Issues Adding RAM?

[s_kinton]

I decided last night to whip the 1Gb of PC3200 out of my HTPC and give it a quick try in my main PC to see what difference the extra memory made to Vista gaming.

I've currently got 2x1Gb Geil PC4000. The PC3200 memory I added was in 2x512mb form. I put the memory on a divider, made sure the voltage was right and relaxed the timings so the PC3200 was within spec.

When I turned the machine on, I got no POST, no video, just the fans spinning up to full speed, rather than the normal slower speed.

Where am I going wrong?

Mobo is MSI K8N Neo4 SLi Platinum

[peterb]

Probably a memory incompatability berween the two types of memory. Check to see if the machine will post with just the PC3200 memory alone. If it does, that is the problem.

[s_kinton]

Probably a memory incompatability berween the two types of memory. Check to see if the machine will post with just the PC3200 memory alone. If it does, that is the problem.

What kind of incompatability are we talking about here? I assumed that if they were running at the same speed with the correct timings and voltage I'd be ok

I'll try the PC3200 memory on its own tonight

[peterb]

Different make - different spec. I had a similar problem with two memory sticks with (on paper) identical specs from different mfrs. Both worked fine alone, put them in the machine together and although it would post, it wouldn't boot the OS. Running Memtest with each one alone was fine, with both together the screen lit up like a Christmas tree with the errors.

But try yoy PC3200 memory on its own - if it works, then the reason is incompatability. If it doesn't work on its own, in couold be the settings you have applied.

[s_kinton]

I've also got a single 1Gb stick of some PC3200 Corsair Value Select, I'll give that a try with my 2x1Gb Geil sticks

[peterb]

Worth a a go!

(Funnily enough, after my issue with the sticks, I RMA's the one back to Scan who accepted it back (although niot faulty) because it was incompatable, and I ordered two sticks of Value Select which worked fine. However, a year later (last week to be precise) almost to the day, they both started throwing errors - the good people at Scan are just about to replace them!)