Well, okay, it was only a silicon flesh wound...
I posted on here earlier about how I couldn't get any motherboards to work, and now I have found a solution.
Here's what happened: My parents were wanting to replace an ailing K7S5A PRO motherboard. Since we aren't big in pocketbooks, we wanted the cheapest fix we could find, so we ended up getting the SV266AD and KT600-A motherboards to try to replace it. However, using all the available spare parts we had, we couldn't get either mobo working. The ONLY kind of spare parts we couldn't exchange for testing purposes was the DDR RAM. I carefully bought them 512MB DDR RAM, with 64x4 internal configuration, and it worked like a charm. Beforehand, I was getting beeps that indicated a video error (1 long, 2 short), and it was only luck that saved their hinds. So now they use the (better rated) KT600-A mobo.
BUT WHAT ABOUT LIL OLD ME?? Now I want to use their memory to make another computer, but how the heck do I find a motherboard that is compatible?
Someone please tell me.
I have two identical-make 256MB DDR RAM sticks (184-pin, since they're for desktops), rated PC266 (PC2100 in modern numeration). I have no information about their origins, but they have 'VIO' stamped all over them. Markings would indicate they have 32x8 internal configuration (better than the rare 32x4 one, at least). I do not know whether they are 4-layer or 6-layer modular design sticks. Now, could someone tell me what motherboards out there can support this kind of memory? Obviously there are websites to help you get memory for a specific motherboard, but they don't discuss the specifics that could help an independent researcher such as myself. Personally, I'm rather peeved with how little this important matter is discussed. It seems more like the only winners are the few sites that obtain the most compatible memory available and then say they are the ones who can help you find the RIGHT memory, when they have simply used some insider information to circumvent the step that cripples techies most (memory layout/chipset compatibility).
So, since I somewhat doubt anyone would know the memory compatibility scene a whole lot better, testimony will do. Anyone with 256MB sticks of memory that is 32x8, and an Athlon XP, tell me what motherboard you are using, please! (No, I will not get another K7S5A PRO--it will not properly support CPUs at 133Mhz FSB, and its other various complaints make it seem more like a miracle it worked in the parents' computer!)
Additional note: I can be sure that the DDR RAM was not the problem in the parents' computer because that motherboard also supports SDRAM, and using available SDRAM produced the same symptoms in the board that the DDR RAM did (i.e. computer would hang frequently at power-on and always on reset).
Another note: I just found a really nice post in ArsTechnica that highlights compatibility and debunks the myths of getting RAM to work. Apparently, the seller I went to was actually fooling me! The internal configuration 'density' configurations are supported much better in the DDR RAM generation than they were in the SDRAM days. It's probably CLS timing that is the problem. However, since I no longer possess a board that can run these sticks, I can't tell what timings they have. I figure my best option is just to look for a board that came out when PC2100 was new, and it should work fine. (Too bad I won't get full AGPx8 out of my GeForce FX... *sigh*)
Still, any testimony may be used for a motherboard purchase. Any help would be appreciated.
I posted on here earlier about how I couldn't get any motherboards to work, and now I have found a solution.
Here's what happened: My parents were wanting to replace an ailing K7S5A PRO motherboard. Since we aren't big in pocketbooks, we wanted the cheapest fix we could find, so we ended up getting the SV266AD and KT600-A motherboards to try to replace it. However, using all the available spare parts we had, we couldn't get either mobo working. The ONLY kind of spare parts we couldn't exchange for testing purposes was the DDR RAM. I carefully bought them 512MB DDR RAM, with 64x4 internal configuration, and it worked like a charm. Beforehand, I was getting beeps that indicated a video error (1 long, 2 short), and it was only luck that saved their hinds. So now they use the (better rated) KT600-A mobo.
BUT WHAT ABOUT LIL OLD ME?? Now I want to use their memory to make another computer, but how the heck do I find a motherboard that is compatible?
Someone please tell me.
I have two identical-make 256MB DDR RAM sticks (184-pin, since they're for desktops), rated PC266 (PC2100 in modern numeration). I have no information about their origins, but they have 'VIO' stamped all over them. Markings would indicate they have 32x8 internal configuration (better than the rare 32x4 one, at least). I do not know whether they are 4-layer or 6-layer modular design sticks. Now, could someone tell me what motherboards out there can support this kind of memory? Obviously there are websites to help you get memory for a specific motherboard, but they don't discuss the specifics that could help an independent researcher such as myself. Personally, I'm rather peeved with how little this important matter is discussed. It seems more like the only winners are the few sites that obtain the most compatible memory available and then say they are the ones who can help you find the RIGHT memory, when they have simply used some insider information to circumvent the step that cripples techies most (memory layout/chipset compatibility).
So, since I somewhat doubt anyone would know the memory compatibility scene a whole lot better, testimony will do. Anyone with 256MB sticks of memory that is 32x8, and an Athlon XP, tell me what motherboard you are using, please! (No, I will not get another K7S5A PRO--it will not properly support CPUs at 133Mhz FSB, and its other various complaints make it seem more like a miracle it worked in the parents' computer!)
Additional note: I can be sure that the DDR RAM was not the problem in the parents' computer because that motherboard also supports SDRAM, and using available SDRAM produced the same symptoms in the board that the DDR RAM did (i.e. computer would hang frequently at power-on and always on reset).
Another note: I just found a really nice post in ArsTechnica that highlights compatibility and debunks the myths of getting RAM to work. Apparently, the seller I went to was actually fooling me! The internal configuration 'density' configurations are supported much better in the DDR RAM generation than they were in the SDRAM days. It's probably CLS timing that is the problem. However, since I no longer possess a board that can run these sticks, I can't tell what timings they have. I figure my best option is just to look for a board that came out when PC2100 was new, and it should work fine. (Too bad I won't get full AGPx8 out of my GeForce FX... *sigh*)
Still, any testimony may be used for a motherboard purchase. Any help would be appreciated.
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