Memory issues/Purchase Question

[omarlobo]

Hello, I recently purchased a Corsair Vengeance Blue 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9B) stick and I have had nothing but issues with it. I currently have 2 other ram sticks, I don't know the brand but one is 2gb and one is 1gb, if I try plugging in 3 ram sticks my computer just turns off and I only get a black screen, only configuration I found works is placing the 1gb ram stick on the third slot and the 4gb one I bought on the first slot, the 2gb stick being removed completely from the equation. However as soon as I try to boot my computer the starting windows screen comes up and then my computers turns off to then turns back on by itself and repeats the same process.

 

I tried to run the 4gb ram stick by itself, I tried all the DIMM slots, when trying to boot, it would hang at the part that says "starting windows" with the logo never actually coming up and my computer rebooting before it did. After running "Launch Startup Repair" which was a recommended option, I got blue screens on every single attempt

 

One of the DIMM blue screens said "Bad Pool Header" The other slots and attempts gave me the same blue screen "IRQL not less or equal"

 

My motherboard is an MSI H55M-E33, which according to the specs in the website SHOULD run my ram although at a slower speed, this is obviously not the case, is there any solution for this?

 

If not, the website lists Corsair XMS3 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMX4GX3M1A1600C9) as a compatible memory stick, is this absolutely 100% guaranteed? I don't want to have to buy a new ram stick only to have it not work again.

 

Thanks in advance.

[xmanrigger]

Your problem is with the memory, not your mobo. Your memory should be matched. The days of mismatched memory are over.

- First off, all memory must be dual channel for your board.

- Secondly, if memory installed isnt a kit, then make sure all sticks are the same. Normally, if different speeds, mobo will clock them to the lowest speed of whatever stick. Different brands dont play well together.

 

Run CPUZ or similar and it will tell you the brand of your memory. Install minimum of two identical memory moduals. To achieve dual channel bandwith, you must have two dual channel sticks in the proper slots. Always upgrade your memory with this board in identical pairs. Tri-channel (X58) requires three identical memory sticks and Quad-channel requires four identical memory sticks.

 

You may get away with mismatched memory, but best bet for stability is two run a minimum of two identical memory sticks. In your case, I would go with a two stick kit of DDR3-2133 (2X 4GB or 2X 8GB). With that system, I would run 2X 8GB.

 

Hope this helps.

[peanutz94]

orginally posted by ormalobo:

Hello, I recently purchased a Corsair Vengeance Blue 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9B) stick and I have had nothing but issues with it. I currently have 2 other ram sticks, I don't know the brand but one is 2gb and one is 1gb, if I try plugging in 3 ram sticks my computer just turns off and I only get a black screen, only configuration I found works is placing the 1gb ram stick on the third slot and the 4gb one I bought on the first slot, the 2gb stick being removed completely from the equation. However as soon as I try to boot my computer the starting windows screen comes up and then my computers turns off to then turns back on by itself and repeats the same process.

Your problem is with the memory, not your mobo. Your memory should be matched. The days of mismatched memory are over.

This is very true! There is just no way to tell if any two random module or kits will behave with each other. Let alone 3 unmatched sticks from various vendors.

originally posted byxmanrigger:

- First off, all memory must be dual channel for your board.

Sort of...Single, dual ,triple or quad channel for that fact is actually a function of the mb and not the memory. This is why you can instal them one slot for single channel operation and two or four sticks for dual. But the same four sticks would run in quad channel in a quad board.

 

My motherboard is an MSI H55M-E33, which according to the specs in the website SHOULD run my ram although at a slower speed, this is obviously not the case, is there any solution for this?

Could you please fill in your system specs. I have a feeling that your CPU may also be part of the issue.

But the memory is only guaranteed to be compatible if it is the only memory in your system. Really you should have a single matched set of either 2 or 4 modules for your MB.

[omarlobo]

orginally posted by ormalobo:

 

 

This is very true! There is just no way to tell if any two random module or kits will behave with each other. Let alone 3 unmatched sticks from various vendors.

originally posted byxmanrigger:

 

Sort of...Single, dual ,triple or quad channel for that fact is actually a function of the mb and not the memory. This is why you can instal them one slot for single channel operation and two or four sticks for dual. But the same four sticks would run in quad channel in a quad board.

 

 

Could you please fill in your system specs. I have a feeling that your CPU may also be part of the issue.

But the memory is only guaranteed to be compatible if it is the only memory in your system. Really you should have a single matched set of either 2 or 4 modules for your MB.

 

See my main problem is that even when I only use the corsair memory on it's own without the other two sticks, I still have issues, as I said, all those blue screen errors were only with the corsair and I tried all 4 slots.

 

Here I added some thumbnails with the rest of my specs.

[peanutz94]

Could you please fill in your system specs. I have a feeling that your CPU may also be part of the issue.

What CPU do you have?

 

If not, the website lists Corsair XMS3 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMX4GX3M1A1600C9) as a compatible memory stick, is this absolutely 100% guaranteed? I don't want to have to buy a new ram stick only to have it not work again.

Not if you are going to add it to your existing memory. For Corsair to guarantee the memory you need to have all your memory come from one single matched kit.

[omarlobo]

What CPU do you have?

 

 

Not if you are going to add it to your existing memory. For Corsair to guarantee the memory you need to have all your memory come from one single matched kit.

 

Sorry I thought I had posted a screenshot for that as well, my cpu is an intel core i3 530 @2.93ghz.

 

And I wasn't going to add it to my existing memory, at this point I just want my new ram to work even if it's 4gb alone