going above 178fsb in dual-channel mode. Why is that? Each of them will do 205 on their own. With 2-2-2-5 timings. What gives? That is a helluva drop isn't it? Maybe the moby?

-->Pete

 

[Jeff7181]

I have a similar problem... I'm running bargain RAM though... but the problem seems to be with the video card... cause the CPU and RAM are stable with RAM at 166, and CPU at 200x11... until I fire up a 3D game... (ran Prime 95 for 4 hours, ran memtest for 4 hours, no problems)

I've tried increasing voltage to the AGP slot, tried increasing voltage to the RAM and the CPU... no change. The ONLY thing that effects it is how I overclock my video card... running it at 250/500 is stable with my CPU at 2.08 Ghz (166x12.5)... before I got my A7N8X and XP2500 I could run it at 270/540 with no problems.

 

[Pilsnerpete]

Anyone seen problems like this with other nf2 boards? This really sucks cause I've been getting 11,4xx 3dmarks with my gf3. hehe. you bought a ti4200.

 

[foxkm]

Yes,

It looks that there are problems with Video acceleration/3D games when running dual channel on the A7N8X Rev 1.X board with certian video cards (geforce 4 chips). I hope that the new REV 2.0 has fixed this problem. It is not related to high FSB, but more of a timing problem between AGP and the memory interface in the Nforce northbridge.

Possible solutions:

Don't use Nvidia Video card
Put memory in closest slots (Disables Dual Chanel Mode)
Get REV 2.0 A7N8X board (not 100% sure if will fix)

Hope there is a bios fix sometime

 

[Jeff7181]

I think I may try disabling the dual channel feature by switching slots and see if I can run my Ti4200 at 270/540 again like I did before I got this motherboard.

 

[Pilsnerpete]

Man, that's B.S. I have rev2.0. How can they advertise dual channel if you can't get it to post at rated memory speeds in dual channel. Does P4 DC work any better?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Pilsnerpete
Man, that's B.S. I have rev2.0. How can they advertise dual channel if you can't get it to post at rated memory speeds in dual channel. Does P4 DC work any better?

178 isn't a rated memory speed... and even if it was... that's more than likely the fault of the company who makes the RAM, not the motheboard

 

[Pilsnerpete]

I have 2- 512mb sticks of twinmos3200, so I KNOW that's not the problem. It only goes up to 178 in dual channel. Each on their own will do 205.

 

[foxkm]

Has anyone got a A7n8x 2.0 board yet and been able to do 200mhz memory in dual chanel mode?

Just curioius.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: foxkm
Has anyone got a A7n8x 2.0 board yet and been able to do 200mhz memory in dual chanel mode?

Just curioius.

Mine's a Rev. 2.0... still waiting on my PC3200 to test that. Should come this week.

 

[Pilsnerpete]

Definitely keep us updated Jeff, could ya?

 

[squidman]

1. Dual channel works ONLY when the onboard GPU is used. THats all theres to it.
It makes no mofvckin difference if you stick the ram in 2and1, or 3and 1, as long as you use theAGP card. Maybe just 150 memory marks.

'Sides dual channel adds NO performance increase whatsoever when IGP is not used. I got played. But think about it - if in reality, the nForce was able to pull out 4gb/sec and above - would ANYBODY FRIGGIN BUY ANYTHING ELSE??! Everybody'd f*** intel in the ass. Yet intel is #1 stunna when it comes to memory performance. So - need TRUE double channel? IGP. But who the F** need IGP anyway? For real!
:beer:

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

Originally posted by: squidman
1. Dual channel works ONLY when the onboard GPU is used. THats all theres to it.
It makes no mofvckin difference if you stick the ram in 2and1, or 3and 1, as long as you use theAGP card. Maybe just 150 memory marks.

'Sides dual channel adds NO performance increase whatsoever when IGP is not used. I got played. But think about it - if in reality, the nForce was able to pull out 4gb/sec and above - would ANYBODY FRIGGIN BUY ANYTHING ELSE??! Everybody'd f*** intel in the ass. Yet intel is #1 stunna when it comes to memory performance. So - need TRUE double channel? IGP. But who the F** need IGP anyway? For real!
:beer:

what about those boards when there is no onboarg gpu?