ASUS P5K-E BIOS questions

[mikeyikeey]

Hey everyone,

My first concern is that CPU-Z is telling me that my memory ratio is 5:8. I've got my Ballistix sticks running at 1066, 5-5-5-15. Is that good or bad? And where is the option to change the memory ratio in BIOS?

Another trouble spot I've run into is adding a third gig of ram. Its another 1gig Ballistix stick, but would there be any problems adding only one stick and not a kit of two? Would 3 gigs in my Vista x32 rig be okay?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Go to advanced and change a setting to manual, and then you should see DRAM frequency and in there you can change it. Maybe to 800 and get 4.4.4.12 timings @ 1t...

 

[mikeyikeey]

That sounds like a lot of stress on my ram. I have a cooler for the sticks though, so I'm sure that will help them. What can I do with the third gig? And what setting in my BIOS would control the ratio? As I read, loosening the ratio means I can tighten timings. But I don't even know where 5:8 is on the scale!

 

[mikeyikeey]

Hello again.. still can't find the setting in BIOS that controls FSB:RAM ratio. Any help? Any input at all?

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN
Go to advanced and change a setting to manual, and then you should see DRAM frequency and in there you can change it. Maybe to 800 and get 4.4.4.12 timings @ 1t...

He's running P35, not nForce.

High speeds + CAS 5 wins on Intel

4-4-4 1T is the sorta thing you aim for on nForce, not on Intel chipsets, which don't even have 1T.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: mikeyikeey
Hello again.. still can't find the setting in BIOS that controls FSB:RAM ratio. Any help? Any input at all?

Google found this: http://img527.imageshack.us/im.../516/p5kocguideln4.jpg
I'm not recommending those settings btw... that guide is recommending pretty extreme settings, more than i'd do in some cases.

But it shows what you are asking about.

DRAM Frequency = ratio options.

It's a bit hard to help someone when they don't list any system specs, but i'll assume you have a 333 MHz FSB CPU @ stock, with the 5:8 ratio set to give you DDR2-1066.

That's pretty much exactly what you want for that RAM, unless you prefer to underclock it?

Or if you want to OC the CPU, lower the ratio a bit, to something like 3:4 (DDR2-889), & then increase the FSB.

 

[Yellowbeard]

If you have the option, use 2 or 4 modules, not 3. With 3 modules you will lose dual channel memory operation.

 

[mikeyikeey]

Sorry n7, I posted my system specs in a different thread. I must have done it in so many places I neglected this thread I actually set up, looking for help!

I have a
ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M
with an 8800GTX, Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 7200 RPM, and a CORSAIR CMPSU 620W.

That image you found looks very helpful, I'll check my BIOS right after this post.
But if you're telling me the settings they're at are fine then I'll leave it be!

And for Yellowbeard, thats what I originally thought but someone provided me with this article in a different thread..

Umm, he won't be losing dual channel. See "Flex mode", at the bottom of that page.

It sounds like the settings my memory is currently at is acceptable, so are we thinking the third stick is good to go?

 

[Yellowbeard]

I've seen some users state that their combination of DIMMs will not run in flex mode. It's going to depend on the BIOS and your module characteristics. And, there is no way to predict the outcome, you'll just have to install and test. So, I'll revise and say you may lose dual channel. And, this is from your link:

At boot, the memory configuration is detected and you may see this alert message:

Maximum memory performance is achieved with equal amounts of memory installed in each channel.
Press Any Key To Continue...

This means that with the DIMMs that are currently installed, the computer is set to single channel mode but, in fact, is capable of dual channel mode. If you shut down and rearrange the DIMMs properly, you'll achieve dual channel mode.

Not everyone gets this prompt and if you look at the approved configurations, it does not state that 2 x 1GB + 1 x 1GB is an approved configuration. You are still better off with 2 or 4 identically matched modules.

 

[n7]

Yellowbeard, you'd have more experience with this that i would, but i've seen Flex Mode dual channel working nicely alot actually.

I've done it myself with 3x1 GB & 3x2 GB configs, & a lot of OEMs do it for 3 GB w/ Vista x86.

It generally works very nicely, though if the modules are mismatched, i can imagine the outcome being single channel.

Even if it doesn't work in dual channel though, i would still recommend 3 GB over 2 GB in Vista.

 

[mikeyikeey]

Sounds really helpful guys, thanks a lot for your input! I'll see what happens with the third stick and let you know.

 

[Yellowbeard]

If it works it's great. And, I don't recall the specifics on the posts I have seen but my guess is that people were trying really odd combinations of modules, or trying to OC with Flex Mode and those odd combos, etc.

I'm certainly not saying it won't work and in fact I always encourage experimentation. Most likely the Flex Mode and other modes are getting better with each chipset iteration. But, in general my recommendations as far as purchasing memory are a bit conservative as I would not suggest running out and buying memory hoping for Flex Mode to work perfectly. But, if you have the module on hand, give it a shot and let us know what happens.

 

[Yellowbeard]

Also, posts like this one are why we never recommend mixing mismatched memory.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1343311

More often than not it will actually work but, if it does not Corsair would be responsible for handing out bad advice that can cost people money and headaches and lost time.

 

[mikeyikeey]

Well folks, I've got good news and I've got good news!
The good news is that the memory Crucial sent me was all compatible (which makes sense, even though they sent me a kit and a single stick). And the rest of the good news is that according to CPU-Z and my POST my memory is running in "Dual-Symmetric mode." I'm not too sure what that means.. but I'm guessing its Flex mode? So I think I've got a great success on my hands!
What do you guys think?

Edit: And could someone explain the "Timings table" in CPU-Z while we're talking about memory?

I truly appreciate everyone's help!