Mushkin Level 2 is upsetting me...

[thezfunk]

ok guys just got my Mushkin Level 2 3500 from newegg and put it in my Shuttle AN35 Ultra board and nothing. I have even upgraded to the newest bios and everything. My crucial memory works just fine but this stuff won't

After clearing CMOS it will post and run mem test and everything and if you ignore the safe mode bios warning and go into windows it runs fine. If you try to go into the bios and save anything it won't even post bios no beeps no nothing.

Done some research to find that these boards have problems with the latency of the memory and that what it says in the bios isn't exactly what it does. I am going to contact shuttle but I am at wits end. I think I might end up sending this stuff back for something else. I don't know if I can get the Level 1 stuff and be good or not. Ideas guys?

[8Complex]

Have you tried it single stick at a time? I know it's simple and you've probably already done it, but I'm still a n00b here, and have been looking at getting that same memory for an A64 project soon.

[Visable-assassin]

hmm...the only thing ive ever heard of with the mushkin stuff is that some P4 boards dont like it, how true it is I dont know.
My honest suggestion right off would be email mushkin and ask what the deal is, their service is normally pretty good they may be able to tell you exactly whats wrong and if it is the ram they may replace it :)

[ssmith500]

i have heard from many people that many motherboards cannot handle such aggressive timings on default settings. Your mushkin is rated with 2-2-2-6 timings default but at a higher voltage than most other rams. Try booting up on your old ram and than setting the dram voltage to 2.7, than shutting down, and than try to boot up on the muskin. That voltage should be capable of supporting the timings this mem has.

[101]

the SPD timings on the level 2 3500 are 2.5-2-2-6, but it still could be causing a problem.

[ssmith500]

yeah, maybe your right about 2.5 cas timing but still, its the voltage that needs to be increased to the ram in order to hold those timings stable.

[Johnyblaze]

It should do 2-2-2-6 in your board. Crank up your vdimm all the way and try cas 2.5 The ram loves/needs high as much vdimm as you can give it.

[thezfunk]

Tried the ram in 2 other Nforce 2 boards and runs fine. There is only ONE way it works in my board....

I do the full clear thing with the insert key and load optimized defaults with my Crucial memory in it. Restarts fine and then I shut down and put in the Mushkin. Then it will boot with default 2500 and 400 mhz bus. I look in the bios and it is running at 2-2-2-6. If I change anything dealing with bus speed of ram or cpu...ANYTHING. It won't boot.

I emailed Shuttle and posted at Mushkin in their forums...If nothing can be solved I will just send this stuff back and get some Crucial 3200 or 3500 if available. That stuff is the only memory that for me works everytime with no problems

[thezfunk]

Am I correct in assuming that if I trade this in for Level 1 with CH-5 chips I won't have this problem because it only happens with the BH-5 chips?

[Drisler]

Originally posted by 101
the SPD timings on the level 2 3500 are 2.5-2-2-6, but it still could be causing a problem.

it's 2-2-2-6

[Swat]

Originally posted by Drisler
it's 2-2-2-6


Agreed

[computerpro3]

set ras-cas delay to 3. problem should be solved. This happened to 3 of my friends with this ram.

[Cloud15x]

The point is not upping ram timings... sure you can do that but when the ram is rated at 2-2-2-6 you SHOULD boot at 2-2-2-6... especally mushkin. Mushkin knows people love their ram of o/c and they get good buisness for it. He is missing something for the ram not to boot right because even with a 400mhz fsb... the ram is still UNderclocked. So it should boot at 2.7v 2-2-2-6 1:1. Not 2.7v 2-3-2-6.

[thezfunk]

and trust me it doesn't.

Like I said the only way I can get it to boot is put in my 2700 Crucial save bios...pop in Mushkin and boot. Then it boots. If I try and change anything in bios after that it WILL NOT BOOT. I have done some looking on the web and although this is one of the most extreme problems with mushkin/Shuttle AN35 Ultra combo...I am not the only one having it. I have tried the ram in other systems to have it boot just fine...I think I am just going to trade this stuff in at Newegg for some Level 1 stuff. Hopefully that solves my problem and saves me 100 bucks in the process.

[Juice]

Originally posted by Johnyblaze
It should do 2-2-2-6 in your board. Crank up your vdimm all the way and try cas 2.5 The ram loves/needs high as much vdimm as you can give it.

Johnyblaze, your sig just inspired me to do the vdimm mod. I also have Mushkins lvl2

[CaNNoN]

sounds like a mobo/bios prob, not a mushkin prob. mushkin is the kind of OC ram IMO

C

[computerpro3]

its great stuff, but I just got bad mushkin lvl 2, my friend just got bad mushkin, and now this. I wonder whats going on? used to be that there was practically no bad mushkin... or maybe its just because more people are reccomending and buying it now?

[pakotlar]

Originally posted by computerpro3
its great stuff, but I just got bad mushkin lvl 2, my friend just got bad mushkin, and now this. I wonder whats going on? used to be that there was practically no bad mushkin... or maybe its just because more people are reccomending and buying it now?

quite likely

[CleanSlate]

I have a soyo running 2-3-3-6-3 or something, the lowest this board can run... with kingston valueram, this is 1 step under SPD settings... if a soyo can do it, I dont see why anything else can't do it! Try some higher settings. but really I'd honestly just buy new ram if your shit wont even post/change settings... imagine what would happen if you had to change something and dont have another stick of ram laying around, you'd be screwed...

~Adam

[Swat]

I'm going to have to agree with what someone else said , it being a bios/mobo problem. I have a stick of PC3500 lvl 2 right now and Its running at 214fsb (428mhz) @ 2.8v with timmings of 2.2.2.11 and it runs perfect. I've just realized mushkin likes lots of voltage. If you put this stuff at 2.9v , I've done 230fsb (460mhz) 1:1 ratio , and had same timmings. This stuff it amazing when you give it more juice.

[thezfunk]

I totally agree with you guys....its Shuttle's problem not Mushkin's. I even put it in a different Shuttle board and it works fine. For some reason the AN35 Ultra just doesn't like the stuff. Who knows in a couple weeks Shuttle could release a new bios and everything will be fine. I am not going to take that chance considering I have found complaints just like mine that date all the way back to last summer. I think I will get satisfiying overclocks with their level 1 stuff. Besides, I can't get my Ram voltage over 2.7 on this thing...