4x 1 gig sticks NForce chipset problem!

[Harlequin_uk]

what?

you are now talking complete rubbish

The NF3/4 chipset works properly and perfectly well - correctly allocating ram when using 3 GB of ram - but when 4 gig of ram are inserted in the motherboard , 600 MB disappear , before the BIOS has completed POST.

This does not happen with Via based motherboards


This does not happen with ATI based motherboards (which run the ram at full speed as well)

I cannot comment on SiS based motherboards as i don`t have one to test.


edit: i am using winxp -64bit

[ytrebil]

Just wondering if it is actually just using 3.4gig or its just a glitch? U tried running CPU-Z?

[Harlequin_uk]

yup its showing 3.4 in cpu-z

[StormPC]

MSI says in their manual (they knew the chipset when they wrote it) that the motherboard accepts up to 4GB. Yet (as you now know) the motherboard does not actually allow you to use all 4GB. Does that tell you something?

If you read a little more you'll notice that if you use 4 double-sided sticks (regardless of size) you can only run at 333MHz. This is a limitation of the memory controller, not the chipset. CPUs and memory controllers have limits as to how much work they can perform.

The MSI K8N Neo2 is a great hobbyist and gamer board, but it is not a professional workstation. That's why the Opteron exists. You are using a game machine for work.

[Nox]

hmmm, i'm not overly sure about that. That limit seems awfully familiar, isn't it the same as the limit on all 32 bit systems?

Nox

[StormPC]

All Athlon 64's are 64 bit systems as well as 32 bit. They can run both operating systems natively. Motherboard manufacturers have made it to where some of their boards will accept 4GB but they really expect you to go with a workstation or server board (Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron) if you have truly demanding power needs. The normal A64 stuff is for the masses, gamers and enthusiasts, not for heavy duty crunching needs like one would desire on a scientific or highend workstation or server.

[cm_uk]

mmm masive debate...keep arguing

[Rave]

its the same core the opterons use and there happy with 16GB+ of ram , so how is it a ram issue??

Opterons can run loads of RAM because they insist on Registered DIMMs; as I understand it this cures the timing problems that you get with large memory loads at the cost of some extra latency.

This is an odd problem TBH. On an A64 system memory performance should be the same whatever chipset you're using, because the memory controller is in the CPU- if you look at a motherboard the traces go straight from the CPU to the DIMM slots, the chipset isn't involved at all. I can't disprove the theory that it's the fault of the NForce3 chipset, but it sounds a bit unlikely. I reckon it's more likely to be a bios problem. All the handbooks for my old Via Athlon boards warn that you'll never see more than 3.5GB when using 4x1GB sticks, whether that's the same problem as this I don't know.

If it is an NForce3 problem, then what's stopping you buying a K8T800 Pro board? If you sell the NForce3 board afterwards you'd probably only be £20-30 down.

You can use 16GB of RAM on an Opteron only if you are using 8 CPUs.

No, you could use 16GB on a dual Opteron system if you put 4x2GB sticks in each processor's slots. Whether it'd be worth it is debatable, but it can definitely be done.

[oralpain]

This is an odd problem TBH. On an A64 system memory performance should be the same whatever chipset you're using, because the memory controller is in the CPU- if you look at a motherboard the traces go straight from the CPU to the DIMM slots, the chipset isn't involved at all.

The chipset does not matter in the case of memory one A64s. However the BIOS does. The BIOS tells the memory/memory controler all the little timings to use.

You could actually run 16 gigs on a single opteron. 4GiB PC2100 dimms exist. They cost about 3200 bucks a pop though.

[Firelord]

I back the notion of 4GB RAM -> should be an opteron based system as it is designed as a server with capacity for vast amounts of RAM.

A dually system would be best for a video editing suite so you can share the load on the CPUs and then the CPU memory controllers.

Athlon 64 i.e. San Diegos, Venice etc are designed as enthusiasts chips and to really be used in home systems and office systems. The opteron is designed as the workhorse hence as Rave has said the use of ECC RAM.

May I point you here -> http://www.over-clock.com/ivb/index.php?showtopic=12053 and have a look at that thread and give what Marci says a whirl.

At the end of the day I would consider swapping to an Opteron system if you are doing that high level of work and need that much system memory.

For what its worth StormPC does know what his talking about and is very knowledgable about this stuff take heed of what he says....

[Rave]

However the BIOS does. The BIOS tells the memory/memory controler all the little timings to use.

I reckon it's more likely to be a bios problem.

You could actually run 16 gigs on a single opteron. 4GiB PC2100 dimms exist. They cost about 3200 bucks a pop though.

You learn something new every day.