Is my memory bad?

[teddyboy]

I have bought 4 memsticks in the past month or so. 1g Matched (2x512) SCIL-236051232 which I will call module 1+2 and 2 seperate sticks 3 + 4 as described below:
Product description Cors VS 512 DDR PC 3200
SCIL 076189170
Product description Cors VS 512 DDR PC 3200
SCIL 395927193

When the memory is in my ABIT VT7 P4 Motherboard at BIOS settings which incidently says 4-4-9-4 at 2.65v (auto) But the memory is actually 3-3-3-8 and says 2.5v on everest home edition. Windows boots up and works great then suddenly either BSOD or restarts itself. I have had errors that are mainly Event id 1000>1004 and error 0x00000007e which is pointing to the memory from what I have looked up on the internet.
So firstly I decide to take all the memory sticks out and try one by one. All 4 passed memcheck 86+ as single modules (I only done 1 test cycle).
I then put in the matched pair and in slots 1/3 and it passed in single and dual mode (1 test).
When I put modules 3+4 in the machine running either dual or single (bear in mind I dont expect them to run dual as they were bought seperately) it fails on test 5 with 35000+ errors? When I put modules 1+2(matched pair) back in slots 1,3 and then put either module 3 or module 4 in the machine running single/dual channel I get 35000 errors from test 2 throughout.

So initially running matched pair seemed fine. So I ran an overnight test and checked out the matched pair with the following results.
Test time 13:08; Passes 42; Errors 13.
TEST 3;PASS 1;FAULTING ADDRESS; 0002992b094;GOOD efefefef; BAD efefebef; ERROR BITS: 00000400; COUNT 13

I then swapped the module in slot3 to slot 1 and vice versa and ran a 3 hour test and NO ERRORS (touch wood). I have ran the machine for about 7 hours now with no crashes (horray!). Does this make sense?

So modules 1+2 seem fine up to now. Modules 3 and 4 were tried in my second machine MSI K7N2 Delta-ILSR (MS-6570G) and they failed just as miserably on this machine also. So, I decided to RMA them back to SCAN which they have tested and the results are below.

Scan diagnosis Passed Memtest in Dual DDR Mode.

Customer fault report TEST SETUP. Motherboard - ABIT IS7-E2 - Latest BIOS. P4 2.8Ghz - 800Fsb - XEON 3.06Ghz - 533Fsb AMD XP3200 Barton - AMD754 3000+ - AMD939 3200+ RAM - CorsairXMS 2x512Mb PC3200. Gfx Card - XFX 6600Gt 256Mb. ASUS Radeon 9600XT 128Mb. Display - SONY SDM-S73 TFT - 1280x1024 Seagate 120Gb PATA Hard Disk - Master - For Component Testing. Maxtor 30Gb PATA Hard Disk - Master - For fresh O/S installs. Pioneer DVR-A05 - Master. PSU - Tagan 480 Watt Memtest86+ Rev:1.55
Scan diagnosis Passed Memtest in Dual DDR Mode.

How come these pass their tests yet I have tried them in 2 machines and they fail miserably (I have the latest BIOS for my motherboards)?

Is the ABIT VT7 crap and here lays the problem? When running MEMTEST it cannot even read the BIOS for settings/timings but my MSI does.

My problems are similar to this link and I have tried most of what they are saying.
http://centon.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x/a...3/r/1120022923

also one of your previous posts is similar:
http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=37244

I have a HYPER 420W PSU with Radeon X800 and running 2 hard drives and 2 DVD/CD. Aint got loads of fans and have 4 molex connectors free.

Hope you can help

[RAM GUY]

Can you tell me our modules part# (How To Read the Memory Label) and the make and model of MB you have along with the CPU speed and it’s FSB as well? In addition, please tell me the bios settings you have set for both CPU and memory and any performance settings that you may have set?

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted by RAM GUY

Can you tell me our modules part# (How To Read the Memory Label) and the make and model of MB you have along with the CPU speed and it’s FSB as well? In addition, please tell me the bios settings you have set for both CPU and memory and any performance settings that you may have set?

All the Memory is VALUE SELECT 512DDR PC3200 - VS512MB400C3
Matched Pair SCIL-236051232/SCIL-236051233
Module 3 - SCIL 076189170
Module 4 - SCIL 395927193

I have ran these modules on the settings suggested 3-3-3-8 but there is a setting 12T-16T default is 15T on motherboard. I have tried 12T and 15T still errors. The Dram voltage defaults at 2.65v and I have tried 2.5 but its actually worse on 2.5 that 2.65. The success I am having now seems to be at 2.70v. (see below)

The bios is 200 x 16 for CPU in softmenu but everest is saying 201Mhz - cant explain that one?


--------[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003, 2004 Lavalys, Inc. ]-----------------------------------------------------------

Version EVEREST v1.51.195
Homepage http://www.lavalys.com/
Report Type Report Wizard
Computer PENTIUM4 (pentium)
Generator pentium
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.1.2600 (WinXP Retail)
Date 2005-04-11
Time 21:54


--------[ CPU ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CPU Properties:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4E, 3219 MHz (16 x 201)
CPU Alias Prescott
CPU Stepping D0
Instruction Set x86, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3
Original Clock 3200 MHz
Engineering Sample No
L1 Trace Cache 12K Instructions
L1 Data Cache 16 KB
L2 Cache 1 MB (On-Die, ECC, ATC, Full-Speed)

Multi CPU:
Motherboard ID OEM00000 PROD00000000
CPU #0 Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz, 3215 MHz
CPU #1 Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz, 3215 MHz

CPU Physical Info:
Package Type 478 Pin uPGA
Package Size 3.50 cm x 3.50 cm
Transistors 125 million
Process Technology 7M, 90 nm, CMOS, Cu, Low-K Inter-Layer, High-K Gate, Strained Si
Die Size 112 mm2
Core Voltage 1.4 V
I/O Voltage 1.4 V
Typical Power 89 - 103 W (depending on clock speed)
Maximum Power 109 - 127 W (depending on clock speed)

CPU Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm

CPU Utilization:
CPU #1 / HTT Unit #1 2 %
CPU #1 / HTT Unit #2 2 %


--------[ CPUID ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CPUID Properties:
CPUID Manufacturer GenuineIntel
CPUID CPU Name Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz
CPUID Revision 00000F34h
IA Brand ID 00h (Unknown)
Platform ID 0Fh (Socket 478)
IA CPU Serial Number Unknown
HTT / CMP Units 2 / 0

Instruction Set:
64-bit x86 Extension Not Supported
AMD 3DNow! Not Supported
AMD 3DNow! Professional Not Supported
AMD Enhanced 3DNow! Not Supported
AMD Extended MMX Not Supported
Cyrix Extended MMX Not Supported
IA-64 Not Supported
IA MMX Supported
IA SSE Supported
IA SSE 2 Supported
IA SSE 3 Supported
CLFLUSH Instruction Supported
CMPXCHG8B Instruction Supported
CMPXCHG16B Instruction Not Supported
Conditional Move Instruction Supported
FEMMS Instruction Not Supported
MONITOR / MWAIT Instruction Supported

CPUID Features:
36-bit Page Size Extension Supported
Advanced Cryptography Engine Not Supported
Alternate Instruction Set Not Supported
Automatic Clock Control Supported
CPL Qualified Debug Store Supported
Debug Trace Store Supported
Debugging Extension Supported
Enhanced SpeedStep Technology Not Supported
Fast Save & Restore Supported
Fast System Call Supported
Hyper-Threading Technology Supported
L1 Context ID Supported
Local APIC On Chip Supported
LongRun Not Supported
LongRun Table Interface Not Supported
Machine-Check Architecture Supported
Machine-Check Exception Supported
Memory Type Range Registers Supported
Model Specific Registers Supported
No-Execute Page Protection Not Supported
Page Attribute Table Supported
Page Global Extension Supported
Page Size Extension Supported
Pending Break Event Supported
Physical Address Extension Supported
Processor Duty Cycle Control Supported
Processor Serial Number Not Supported
Random Number Generator Not Supported
Self-Snoop Supported
Thermal Monitor Supported
Thermal Monitor 2 Not Supported
Time Stamp Counter Supported
Virtual Mode Extension Supported

Enhanced Power Management:
Frequency ID Control Not Supported
Software Thermal Control Not Supported
Temperature Sensing Diode Not Supported
Thermal Monitoring Not Supported
Thermal Trip Not Supported
Voltage ID Control Not Supported


--------[ Motherboard ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID 08/27/2004-PT880-8237-6A7L2A19C-14
Motherboard Name Abit VT7

Front Side Bus Properties:
Bus Type Intel NetBurst
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 201 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 805 MHz
Bandwidth 6438 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties:
Bus Type DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 201 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 402 MHz
Bandwidth 3219 MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties:
Bus Type VIA V-Link
Bus Width 16-bit
Real Clock 67 MHz (ODR)
Effective Clock 536 MHz
Bandwidth 1073 MB/s

Motherboard Physical Info:
CPU Sockets/Slots 1
Expansion Slots 5 PCI, 1 AGP
RAM Slots 4 DIMM
Integrated Devices Audio, LAN
Form Factor ATX
Motherboard Size 220 mm x 300 mm
Motherboard Chipset PT880
Extra Features SoftMenu

Motherboard Manufacturer:
Company Name ABIT Computer Corporation
Product Information http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/mothe...otherboard.php
BIOS Download http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/downl...FILE_TYPE=Bios


--------[ Memory ]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Physical Memory:
Total 511 MB
Used 215 MB
Free 295 MB
Utilization 42 %

Swap Space:
Total 1248 MB
Used 204 MB
Free 1044 MB
Utilization 16 %

Virtual Memory:
Total 1760 MB
Used 420 MB
Free 1339 MB
Utilization 24 %


--------[ SPD ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ DIMM1: Corsair VS512MB400C3 ]

Memory Module Properties:
Module Name Corsair VS512MB400C3
Serial Number None
Module Size 512 MB (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Type Unbuffered
Memory Type DDR SDRAM
Memory Speed PC3200 (200 MHz)
Module Width 64 bit
Module Voltage SSTL 2.5
Error Detection Method None
Refresh Rate Reduced (7.8 us), Self-Refresh

Memory Timings:
@ 200 MHz 3.0-3-3-8 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)

Memory Module Features:
Early RAS# Precharge Not Supported
Auto-Precharge Not Supported
Precharge All Not Supported
Write1/Read Burst Not Supported
Buffered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported
Registered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported
On-Card PLL (Clock) Not Supported
Buffered DQMB Inputs Not Supported
Registered DQMB Inputs Not Supported
Differential Clock Input Supported
Redundant Row Address Not Supported

Memory Module Manufacturer:
Company Name Corsair Memory, Inc.
Product Information http://www.corsairmicro.com/main/products.htm


--------[ Chipset ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ North Bridge: VIA Apollo PT880 ]

North Bridge Properties:
North Bridge VIA Apollo PT880
Revision 00
Package Type 829 Pin HSBGA
Package Size 3.75 cm x 3.75 cm
Core Voltage 1.5 V
In-Order Queue Depth 12

Memory Controller:
Type Dual Channel (128-bit)
Active Mode Single Channel (64-bit)
Bank Interleave 4-way

Memory Timings:
CAS Latency (CL) 3T
RAS To CAS Delay (tRCD) 3T
RAS Precharge (tRP) 3T
RAS Active Time (tRAS) 8T
Row Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC) 15T
Command Rate (CR) 2T
Write Recovery Time (tWR) 3T

Memory Slots:
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)

AGP Controller:
AGP Version 3.05
AGP Status Enabled
AGP Device ATI Radeon X800 Pro
AGP Aperture Size 128 MB
Supported AGP Speeds 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x
Current AGP Speed 8x
Fast-Write Supported, Enabled
Side Band Addressing Supported, Enabled

Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name VIA Technologies, Inc.
Product Information http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets
Driver Download http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2

[ South Bridge: VIA VT8237 ]

South Bridge Properties:
South Bridge VIA VT8237
Revision 00
Package Type 539 Pin BGA
Package Size 2.7 cm x 2.7 cm
Process Technology 0.22 um
Core Voltage 2.5 V

Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name VIA Technologies, Inc.
Product Information http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets
Driver Download http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2


--------[ BIOS ]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BIOS Properties:
BIOS Type Award
Award BIOS Type Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Award BIOS Message
System BIOS Date 08/27/04
Video BIOS Date 07/19/04

BIOS Manufacturer:
Company Name Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
Product Information http://www.phoenix.com/en/products/default.htm
BIOS Upgrades http://www.esupport.com/biosagent/in...m?refererid=40



Hope this helps

[RAM GUY]

You should not mix memory with most MB's today, and I would suggest just testing with just our modules and test them one at a time with www.memtest.org at 2.7X Volts to be sure.

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted by RAM GUY

You should not mix memory with most MB's today, and I would suggest just testong with our modules and test them one at a time with www.memtest.org at 2.7X Volts to be sure.

Hmmm dont quite understand.

All the Memory is VALUE SELECT 512DDR PC3200 - VS512MB400C3

Matched Pair SCIL-236051232/SCIL-236051233
Module 3 - SCIL 076189170
Module 4 - SCIL 395927193

It's all Corsair and all the same product. Surely all 4 of your memory sticks should work together? Are you saying I cant have a matched pair and a non-tested matched pair working together - even in single channel mode?

[RAM GUY]

This is not our part#
Module 3 - SCIL 076189170
Module 4 - SCIL 395927193

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted by RAM GUY

This is not our part#
Module 3 - SCIL 076189170
Module 4 - SCIL 395927193

Ahhhh.. understand now. I dont actually have the Module3 and 4 sticks atm they are with SCAN computers - i got that SCIL from the RMA.

I will get on to them and find out why they are selling Corsair memory with incorrect SCIL codes. Does this mean its dodgy RAM? The PCB had corsair on it?

Am I within my right to demand an exchange? and if so can you tell me what the code shoud look like?

(The plot thickens)

Cheers

[RAM GUY]

I am not sure what I can tell you other than what I have already said. If they are our modules they will have our lable and part# on them. However, it's not unusual for some resellers to add their own lable.

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted by RAM GUY

I am not sure what I can tell you other than what I have already said. If they are our modules they will have our lable and part# on them. However, it's not unusual for some resellers to add their own lable.

I have spoken to SCAN and they inform me that these are their SCIL codes as you suspected. They have told me that memory can sometime be incompatable on some motherboards, and they are replacing them for 2 different sticks.

Hopefully these new sticks will be compatible.

Thanks for your time and efforts.

[RAM GUY]

No problem, please let me know when you get the new modules!

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted by RAM GUY

No problem, please let me know when you get the new modules!

RAMGUY - I am at the end of my tether with this BUT I want your advice. I have the original Matched Pair which Pass Memtest in single and dual channel mode in both slots 1/3 and 2/4.

I have the new pair from SCAN that pass exactly the same tests in slots 1/3 and 2/4.

PERFECT

When I put set 1 in 1/3 and set 2 in 2/4 I get errors at TEST 5 Pass 99% Test 97% in both single and dual mode. I then swapped the matched pair to go in slot 1+2 and second matched pair in 3+4 so I would use them in a different variation, as I know they are DUAL compatible. But still errors.

I tried 3 sticks in a variety of combinations and it fails. I try two in any combination and it passes.

IMHO I think your RAM works - I think that the memory controller on this motherboard is b0rked. It seems once you take it over 1024k it fails.

OR Is it possible that whilst 2 sticks of RAM will work in harmony a 3rd or 4 stick will cause problems?

All info is above but I have tried all settings to get your RAM to fail (whilst in pairs) and I cannot succeed! Leave settings at SPD, change voltage to 2.5 and 2.7 and manual set it to 3-3-3-8. It works in pairs everytime.

So whilst it is strange that I am complaining that your RAM works do you agree that it is possible that the controller on this MOBO is b0rked?

B.T.W. Its an ABIT VT7 revision 2 BIOS 14 (latest). Using VIA PT880 memory controller.


IAN

[RAM GUY]

With more than 2 modules you may be limited to run the memory at DDR333, since the modules pass www.memtest.org one set at a time. But I would try and set the Dim Voltage to 2.8 Volts and see if that helps.