Orwell Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Dear RAM guy, I definitely needed to upgrade my old SN41G2, for making work on large picture files less painful (I had 2x256kB sticks of ****** RAM). So I jumped on an attractive proposal by a retailer in Paris, for a TWINX2048-3200C2 set ; I chose the 3200 class because my previous ****** sticks were of this very same class (chosen and installed by a Shuttle retailer...). Already this may look a little funny, as the CPU is Athlon's XP-A 2500+ of which it is said that it cannot run at more than 2000Mhz max clock (11 times something). Anyhow, I should have looked first at your compatibility charts ; I would have noticed that you recommendation is for TWINX pair, but 3200C2PT... Too late ! Now, to my findings : the BIOS automatically sets the timings at 3-3-3-7, a far cry from 2-3-3-6. Also, if I put it into "Expert" mode, I can try to clock it at 200Mhz instead of 166, but the thing will not boot. So, my questions are : - big blunder choosing C2 instead of C2PT ? What practical consequences ? - what settings should I use to try and get the best out of these pretty little sticks ? Is the max FSB an intrinseque parameter of the MB or of the CPU (I mean, why should Shuttle brothers give me the possibility to set FSB at 200MHz when the CPU could not handle it ?)? With thanks and greetings from Paris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wired Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 big blunder choosing C2 instead of C2PT ? What practical consequences?Not if the color of your memory is of concern. 3200C2 and 3200C2PT ARE IDENTICAL IN DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE. One's black, one's platinum colored, that is the only difference! - what settings should I use to try and get the best out of these pretty little sticks ? Is the max FSB an intrinseque parameter of the MB or of the CPU (I mean, why should Shuttle brothers give me the possibility to set FSB at 200MHz when the CPU could not handle it ?)? memory speed: make sure it matches your FSB CAS Latency (tCL): 2.5 RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD): 3 Row Precharge (tRP): 3 Active to Precharge Delay (tRAS): 6 Memory Voltage: 2.7-2.8 Volts (Warrantied up to, but not over, 2.90 volts) All other settings to defaults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orwell Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 Thank you so much, Wired ! If PT stands only for the finish of the heat dissipator, I think Corsair would do well to make that clear in their compatibility charts... Other naive guys like me must have been wondering. This being said, I tried several latency settings, and since the 2.5-3-3-6 appeared in another thread, I applied it and... it works. Only sorry I cannot adjust the voltage, because the BIOS does not give access to Vdimm. I also did another little thing which I would appreciate you telling me whether it has any effectiveness : I hiked the FSB to181Mhz instead of 166Mhz. Why 181 ? Because 11x181=1991Mhz and it is the closest to the "tolerated" 2000Mhz that my CPU can accept (this I found by diagnosing my PC with "Everest"). It feels good being on a forum with competent people ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wired Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 They do. In the FAQ section: What does C2, LL, PT, R or RE stand for in the part#? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orwell Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 From your advice and my own judgement, I devised the following setup which -so far- runs fine : -FSB at 200Mhz -latencies at 2.5-3-3-6 -unfortunately, no action on voltage, since not allowed in BIOS. I have not detected any flaws at the moment, it boots and runs... Can you instruct me on any test to validate this setup ? Oops... by the way, I no longer know for sure what type of CPU I have ! Funny ? No : just undertand that the invoice of the supplier who prepared this Shuttle for me states "XP 2500+", and that when I run the Everest software it tells me "XP 3200+". What should I believe ? Is Everest likely to give misleading indications ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V F Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 It'll tell you if you right click "My Computer" properties, cpu name will be listed there. Or system info, under All Programs, System Tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orwell Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 Thank you VF ! I did as you suggested (how come I did not think about it earlier ?) and Windows told me that my CPU is an XP3200+, just as Everest had indicated. Now, here I am looking at this invoice of the Shuttle dealer who built mine up, and he wrote "AXDA2500DKV4D", which leaves (in principle) no doubt. Did he mix his CPU's up ? It was in April 2003 ; did 3200+ exist at that time ? I understand that I should be happy, because from other threads and from Corsair's info I gather that 2500+ cannot be run at 400Mhz FSB ; true ? Now, and to clarify the matter once for ever, is there any means of physically identifying an Athlon unit which is sitting in my PC ? Thanks for any help to come. PS : I realize that my focus has shifted from Corsair sticks to CPU properties ; should I quit using this thread ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wired Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 It was in April 2003 ; did 3200+ exist at that time ? http://www.c627627.com/AMD/AthlonXP/ Nope. 2500+ = 1.83 Ghz = 166 Mhz FSB x 11 CPU Multiplier 3200+ = 2.20 Ghz = 200 Mhz FSB x 11 CPU Multiplier In otherwords, YES, you have a 2500+ CPU, but you're running the FSB @ 200 Mhz instead of the intended 200 Mhz, so it's showing up as a 3200+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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