v.4.2 vs v1.5 and other stuff.

[bmkiss67]

So I think I got my facts messed up somewhere and may have bought the wrong thing. I’m building a new system for myself and I’m only buying a part or two at a time so it’s a little more affordable. I’m getting a MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI and looking to put a AMD Athlon 3200+ or 3500+ Venice chip into it. I was going to order a TWINX1024-3200C2PT, but that’s when confusion set in. For some reason, I must of misunderstood something I read, changed my mind about the twin pack and ending up ordering a CMX512-3200C2 instead. Not paying any attention to the order amount I only order one stick, still having the twin pack stuck in the back of my head I was thinking I only wanted 1 gig so I only need to order 1 unit. When Newegg emailed my invoice to me I noticed my mistake so I ordered another stick to make it 1 gig total. I got both sticks in and noticed that the version numbers do not match. One is v4.2 and the other on is v1.5. I thought I read somewhere that the version numbers have to match. Is this going to be a problem? Is this even the right memory for that board? If I understand correctly, I can’t have 4 sticks of dual running at 400. But does that hold true with the Venice series of cpu?

 

Thanks

[Wired]

One is v4.2 and the other on is v1.5. I thought I read somewhere that the version numbers have to match. Is this going to be a problem?

Yes. You may get them to run together at looser timings (e.g. 3-3-3-8), but there's no guarantee

Is this even the right memory for that board?

Yes.

If I understand correctly, I can’t have 4 sticks of dual running at 400. But does that hold true with the Venice series of cpu?

Yes. No. 4 sticks should work @ 400 Mhz with that core.

[RAM GUY]

But with this platform all four modules would need to be the exact same revision and part# and this system may need to be ran at DDR333 with more than 2 double sided modules installed.

[bmkiss67]

So would I be better off trying to return the memory and ordering TWINX1024-3200C2PT? If I do that and I decide a year down the road to buy another two 512 sticks, what should the other two sticks be? Or should I pick a different type of stick instead of the TWINX1024-3200C2PT if I plan on adding more down the road?

 

Thanks

[RAM GUY]

It’s best to match the memory in any system for best performance, but we understand that is not always possible for any number of reasons. And we have always suggested buying the memory you plan on using when you build the system and not try upgrading. However, you can try your friends and see if they have matching modules or eBay is another alternative, but please note buying a module from another user may be a AS IS purchase so please if you choose this route make sure the modules you buy is in working order prior to your purchase. Some resellers will check the revision for you prior to purchase, but it’s not a requirement for them to do so, so please ask nicely and I am sure most will do their best to accommodate your request.

 

But the best solution if you need 2 gig of memory would be to purchase the memory when you build the system or if you have memory find another use for what you have now and just order a Twinx2048-3200C2 set of modules. If you choose 4 modules its best to make sure they are all the same revision and part# and buy them from the same reseller at the same time.

 

However, please note that many MB’s when you have all of the memory slots may not run with tight timings and in some cases may require you to run the memory at DDR333 or DDR266.