Jump to content
Corsair Community

Asus A8N-SLI Premium and Corsair VS2GBKIT400C3 = No Dual Channel???


angelobr

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

I'm just moving from my "old" AMD64 754 to a new AMD64 939 machine.

 

So, those are my specs:

 

PSU 430 watts

Asus A8N-SLI Premium with BIOS 1011.1

Corsair VS2GBKIT400C3 PC3200 2048MB

AMD A64 3000+ 939 Venice

e-VGA 7800GT

2 Sata Maxtor HDDs

Audigy 2 ZS

 

Everything is working fine, but I just can't set this board to work with those Corsair memos using Dual Channel. If I put any of the sticks on slots A1 or A2 I get memory errors from the BIOS and my PC don't even POST. Asus mobo reports that the RAM tests failed.

 

If I put any of the sticks to B1 or B2 slots them everything goes fine. I put those sticks on B1 and B2 sticks and now I've my 2 gigs running fine, but of course without Dual Channel, only Single Channel.

 

For those that can think about a defective mobo, I had a A8N-SLI and returned it last week because of this problem, them I get this new A8N-SLI Premium, and the same problem happens again :(

 

There is any way or configuration that I can do within BIOS to make those rams to run at Dual Channel configuration or really exists a compatibility problem between those sticks and those Asus mobos?

 

Thanks,

Angelo Braga.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 85
  • Created
  • Last Reply

You did put the sticks into DIMM slots A1 and B1 for dual channel, right? (The two blue slots.)

 

I've got the ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe with the TwinX2048-3200C2 RAM and they're playing wonderfully in dual channel mode and have been for over 6 months.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You did put the sticks into DIMM slots A1 and B1 for dual channel, right? (The two blue slots.)

 

I've got the ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe with the TwinX2048-3200C2 RAM and they're playing wonderfully in dual channel mode and have been for over 6 months.

 

Yes, I know that, but if I put any stick in A1 or A2 slots I always get POST problems about RAM tests failed... :[pouts:

 

No dual channel for me until now... I'll try to set the voltage at 2.7 or 2.75 in BIOS and see if this is the problem...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should be plug and play since the board has Dual Channel Memory Architecture - 4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. Therefore you don't really need to change the settings in my opinion. This board has a capacity of 4GB DDR400/DDR333/DDR266 ECC/ non-ECC un-buffered DDR SDRAM memory which the VS2GB kit should qualify under. Since this is a widely used board I would expect your A Ram slots are messed up. If it doesn't post under any circumstance, then that is probably it. When you put the ram in the B ports, do you install them one at a time? The reason I ask is because this will let you know if each module works. Often with this type of issue, I found that one module can be messed up and the motherboard will access working parts of ram sometimes and defective ram other times. Simple test can be using the plug one in at a time test. Since each runs individually it should work as a good measure when buying new ram. If that works then it is most likely A ports being bugged. I'm confused about getting errors in Bios if your PC doesn't post. I think you mean it doesn't load into your OS. In any event you should try to update your Bios from 1011 to 1015 or higher. For your motherboard, 1015 has the following updates:

 

1. Support new CPUs. Please refer to our website at: http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx

2. Fix unstable under 400MHz-Single channel issue.

3. Modify DDR max speed from 400MHz to 333Hz when full loading.

 

This should hold true for all Asus A8N-SLI Premium boards. I believe they all need to be bios upgraded for VS2GB kits. 1016 is also out if you want to use that instead. 1016 will have the same updates as 1015 + the new definitions for CPUs, awdflash upgrade and removing 2.88 floppy item values.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mystery, thanks for your help, but as far as I know, and I just checked it again now, the latest BIOS that I can found on Asus support web site is for my Asus A8N-SLI Premium is 1011.001 (BETA). This version was released in 2005/12/08.

 

I agree with you, and I think that those ram really should work in Dual Channel mode here...

 

I used those sticks in my old 745 PC (Asus K8N + AMD64 2800+) and it always worked well, of course that it doesn't have Dual Channel as 754 don't have this feature.

 

Now, it continue working well, and both sticks works fine when I use B1 and B2 slots of my A8N-SLI Premium. Windows and BIOS recognizes the 2Gb. and everything just runs fine.

 

But, if I try to use them at slots A1 or A2 them I always get memory fail beeps. This mobo have a nice feature, using the onboard sound system the mobo give me some voice messages during POST process, and the message is always the same, saying that RAM tests failed.

 

The same thing happens when I try to use very low timings for this ram, so I'm thinking if this can't be a timing problem. Maybe I should set the slowest timing setings at BIOS just to give them another try in Dual Channel.

 

About the slots being defective, this is the second Asus A8N-SLI that I get in less than a week, so I don't think that it's the case anymore. The first one was a A8N-SLI and this second is a A8N-SLI Premium, and both have the same behavior :[pouts:

 

Any other hint will be great :D:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Memtest each dimm seperately, also try different slots, reading up on ya post prolly one of the dimms well give errors.

 

Also make a post how the motherboard detects the ram ? try grabbing A64 tweaker and post that screenie here we wil work from from that post to get it stable ( if it doesn't produce errors in the memstest test )

 

Here's a link of an A64 tweaker screenie ( it's freeware) how eg my ram is setup on my Abit board :

 

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/abitfattimings.JPG

 

 

Also did you try to run it at 2T command rate ? It could well be that the board misreads the SPD settings of the ram

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks leeghoofd,

 

I'll get this A64 tweaker as soon as I get at home as I'm working now (10 a.m. here in Brazil now :biggrin: )

 

I'll reinstall my Windows today as I get completelly destroyed by those Nvidia IDE drivers :mad:

 

As soon as I finish it I'll install this A64 tweaker and get a screen from it.

 

Anyway, I'm running at 2T command rate. I only can use 1t command rate with one stick, if I put both and set to 1T I can't get my machine on... only beeps :sigh!: , so I've to use 2T to have those two sticks running here...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys, I just finished trying everything...

 

I arrived at home, turned on my PC, entered in BIOS and set the highest (bad performance) timings possible to every memory setting, then I set it to DDR266 to ensure that it`s really slow and set voltage to 2.7.

 

After those settings, I turned my machine completelly off. I removed the sticks and tried A1, A2, nothing.. B1, B2, both ok and running, all this "movement" was done using only one stick. Them, I let the stick inserted in B2 slot, and put the another one in A1, A2, no luck again, and them B1, so it worked again.

 

To finish, 2 Gb. working, but really can`t get Dual Channel. Can`t those A1 and A2 slots be deffective? I think that this is at least a remote possibility, as I told you this is the second Asus that I get, similar models, but this one is Premium, bought them from different stores, and both have the same problem :[pouts:

 

I`m really thinking about selling those rams and getting some new...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm really sorry. I made a mistake. The 1015 is for Deluxe board. For Premium boards it is 1009. If you have 1009 installed you may also need to update the chipset drivers to V6.65 or later. I still think it's the ports on this perticular board. For your previous board it was probably the version that needed updates.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what I have been reading It seems that you have not tried putting it on A1 and B1. From what the motherboard manual says you need to place one in A1 and one in B1 to access dual channel mode. I'm unclear if you've tried this or not....

 

This was the first thing that I tried :[pouts:

 

No luck until now to use A1 or A2 slots, if I put any of the sticks there my PC don't POST anymore, only beeps...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm really sorry. I made a mistake. The 1015 is for Deluxe board. For Premium boards it is 1009. If you have 1009 installed you may also need to update the chipset drivers to V6.65 or later. I still think it's the ports on this perticular board. For your previous board it was probably the version that needed updates.

 

No problem at all, I'm using 1011.001 beta BIOS, and my chipset drivers are 6.70.

 

Anyway, I don't think that chipset drivers will make any difference for me at this point, after all my problem with Dual Channel is that I can't even make my PC POST if I install those sticks in A1 and B1 slots as I should to get Dual Channel. I'm far away yet from trying to run a Operational System here...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm receiving this board today and have the same ram pack. I will post my results in a couple of hours. Hopefully I don't have this problem.

 

Could you managed to get Dual Channel working?

 

Guys, another detail, my value ram uses Samsung UCCC chips, week 525, as I don't know if all those values are like this, I think that it's worth to say this :):

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can my PSU is the problem?

 

I'm using an ATX with only 20 pin, and 430 watts. Of course that I already tried to run my PC without any case fan, HDDs and DVD-Drives, and even without all those itens I can't get the Dual Channel :[pouts:

 

Can it be a 20 pin problem???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can my PSU is the problem?

 

I'm using an ATX with only 20 pin, and 430 watts. Of course that I already tried to run my PC without any case fan, HDDs and DVD-Drives, and even without all those itens I can't get the Dual Channel :[pouts:

 

Can it be a 20 pin problem???

 

Can you find out exactly what brand and what specification your PSU have?

 

It might be that you need a real 24 PIN PSU to power a SLI MB and Dual Core. :eeeeek: You will also need to use a 4 PIN to give extra power to CPU.

 

I did buy the same Value Select as you have for my Asus K8N4-E dlx (nf4-4x chipset- PCIe for socket 754). Did both stick work on your socket 754 motherboard so you had a total of 2GB? (What is your socket 754 CPU? I have a newcastle CPU and hope it will work, so it would be nice to know if you had the same core rev. like mine.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can my PSU is the problem?

 

I'm using an ATX with only 20 pin, and 430 watts. Of course that I already tried to run my PC without any case fan, HDDs and DVD-Drives, and even without all those itens I can't get the Dual Channel :[pouts:

 

Can it be a 20 pin problem???

Should be fine since you get post on the B slots. Again, I believe it is the board. If the 12v Connector isn't in for the CPU, I don't think you will get a post. You will have the green light on your case but without cpu power, not much else. If you have a PC shop nearby that does not charge for returns you may just want to try another board and return it if it gives the exact same problem. My reasoning behind the slots being the problem is because nothing posts when anything is in those slots from what I gather. That is 99% of the time the slots being messed up (in my experiance).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you find out exactly what brand and what specification your PSU have?

 

It might be that you need a real 24 PIN PSU to power a SLI MB and Dual Core. :eeeeek: You will also need to use a 4 PIN to give extra power to CPU.

 

I did buy the same Value Select as you have for my Asus K8N4-E dlx (nf4-4x chipset- PCIe for socket 754). Did both stick work on your socket 754 motherboard so you had a total of 2GB? (What is your socket 754 CPU? I have a newcastle CPU and hope it will work, so it would be nice to know if you had the same core rev. like mine.)

 

I use a VCOM PSU, 430 watts. As I'm not using SLI nor Dual Core CPU I don't really know if the missing of a 24 PIN PSU is really the problem. I'm thinking about getting a SevenTeam 550 PSU unit, that is ATX 2.0 and have those 24 PIN.

 

And to answer your question, yes, my old K8N 754 mobo recognizes those 2GB without any problem and always worked very well, of course without Dual Channel as 754 doens't support this. My old 754 CPU was also a newcastle one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should be fine since you get post on the B slots. Again, I believe it is the board. If the 12v Connector isn't in for the CPU, I don't think you will get a post. You will have the green light on your case but without cpu power, not much else. If you have a PC shop nearby that does not charge for returns you may just want to try another board and return it if it gives the exact same problem. My reasoning behind the slots being the problem is because nothing posts when anything is in those slots from what I gather. That is 99% of the time the slots being messed up (in my experiance).

 

Yes, you're right, if I put anything on those slots nothing works here. But this's really weird, this's the second Asus board that will've the same problem. I'll try to exchange it for a DFI one and I'll never more buy something from Asus :[pouts: :mad:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the same isse with that MB and with a FX-55 CPU but changed to the premium version and that seems to have solve the problem. You might talk to the MB maker.

 

For sure, I'll try to contact Asus tomorrow and see what they say about this weird problem, after all this's the second mobo with the same problem. First I get the simple version, A8N-SLI, and as it didn't work I exchanged it for the most complete solution from Asus, the Premium one, but also get the same problem.

 

Completelly unlucky or Asus completelly bad, bad guy :sigh!:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all,

 

I have a similar system configuration:

PSU 500 watts

Asus A8N-SLI Premium with BIOS 1011.1

Corsair VS2GBKIT400C3 PC3200 2048MB

AMD A64 4000+ 939 San Diego

e-VGA 7800GT

1 Samsung HDD 160 GB

Audigy 2 ZS

 

The system runs very stable in dual channel mode (all bios settings are set to auto), testet with prime95, as long as I do not start any 3D game or 3D benchmarking tool. If I do that, the system freezes after a few minutes (sometimes I have pixel errors until the system freezes completely).

 

I have checked the temperatures of the CPU, Mainboard and GPU and they are all OK.

 

I have also tried another memory module a ProMOS V826632K24ATG-D3. With this module, 3DMark 2006 runs all the night without any problem.

 

My conclusion is that this corsair memory modules are not compatible with this mainboard, or are there any bios settings I can try to get my system with this memory modules stable?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all,

 

I have a similar system configuration:

PSU 500 watts

Asus A8N-SLI Premium with BIOS 1011.1

Corsair VS2GBKIT400C3 PC3200 2048MB

AMD A64 4000+ 939 San Diego

e-VGA 7800GT

1 Samsung HDD 160 GB

Audigy 2 ZS

 

The system runs very stable in dual channel mode (all bios settings are set to auto), testet with prime95, as long as I do not start any 3D game or 3D benchmarking tool. If I do that, the system freezes after a few minutes (sometimes I have pixel errors until the system freezes completely).

 

I have checked the temperatures of the CPU, Mainboard and GPU and they are all OK.

 

I have also tried another memory module a ProMOS V826632K24ATG-D3. With this module, 3DMark 2006 runs all the night without any problem.

 

My conclusion is that this corsair memory modules are not compatible with this mainboard, or are there any bios settings I can try to get my system with this memory modules stable?

 

At least your system starts in Dual Channel, my can't even post...

 

For those that asked about a A64 Tweaker screenshot, here I've one. This is using single channel and a little bit agressive timings. Of course that I already slowed everything down to try Dual Channel but no luck up to now...

A64.JPG.3953c6e6f2096202ff775202fb001e02.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...