Asus p5b deluxe/wifi what ram to increase to 4gb (2x2gb)

[google01103]

I have a p5b that will only go tRFC 42 but my new OCZ reapers need it to go 54 clocks for my 2x2gb sticks to run @ 1066 (and 800 ain't working to well either).

On the ocz forums they state that there is a tool to set the spd so tha tRFC is 54 but it's Windows only and I've only got Linux installed. Asus provides no bios updates to resolve this (it appears to be a known issue with the vendor and chipset).

My 2x1gb CorsairXMS works fine at ddr2-1066 and it appears the problems don't appear until you try 2gb sticks (or maybe 4x1gb but don't know).

Question what can I do to get 4gb?
Will 2x2gb 800 work? is the tRFC issue speed related? or density?
Will 4x1gb work?
Is there other rams that will work at 1066 with this board at tFRC 42?

thanks,

Status - it seems that OCZ sets the proper tRFC in their newer modules so using auto spd settings provides the proper tRFC and by upping the nbV to 1.45 and ramV to 2.15 I 'm up and running @ ddr2-1000 (might do better but hey it's up running and I got my 4gig)

System did 20 minutes of stress testing fine now i need to run mem86 and find if I can lower voltages or if there are issues

 

[elconejito]

Check the last few pages in the "offical P5b" thread (I forget the exact title). The problem is you can't set tRFC manually, so unless it is set properly in the SPD tables, it ain't gonna work. I think there is a set of Mushkins that will do it, and possibly a few others. You'd have to see the thread.

The problem is specifically tRFC related, but usually only 2GB+ sticks need a higher tRFC value. So if you only want 4GB total, you could get 4x1GB and will more than likely be fine.

 

[n7]

The issue is with most 2 GB DIMMs @ higher speeds.
Depends on the RAM really.

Some cannot get over DDR2-850 without a higher tRFC; others will reach nearly DDR2-1000.

If you do set the RAM to run SPD timings, sometimes that works.
But other times the motherboard disregards them for whatever reasons, & runs its own tRFC value.
So it's a rather finicky issue.

But the good news is that you can basically always run < DDR2-800 with tRFC @ 42, which still allows for some OCing, & obviously works for stock.

4x1 GB adds more stress to the NB; i'd suggest 2x2 GB over that if OCing, as i ran into other fun issues with 4 DIMMs when i was using the P5B-D + quads + 4 DIMMs.
I still actually use the board...it runs a Celeron E1200 @ 3 GHz as a secondary PC.

Sounds like you've gotten things working though...let us know how it goes.

 

[google01103]

progress?? some what

the only way I can pass memtest is to run @ ddr2-667 (upped nb, ram and fsb volts), 833 did not run
- I assume if i drop the fsb I'll maybe get it to 800 (per various posts) but then I'll loose my cpu oc

Problem is I have no idea if my sticks are factory pre-set to tRHC 54 (as some new ones are) as I don't have Windows.
Only next step appears to be loading Windows and running spdtool to see if tRHC is set by factory and if not flash the modules

Ocz support says I can run spdtool from a Windows cd and the console but not sure how - assume put it on usb and from recovery console "d:\" or such and then run the exe.

Any ideas would be welcome

Quick q - I assume better off with more ram than faster ram but I qasn't really using the 2gig I had installed so if 2 is plenty should I go back to the 2 @ 1066 instead of 4gb @ 667

thanks,

 

[elconejito]

Looking at your progress, I'm thinking you tRFC is set too low by SPD (I'm assuming your using auto settings). My 2GB sticks worked up to 799mhz just fine, but 800 and higher just would not go. IIRC I settled on a overclock that had my RAM at around 750mhz, which i found acceptable.

So to keep your OC somewhat the same, you could increase your FSB, but keep the lower memory multiplier. Then you might have to lower the multi on your CPU. That would keep you around your current OC of 3Ghz. Not sure if it would work though since you'd be upping the FSB by a lot.

I'm guessing if you got the extra RAM it was for a reason, so might as well push forward with it. Unless the compromise of slower RAM is just too much...

 

[google01103]

@elconejito - the mb doesn't have a tRFC setting > 42 clocks and I'm running latest bios (known issue that Asus doesn't care to address). At some point I'm gonna try flashing the ram but need Windows cd (running purely Linux) as OCZ says that will set tRFC to 54 and using auto in bios should let me run ram at 1066 (or so).

What I don't know is how much does my underclocking ram really matter as I'm not a gamer

The reason I got the 2x2gb sticks is they were $30 (CraigsList) and ddr2-1066 (which is my cpu's fsb) and figured heck why not at some point I'd need/use them and I'm not planning on upgrading for at least a couple of years (no reason other than something to play with)

Question as I currently don't run anything (other the some VirtualBox Linux distros) that needs > 2gb ram am I better off:
1) keeping 4gb and running ram @ 667 and cpu @ 3gHz (up from 2.4)
2) keeping 4gb and reducing cpu oc so I can get 799 with the ram
3) going back to my 2gb ram running 1066 and my cpu @ 3gHz
this is assuming flashing the ram doesn't work

I'm figuring at some point I might need 4gb so may as well address it now while I have it

PS - an other alternative might be finding ram with the spd set with tRFC to 54 from the factory (which would supposedly is done for newer OCZ and maybe Mushkin - of course only way I'd know it was set right was to install and run it)

thanks,

PSS - this is pretty bogus considering the mb's only a few years old, it's an Ausus and has 4 ram slots

 

[n7]

Running the RAM underclocked isn't hurting anything.

You will not notice the difference from underclocked to correct speeds with the RAM.

 

[elconejito]

Originally posted by: google01103
@elconejito - the mb doesn't have a tRFC setting > 42 clocks and I'm running latest bios (known issue that Asus doesn't care to address).

Yeah I got that part. I just meant that since you can't set it, if it isn't set in SPD it isn't going to work. And if it's not working, then it must not be set in the SPD. Which effectively means you are out of luck as far as the tRFC goes.

Originally posted by: google01103
At some point I'm gonna try flashing the ram but need Windows cd (running purely Linux) as OCZ says that will set tRFC to 54 and using auto in bios should let me run ram at 1066 (or so).

I tried this on a set of G.Skill RAM I had. Didn't work. However, it works for others... *shrugs*

Originally posted by: google01103
What I don't know is how much does my underclocking ram really matter as I'm not a gamer

The reason I got the 2x2gb sticks is they were $30 (CraigsList) and ddr2-1066 (which is my cpu's fsb) and figured heck why not at some point I'd need/use them and I'm not planning on upgrading for at least a couple of years (no reason other than something to play with)

Question as I currently don't run anything (other the some VirtualBox Linux distros) that needs > 2gb ram am I better off:
1) keeping 4gb and running ram @ 667 and cpu @ 3gHz (up from 2.4)
2) keeping 4gb and reducing cpu oc so I can get 799 with the ram
3) going back to my 2gb ram running 1066 and my cpu @ 3gHz
this is assuming flashing the ram doesn't work

I vote for #1. Or, you can get creative and play with different combinations of FSB speed and CPU multiplier to keep your CPU OC and get as close to 800Mhz on the RAM as you can.

Originally posted by: google01103
I'm figuring at some point I might need 4gb so may as well address it now while I have it

PS - an other alternative might be finding ram with the spd set with tRFC to 54 from the factory (which would supposedly is done for newer OCZ and maybe Mushkin - of course only way I'd know it was set right was to install and run it)

thanks,

PSS - this is pretty bogus considering the mb's only a few years old, it's an Ausus and has 4 ram slots

 

[google01103]

[Resolution] - turned out sticks were bad and I rma'ed them, OCZ turned them around very quickly with no issue of my not being original owner - kudos to OCZ!

Because OCZ now ships the sticks with Trfc preset at 54 clocks by using "auto" in the bios for ram timings the rma'ed sticks work fine @ ddr2-1000 (chosen as best fit due to oc'ing). Have not attempted to oc the ram, just happy it's up and running at 1000.

thanks to all respondents