Can stability issues be caused by running ram too SLOW?

[oLLie]

Hi ATOT Tech Support!
How are you all doing? About the problem:
My brother's computer has been freezing lately and also restarting itself after being inside Windows for a minute or so. I was poking around BIOS, saw that the CPU was at 100 MHz (normal), and that the DDR was at 100 as well (it's a 2100 stick though). Anyway, I got lucky and it was stable long enough for me to flash the BIOS to a newer version. Now when I was poking around the BIOS, the DRAM speed is at 133 (the CPU is still normal at 100). It hasn't crashed or restarted itself yet. Is it possible that the stability issues actually came from running the ram too slow? It is an el-cheapo stick of Nanya ram (256MB DDR PC2100). Also, is it bad for the CMOS battery if the computer is without power for extended amounts of time?

Thanks-in-advance guys!


off to run memtest on it

 

[dude]

It can't get stability problems for runnign too slow, only running too fast.
Nanya memory is fine, they used to be a very big supplier of memory for Kingston.

Was this computer always unstable or just recently? Did you upgrade anything on it?

 

[oLLie]

Originally posted by: dude
It can't get stability problems for runnign too slow, only running too fast.
Nanya memory is fine, they used to be a very big supplier of memory for Kingston.

Was this computer always unstable or just recently? Did you upgrade anything on it?

Instability: just recently. Upgrades: no upgrades recently.

 

[DOSfan]

Do not be so quick dude.

I had severe issues when my PC 2100 mem was set to 100 MHz. It wasn't until I had the system up long enough to set the mem speed to 133 MHz that the problems ended.

So I, for one, think it was the memory being set too low. But that is just my experience with it. *shrugs*

 

[dude]

PC133 memory runs fine at PC100 and PC66 speeds.
DDR533 runs fune at PC500, 433, 400, 333, 266, and whatever.

Your car's odometer says it has a max speed of 160 MPH. That means that's it's max speed, if all conditions are right. You could go slower if you'd like, but it won't hurt by going slower, matter of fact, it's the law.

It's called a limit, DOSfan. You can go below a limit, you just have to be careful when exceeding it.

Just like Intel makes their P4 processors. They all have a limit, which is at X speed. Of course, they work fine below it, which is what Intel locks them at so you won't try to go higher. People break the law and overclock.


I currently have DDR400 RAM running at PC333 speeds. Why? Cuz I couldn't overclock my Athlon XP high enough to take advantage of it. It works fine and has been for a half year already. At work, I have PC133 RAM in all the systems. Some of those systems are old as all hell, and run at a snail's pace at PC100 speeds. Have been running fine for a year now.


Anyways, I've been a tech since 95 and seen it all. Unfortunately, I have no idea wha Ollie's problem is. It could be a fluke and some piece of hardware is finally dying, or it could be that he has software corruption... who knows? Until I get my hands on it, I won't be able to troubleshoot so I'll just need more info.

 

[DOSfan]

Originally posted by: dude
PC133 memory runs fine at PC100 and PC66 speeds.
DDR533 runs fune at PC500, 433, 400, 333, 266, and whatever.

Your car's odometer says it has a max speed of 160 MPH. That means that's it's max speed, if all conditions are right. You could go slower if you'd like, but it won't hurt by going slower, matter of fact, it's the law.

It's called a limit, DOSfan. You can go below a limit, you just have to be careful when exceeding it. Just like Intel makes their P4 processors. They all have a limit, which is at X speed. Of course, they work fine below it, which is what Intel locks them at so you won't try to go higher. People break the law and overclock.


I currently have DDR400 RAM running at PC333 speeds. Why? Cuz I couldn't overclock my Athlon XP high enough to take advantage of it. It works fine and has been for a half year already. At work, I have PC133 RAM in all the systems. Some of those systems are old as all hell, and run at a snail's pace at PC100 speeds. Have been running fine for a year now.


Anyways, I've been a tech since 95 and seen it all. Unfortunately, I have no idea wha Ollie's problem is. It could be a fluke and some piece of hardware is finally dying, or it could be that he has software corruption... who knows? Until I get my hands on it, I won't be able to troubleshoot so I'll just need more info.

Then please enlighten me, oh great and mighty tech since '95, how is it that my computer sheit the bed after the BIOS was (at the recomendation of another "tech") set to the speed of 100/100 MHz when I was running PC 2100? It was so bad, that I had to literaly fight with the damn thing just to boot up far enough to enter BIOS and change that setting. (Fortunately, I still had my PC 133 stick to use) Since you have seen it all, then please tell me what the actuall problem was, if it wasn't that the mem was running at 100 MHz, rather than 133 MHz? Especially, when you take into acount that was the ONLY change made to the computer for about 3 months before the problem.

Add to that, the fact that the problem did not return since I "fixed" it. It must of been an act of gawd, since that is impossible by your great and omniscient wisdom.