Abit KN8 Ultra and memory

[Skitzer]

I just ordered a KN8 Ultra and an AMD 3500+ to replace my almost 3 year old nForce 2 system. I'm hoping to run the CPU at 2.7 or higher. I already had 2 512MB sticks of Corsair PC3200 so I ordered 2 more for a total of 2GB. I did this because the board has 4 memory slots. Now I'm reading that nForce 4 mainboards don't like 4 sticks and will drop the memory bus down to 333 if all memory slots are populated. Some are also saying that dual channel is impossible with 4 sticks. Can someone with first hand experience please shed some truth on the matter. Should I have sold the 2 512MB sticks and bought 2 1GB sticks or will I be Ok? Your views and input are greatly appreciated!

 

[mb103051]

yes you should have sold your ram and bought 2 /1 gig sticks.the memory will only run at 333 with 4 sticks.alot of problems running 4 sticks.cancel the orser and get the 1 gig sticks.youll be sorry if you dont.

 

[LordGestle]

I have the ABIT AN8-SLI, which is model before yours, and had 4*512mb sticks running 200mhz DDR (Pc3200) successfully. Your memory will only go down to 333 if you have a pre-venice chip. The 3500+ chip should be venice.
That being said to avoid issues the sticks should all be the same make and model. If your original 2-512mb sticks were purchase some time ago (>1 year) there is a very good chance the chips on the memory will differ from the new sticks. Simply PC3200 Corsair does not guarantee a matching set with your existing.
So if your sticks are old it might be safer to buy a new 2*1gig matching set.
Good luck.

 

[betasub]

Venice (Rev E) processors can handle 4DIMMs at full PC3200 speed. Your motherobard might default to a slower setting, so be prepared to reset the memory speed manually. You may also have to settle for 2T timing rather than 1T.

Don't be too concerned: the effect of slower memory speed on Althon64 performance is minor. CPU speed and available physical RAM are more important factors: I assume that apps you run take up more than your initial 1GB of memory?

 

[Skitzer]

Thanks for the replies. All 4 sticks are identical and are not more than 6 months apart in age. Further Googling on the subject and I'm finding that what you guys say is true, I should be alright. The CPU is a Venice (Rev E). I have read that I might have to go into the bios and manually set the memory for 200MHz but that they should run fine at that speed. I have also read that quite a few people are having success running at 1T. I don't have a problem selling them and buying 2 1GB sticks if they don't work out. Tracking indicates the parts will be here on Monday so I'll give an update when everything is up and running.
Again, thanks for your help and advice!

 

[Skitzer]

Well ..... no worries! All 4 sticks are running at rated speed and the 3500 is running at 2.75GHz. Only drawback is that the memory is running at 2T but that is a minor issue as far as I'm concerned.
I have to add that this Venice I bought off Newegg is a hell of a bargain at $109 and the Abit KN8 is an excellent overclocking board!
I'm thinking about buying Windows XP64 but I may just wait until Vista comes out sometime next year ....... decisions, decisions. Guess I could always dual boot to the Vista Beta 64 to get a feel for it or install a copy of Ubuntu Linux 64.
Anyway ........ time to play with my new machine.
Thanks all for your input!