I just bought 2x1GB sticks of PC3200

[Maximilian]

I already have 2x512mb sticks, but 1GB isnt enough for me to minimize and maximize quickly, its not what it used to be. So i bought 2GB more, but what i wanna do is keep on using the 2x512mb sticks as well as the new 2x1GB sticks. This is all generic ram, cheap stuff, PC3200. I have an opteron 170 oc'd to 2.5ghz with a 200 divider, making the ram run at 250mhz. I am running dual channel too. Any forseeable problems? I heard A64's couldnt do 4 filled ram slots, but wasent that just the old winchesters and clawhammers?

 

[n7]

Err, a 200 divider is basically 1:1, & no, i don't see your generic PC3200 getting anywhere close to PC4000 speeds.

You'll likely have to run the 166 divider (puts RAM @ ~ 208 - DDR416), maybe the 133 divider if that doesn't work.

 

[k1114]

Cheap PC3200 won't run at 250mhz. You'll have to re-adjust that before installing, but I beleive you'll be ok on running 2x1gb and 2x512mb. If your board has two slots for each channel be sure and break it up as 1.5x2

But this is all speculation, i've been out of the hardware scene for a while now

 

[Maximilian]

No no im not looking to oc the ram or anything, and on my board (EPOX 9NPA-SLI) it might be 9NPI... dont remember, anyways the 200 divider is quite low, it does take into acccount the double data rate, at startup it says my ram runs at 125mhz so i assumed the startup screen doesent take into account the DDR so i doubled that to give you the 250mhz figure.

Just wondered if an A64 would be fine with 4 ram sticks at that speed.

 

[Budman]

Originally posted by: Soviet

Just wondered if an A64 would be fine with 4 ram sticks at that speed.

You should not have any problems,it will just go into 2T.

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: Soviet
No no im not looking to oc the ram or anything, and on my board (EPOX 9NPA-SLI) it might be 9NPI... dont remember, anyways the 200 divider is quite low, it does take into acccount the double data rate, at startup it says my ram runs at 125mhz so i assumed the startup screen doesent take into account the DDR so i doubled that to give you the 250mhz figure.

Just wondered if an A64 would be fine with 4 ram sticks at that speed.

At that speed you'll be fine, I'd definitely try to get more out of those sticks though. Even though they're generic ram, if they're PC3200 you should be able to get 200mhz (DDR400, that's where people got confused. Don't mix the two up) out of them with no problems, that's what they're rated at.

I'd recommend you try to run your original ram at or around 200mhz, you'd get a HUGE improvement in things like alt+tab and minimizing, maybe even moreso than throwing in an extra 2gb.

-z

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: zagood

Originally posted by: Soviet
No no im not looking to oc the ram or anything, and on my board (EPOX 9NPA-SLI) it might be 9NPI... dont remember, anyways the 200 divider is quite low, it does take into acccount the double data rate, at startup it says my ram runs at 125mhz so i assumed the startup screen doesent take into account the DDR so i doubled that to give you the 250mhz figure.

Just wondered if an A64 would be fine with 4 ram sticks at that speed.

At that speed you'll be fine, I'd definitely try to get more out of those sticks though. Even though they're generic ram, if they're PC3200 you should be able to get 200mhz (DDR400, that's where people got confused. Don't mix the two up) out of them with no problems, that's what they're rated at.

I'd recommend you try to run your original ram at or around 200mhz, you'd get a HUGE improvement in things like alt+tab and minimizing, maybe even moreso than throwing in an extra 2gb.

-z

Starcraft somtimes crashes though, itll tell me an error about some memory location cannot be read. SC is a rock solid program so i blamed my ram and turned it down to DDR250.

 

[8No8]

Originally posted by: k1114
Cheap PC3200 won't run at 250mhz. You'll have to re-adjust that before installing, but I beleive you'll be ok on running 2x1gb and 2x512mb. If your board has two slots for each channel be sure and break it up as 1.5x2

But this is all speculation, i've been out of the hardware scene for a while now

You don't know what you're talking about. Learn hardware please.

---

Welcome to AnandTech Forums. Learn forum courtesy, please.

AnandTech Moderator

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: Soviet
Starcraft somtimes crashes though, itll tell me an error about some memory location cannot be read. SC is a rock solid program so i blamed my ram and turned it down to DDR250.

Well, the ram itself may have been bad from the beginning. Set up the new ram at stock speed (200mhz/ddr400) and test it out. Test each set seperately with memtest86, I have a feeling that the old ram was just bad.

-z

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: 8No8

Originally posted by: k1114
Cheap PC3200 won't run at 250mhz. You'll have to re-adjust that before installing, but I beleive you'll be ok on running 2x1gb and 2x512mb. If your board has two slots for each channel be sure and break it up as 1.5x2

But this is all speculation, i've been out of the hardware scene for a while now

You don't know what you're talking about. Learn hardware please.

---

Welcome to AnandTech Forums. Learn forum courtesy, please.

AnandTech Moderator

Hehehe youuu got in trooouble

Originally posted by: zagood

Originally posted by: Soviet
Starcraft somtimes crashes though, itll tell me an error about some memory location cannot be read. SC is a rock solid program so i blamed my ram and turned it down to DDR250.

Well, the ram itself may have been bad from the beginning. Set up the new ram at stock speed (200mhz/ddr400) and test it out. Test each set seperately with memtest86, I have a feeling that the old ram was just bad.

-z

Im planning too, ive had these two sticks of 512 since 2003, and they were running at DDR 416 or 430 odd for a while before i noticed that was wrong and turned them down. Couldve damaged them or somthing, but tbh no stability problems except starcraft every now and then.