Does a bad bios flash affect memory speed???

[fretman]

I can't get my ram speed to run at the specified 800mhz. I contacted the RAM company and they mentioned that it could be a bad BIOS flash.

My system seems to be running fine. I don't want to do a BIOS flash with the same BIOS version just to find out if it really is a bad BIOS flash that's causing my RAM speed problem.

Anyone here know if a bad BIOS flash could be the reason (or if it's an even probable reason) for my RAM speed not being able to run at spec levels.

Thanks.

 

[vailr]

Did you flash in DOS mode, or from Windows?
There could be only 2 possibilities:
A. If the bios flash seemed to hang, there could be portions of the ROM chip that weren't
programmed correctly. However, it would be more likely that such an occurance would just result
in a non-bootable board.
B. If a DOS-mode "manual flash" was done, and certain parameters weren't entered correctly.
If you were the one that did the bios flash, then you should also be aware of whether this could have happened.
Did you mention to the memory supplier, that the ram was running OK, before having flashed the bios?
If the memory never ran correctly (either before or after flashing), then why would they suggest that as a possible answer?
The best plan of action: re-flash using a bootable floppy or USB thumb drive, and flash in DOS mode.

 

[Cutthroat]

When I've had a bad BIOS flash it killed the board completely. It sounds like you haven't even flashed the BIOS, but that tech support is asking you to. If your mobo does not support 800MHZ by default you may need to flash the BIOS to get that support, but you haven't mentioned what motherboard you have.

My guess is you have the memory and CPU speed linked, then when you set the memory to 800MHZ you are overclocking your CPU too far.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: vailr
Did you flash in DOS mode, or from Windows?
There could be only 2 possibilities:
A. If the bios flash seemed to hang, there could be portions of the ROM chip that weren't
programmed correctly. However, it would be more likely that such an occurance would just result
in a non-bootable board.
B. If a DOS-mode "manual flash" was done, and certain parameters weren't entered correctly.
If you were the one that did the bios flash, then you should also be aware of whether this could have happened.
Did you mention to the memory supplier, that the ram was running OK, before having flashed the bios?
If the memory never ran correctly (either before or after flashing), then why would they suggest that as a possible answer?
The best plan of action: re-flash using a bootable floppy or USB thumb drive, and flash in DOS mode.

I didn't do the original flash. I bought the components and had the shop put the system together for me. I've read horror stories about people flashing. Although, the board I have (P5KC) has its' own flash utility built in.

The thing about the memory is that the system doesn't boot and gives an OC'ing error when I specify 800mhz.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
When I've had a bad BIOS flash it killed the board completely. It sounds like you haven't even flashed the BIOS, but that tech support is asking you to. If your mobo does not support 800MHZ by default you may need to flash the BIOS to get that support, but you haven't mentioned what motherboard you have.

My guess is you have the memory and CPU speed linked, then when you set the memory to 800MHZ you are overclocking your CPU too far.

The shop put together the system for me and it already has the latest BIOS version. I'm running the P5KC. The MOBO supports 800MHZ and more.

However, what do you mean by having my memory and CPU linked together. That sounds like it makes sense because when I set my DRAM Frequency to 800mhz my system doesn't boot and I get an OC'ing error.

The memory company told me that by setting the DRAM Frequency to 800mhz and manually entering the timings and voltage that it should be fine.

However, I tried that and more and cannot get the machine to boot.

That's when they mentioned that it could be a bad BIOS flash. But as I said before, my machine has been running OK....however, just at 667mhz even though my ram sticks are rated at 800MHZ.

Thanks.

 

[Cutthroat]

Depends where you want to go from here. It's quite likely you can leave the CPU and memory linked, therefore overclocking your CPU, but you'll need to do some tweaking to voltages and settings in the BIOS and have sufficient cooling.

Or, you can set the CPU and RAM freq to unlinked, then you need to get the right divider to get both your CPU and RAM running at the rated speed. Check out your options in the BIOS, it is there, might not say what you think it would though.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
Depends where you want to go from here. It's quite likely you can leave the CPU and memory linked, therefore overclocking your CPU, but you'll need to do some tweaking to voltages and settings in the BIOS and have sufficient cooling.

Or, you can set the CPU and RAM freq to unlinked, then you need to get the right divider to get both your CPU and RAM running at the rated speed. Check out your options in the BIOS, it is there, might not say what you think it would though.

Thanks again. You have a PM.

 

[Cutthroat]

Originally posted by: fretman

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
Depends where you want to go from here. It's quite likely you can leave the CPU and memory linked, therefore overclocking your CPU, but you'll need to do some tweaking to voltages and settings in the BIOS and have sufficient cooling.

Or, you can set the CPU and RAM freq to unlinked, then you need to get the right divider to get both your CPU and RAM running at the rated speed. Check out your options in the BIOS, it is there, might not say what you think it would though.

Thanks again. You have a PM.

Read and replied, post that pic of your BIOS screen.

 

[fretman]

I can't seem to find any info on how to post a pic on these boards? Any suggestions?

To answer your PM, I don't want to overclock. I don't mind running my CPU at spec level. However, all I really want is for my system to be able to run my RAM at spec level.

As soon as I figure (or you inform me) on how to post my BIOS pics, I'll include my system specs as well.

Thanks again.

 

[fretman]

OK...I think I got it...Here are my BIOS pics.

http://www.uploadgeek.com/uploads456/1/new_IMG_0897.jpg

http://www.uploadgeek.com/uploads456/1/new_IMG_0898.jpg

http://www.uploadgeek.com/uploads456/1/new_IMG_0899.jpg

http://www.uploadgeek.com/uploads456/1/new_IMG_0900.jpg

Here are my system specs...

Intel Q6600 2.4ghz
Asus P5KC
OCZ 4gb ram with 2x2gb sticks


If you need more info just let me know. Thanks.

 

[Cutthroat]

Not what I expected to see. Those settings look like they should work. You can try a slightly higher DRAM voltage perhaps, what is the spec voltage for your RAM? And what is the spec timings of your RAM? I would suspect you should be able to run at 5-5-5-15 at least. Exactly which model of OCZ RAM do you have?

Try the following settings disabled, if it works try turning them on one by one until you find the culprit.

CPU Spread Spectrum & PCIE Spread Spectrum should always be off. Try this first...

DRAM Static Read Control, DRAM Dynamic Write Control, Transaction Booster set to disable, re-enable one by one if it works.

Could be that due to a bug in the original BIOS that you will need to flash to a recent version, it's a piece of cake with the Asus EZFlash utility in the BIOS.

EDIT: I just noticed, your CPU multiplier should be set to 9 (9x266MHZ=2.4GHZ). You currently have your CPU underclocked.

 

[fretman]

The ram that I have is OCZ Vista-Upgrade 4GB DC PC2-6400 DDR2 Memory Kit. The SPD is set to 667Mhz so that the system will boot without a problem.

On the OCZ site, it says to run at 800Mhz to set the DRAM Frequency to 800Mhz and to enter the timings manually (5,6,6,18) and to set the DRAM Voltage to 2.0. As you can see that does not work.

They also recommended what you recommended (5,5,5,15) which I tried and doesn't work either.

I believe the DRAM voltage for this ram is between 1.9 and 2.1.

The spec timings on this ram are (5,6,6,18).

I'm scared to flash my BIOS because I've heard horror stories of systems not booting up. I know that before you're going to flash your BIOS that you should set all BIOS settings to default. Is there anything else I should do beforehand? My system appears to be working well except for the RAM speed.

OCZ said to send back the ram to them for an exchange. However, I'm not sure if it's faulty ram or not. I've read alot of posts on the ASUS site about how users cannot get their OCZ ram to run at spec. As well, ASUS does not list OCZ as one of their preferred vendors.

I will try your recommendations and report back. Thanks.

 

[Cutthroat]

OK try this before you flash the BIOS.

-set the timings to 6-6-6-18
-set the DRAM voltage to 2.1v
-set your CPU multiplier to 9
-disable the options I mentioned previously

If that works you can try lower timings, and try to re-enable some of the performance options in the BIOS. If not you can try to flash the BIOS with the EZFlash utility, it's really easy to do and it's very unlikely you will mess up your board.

 

[fretman]

Thanks. I'll try your suggestion.

However, can you clarify something for me. Is it better when you have lower or higher timings on your RAM?

Plus, you're asking me to run my timings higher than the recommended settings. I heard that that's a bad thing? Please explain your higher settings.

Thanks.

 

[Cutthroat]

Lower timings are better. I asked you to relax the CAS Latency a bit, just to see if it boots with more relaxed timing.

 

[vailr]

Try clearing the CMOS, which should be routinely done whenever flashing the bios.
With power cord disconnected, there should be a motherboard jumper. Swap the jumper from 1 & 2, to 2 & 3.
Wait 30 seconds, then return jumper to original position. Restore power, go into bios setup and then make desired bios changes.
Also note: flashing the bios in DOS mode is preferable to Windows mode. Less likely to fail, and allows for more control of the flasher program specifics.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
Lower timings are better. I asked you to relax the CAS Latency a bit, just to see if it boots with more relaxed timing.

I tried all your suggestions and my system just won't turn over when I have the DRAM Frequency set at 800mhz. I guess it's just one of those things. Who knows, maybe it is faulty ram? But if it was then shouldn't the system upon boot up given me some errors?

I'm at a loss right now and maybe I should just resign myself to running at 667mhz. If you have no more suggestions then I thank you for your time and patience to this matter.

Cheers!

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: vailr
Try clearing the CMOS, which should be routinely done whenever flashing the bios.
With power cord disconnected, there should be a motherboard jumper. Swap the jumper from 1 & 2, to 2 & 3.
Wait 30 seconds, then return jumper to original position. Restore power, go into bios setup and then make desired bios changes.
Also note: flashing the bios in DOS mode is preferable to Windows mode. Less likely to fail, and allows for more control of the flasher program specifics.

I tried this as well with no luck. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[Cutthroat]

Only thing I can think of now is to flash the BIOS to the most recent version, there may be a bug preventing you from getting to 800MHZ. If that doesn't work it's possible you do have faulty RAM, it can work ok but just not be able to run at spec frequency. If you do decide to run at 667MHZ you will likely not even notice the difference, but see if you can get it to run with tighter timings, like 4-4-4-12.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
Only thing I can think of now is to flash the BIOS to the most recent version, there may be a bug preventing you from getting to 800MHZ. If that doesn't work it's possible you do have faulty RAM, it can work ok but just not be able to run at spec frequency. If you do decide to run at 667MHZ you will likely not even notice the difference, but see if you can get it to run with tighter timings, like 4-4-4-12.

I was running the most recent version and I decided to flash again. However, as previously posted, no can do. I will try a your tighter timing and see. However, if it's not that big of a difference between 667mhz and 800mhz then I may just leave things be.

OCZ has a lifetime warranty on the ram anyways.

One thing I did notice was when I decided to just raise my FSB to 300 my CPU speed went from 2.4ghz to 2.7ghz.

Thanks.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
Only thing I can think of now is to flash the BIOS to the most recent version, there may be a bug preventing you from getting to 800MHZ. If that doesn't work it's possible you do have faulty RAM, it can work ok but just not be able to run at spec frequency. If you do decide to run at 667MHZ you will likely not even notice the difference, but see if you can get it to run with tighter timings, like 4-4-4-12.

Even running at 4-4-4-12 doesn't work. It seems that when I try running at 800mhz the machine boots up and you can hear the fan spinning at a low speed and then the fan speed just picks up and the system freezes which causes me to shut down.

 

[Cutthroat]

Seems you just have some crappy RAM. If you can get it to run at 667MHZ at 5-5-5-15 you should be satisfied. Then you can try to run your CPU at 333MHZ so it runs at a 1:1 ratio with your RAM, that'll give you 3.0GHZ. That's a fairly optimal setup.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
Seems you just have some crappy RAM. If you can get it to run at 667MHZ at 5-5-5-15 you should be satisfied. Then you can try to run your CPU at 333MHZ so it runs at a 1:1 ratio with your RAM, that'll give you 3.0GHZ. That's a fairly optimal setup.

Right now I'm running at 667MHZ with 5,6,6,18. I will try your setting and if it's stable then call it a day on this one.

BTW, I'm running my Dvoltage at 1.8. Should I up it with your new settings if I can get it stable?

 

[Cutthroat]

You said earlier the spec voltage for this RAM was between 1.9v - 2.1v, keep the voltage in that range. The more aggressive frequencies and timings will require higher voltage. So try 5-5-5-15 at 1.9v, if that doesn't work, try 2.0v, etc. If nothing is working, give up.

 

[fretman]

Originally posted by: Cutthroat
You said earlier the spec voltage for this RAM was between 1.9v - 2.1v, keep the voltage in that range. The more aggressive frequencies and timings will require higher voltage. So try 5-5-5-15 at 1.9v, if that doesn't work, try 2.0v, etc. If nothing is working, give up.

OK....I'll try it this weekend. Will report back to you on the results.