psu causing ram not to run correctly ??

**sweeper2** · February 20th, 2005, 07:33 AM

Ok, posted a thread a little bit ago...couple weeks maybe... about my ram and MB...

Gigabyte 7NF-RZ nForce2 chipest FSB up to 400...

also, in manuel, page 24, says to use DDR400, set bios settings to "manuel" / FSB 166 / mem frequency 120%=400

i had (2) sticks of Buffalo DDR400 512MB dble sided... tried everything possible in bios with settings... no luck, either unstable windows or beep code....or just constant restarting of pc before it hits windows start up screen...

so i switched ram to (2) Mushkin DDR400 single sided 256MB sticks, retried... this time same beep code under one setting... then other settings it shows BSOD says bunch of stuff about check hardware etc... or the constant restarting and windows error, saying I have to run "r" to repair a missing config file...so i do that then i get the BSOD again after it loads the files and tries to start windows...

could it be my PSU(350 watt) is not powerfull enough to supply the MB ? That's why i went to single sided ram...?

Win XP Pro SP2
Sempron 2400 1.6 ghz
Artic Cooling 2L HSF (80mm)
ddr400 Mushkin single sided 256MBX2
Gigabyte 7NF-RZ
Leadtek 5900XT 128MB
40 gig Samsung drive ata/133
52Xcd-rom
48Xcd-rw
7-1 card reader (usb)
(2) 120mm fans
"supper flower" fan speed / temp mont. controller (uses the 1.4 floppy pwr cable)

**Sweeper** · February 20th, 2005, 01:44 PM

sounds a bit like the older MSI boards where they say it will support 266, 333 but in little tiny letters they say you can only run DDR333 *if your CPU supports 533FSB* if not it will default back to DDR266.

**Omardeth** · February 20th, 2005, 02:52 PM

whats the voltage on the ram set at ?

**sweeper2** · February 20th, 2005, 03:18 PM

the bios has no voltage settings.. limited.... but i saw a review on this board where they were running Kingston ddr400 at the correct speeds.... but there bios was different then mine, had alot more settings ? I tried to flash mine through windows....still the same bios even though it had a different version listed

**Xtreeme** · February 20th, 2005, 03:51 PM

Its running asynch anyhow. Dont bother.

"also, in manuel, page 24, says to use DDR400, set bios settings to "manuel" / FSB 166 / mem frequency 120%=400"

This means it supports only 166fsb on the cpu and is adding +20% freq. to the mem fsb. Its asynch and any gains you got on mem will be waisted on latency for the most part since the NB has to match the two up. Sure mem bench will look better but effectivly when talking to cpu etc. its no gain at all.

**sweeper2** · February 20th, 2005, 04:04 PM

i tried that.. put it at 166FSB and made it 120% to allow the ram to run at ddr400 speeds... but it locks up.... beep code , just a constant... beep.....beep......beep

??

this sucks... not sure how they got the review of this board to run an athlon xp 2500 overclocked to 200FSB (athlon xp3200 2.2ghz) with the mem running at 100% =ddr400 ???

i upped this FSB to 200 (which the cpu handles perfectly) and set the mem frequency to100% to allow this mem to run at ddr400 , but it will boot up, then say windows is missing a file, do a repair, so i try and do that, but then after windows loads the setup files... it crashes...BSOD ??

would a format of the HD and reinstall of windows make a difference, and what's the difference between a windows bios flash, compared to using a floppy to flash the bios... looks to me like i have the latest bios (same used in the review, but the review had alot more detailed info in the bios...??)

**Xtreeme** · February 20th, 2005, 05:03 PM

Well what your experiencing at boot time is what one sees when pushing the system too far. I oclock alot of diff rigs and have seen variations of this. Some just reboot over and over. Some BSOD, some try to repair windows but overall its the same thing. Over taxed hardware. Your vcore maybe too low. Or may even be your NB that cant handle it. I think its a lost cause. I mean they arent giving you a garuntee of that fsb speed to start with. And since results will vary grealty board to board when oclocking even when same brand and chipset. You can't go by reviews results.

**Sweeper** · February 20th, 2005, 07:48 PM

I would opt for a new board that runs ddr400.... Just my $.02.

**Xtreeme** · February 20th, 2005, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by Sweeper

I would opt for a new board that runs ddr400.... Just my $.02.

I would agree.

Can get one for $60. THe price of a stick of ddr400 512mb! Man mem is a rip-off. Puts it in perspective!

**ted61** · February 21st, 2005, 03:40 PM

Just get a new MOBO. MSI boards are the ones you get a Fry's to overclock until they burn up. You can't overclock them if the hardware is too good to run on the mobo. You could always get some cheap ram then see how far you can push the system.

**sweeper2** · February 21st, 2005, 04:10 PM

was running some Buffalo ram (2)X512mb ...sitll runs it at 167mhz

might look up a MB in near future... not sure yet.. as this one was bought only a few months ago...

**Xtreeme** · February 21st, 2005, 04:24 PM

I've had 4 diff sticks of buffalo mem. 2x256mb then 2x512mb. ddr400. All did the rated speed. Seriously Id blaim the board.

**sweeper2** · February 21st, 2005, 05:04 PM

just ticks me off as they say it's a nForce2 chipset, 400FSB, up to DDR333 *but will run DDR400* if overclocked in bios, but yet if i set it to 166FSB (stock for cpu), then set the mem frequency to 120% it locks up...(beep code) ... why say it will do something then it doesn't...

might have to e-mail tech support at gigabyte and suck up the time to enter all the bull crap info they want...

**Xtreeme** · February 21st, 2005, 05:37 PM

But see, thats just it. Like mine-its nf2. Not nf2 ultra. Some, but not many were actually useing the ultra before it was out and had to "shhhhh" about it. Asus A7n8x (deluxe only) was one which explained its oclocking ability early on. Luckily this is the one I got. Once nf2 400 and Ultra were out, they patched bios for full 200fsb and 3200+ support. Now alot of them didnt have the ultra or 400 NB so they couldnt. The original nf2 was only 166fsb. Oclocking cant be garunteed by anyone, even the manufacturer. Never fall for that. Its a painfull lesson Im sure you wont soon forget. Were they wrong for leading you on? You bet, but what else is new! These co's want your $ and they will lie over and over for it.

Dont get bit again. Look at this list so they arent BS'ing you next time.
Note: some say 333 some 400 and 400ultra. And Id get one with the nvidia utility (ntune) support while your at it. I got one for a build had all that for $60 by biostar!
http://www.nvidia.com/object/motherboards.html

**sweeper2** · February 21st, 2005, 06:07 PM

well, just figured it out... you have to hit Ctrl+F1 to list advance options in bios where i relaxed the timings on the mem slightly, and now it boots correctly at a 200FSB frequency for the mem and 200 FSB for the cpu....

had to dig around at the Gigabyte website under the FAQ section and found this out.... wish they would list this in the manuel....