Want 24gb. Komputerbay memory? Never heard of them. Worth it?

R

RageVI

Weaksauce
Joined
Nov 23, 2006
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So lately I've been teasing the idea of dropping 24gb of memory in to my rig (Finally, After Effects now comes in a 64bit flavor!) and have been shopping around to see if the prices have dropped satisfactorily yet. Then I ran across this.

Komputerbay 24GB (6 X 4GB) DDR3 DIMM (240 pin) 1600Mhz PC3 12800 24 GB KIT. 1.65v, 8-8-8-24, lifetime warranty, and only ... $570?

So maybe you're like me and your first thought was "Who the hell is Komputerbay?". Nobody seems to know, although the few reviews the seller has are GENERALLY favorable. Anybody know anything? Have high density DDR3 modules really dropped this much in price lately and I'm just not looking in the right places, or is there some reason that this is so cheap (because it's junk? If so, are there any good deals on 4gb DDR3 modules that don't feel like a gamble?)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
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I say go for it. It seems that the RAM uses Samsung chips, which are generally good chips. I say go for it. I just did. Good luck, and I will let you know of my experiences.
 
Looks a lot like the RAM Dell uses in their machines. Maybe it is. If it's what you really want, it can't hurt to try.
 
All right guys, that's good enough for me. I took the plunge. Hopefully this is as good as a deal as it seems. The seller seems to have a really good track record too.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to follow-up with my experience as well just in case somebody else has the same question in the future.
 
Just remember, with that much RAM at 1600 speeds, you may have to play with that 4GHz OC you have there. If it were me, I'd reset my CPU/Mobo to stock put the RAM in and test for stability before OCing again.
 
Proxy said:
Just remember, with that much RAM at 1600 speeds, you may have to play with that 4GHz OC you have there. If it were me, I'd reset my CPU/Mobo to stock put the RAM in and test for stability before OCing again.
Click to expand...

QFOT
 
Rage,
I know this is OT, but do you run F@H for our team? You have a very powerful rig(makes my 6 cores feel insecure lol) and we could use the help..You'd be contributing to a wonderful cause..

 
Run a couple sweeps of Memtest on each module and post your results, if you don't mind. Would like to see how this turns out for you.

Not a bad price for six 4GB modules.
 
All right, they just arrived today, and something isn't smelling right...

First thing I see when I open the package is this:

ram2.jpg


Keeping in mind this was advertised as DDR3 1600 memory ... not quite what I expected to see

ram1.jpg


You can see that they use Hynix H5TQ2G83MFR-H9C memory chips. The searching I've done doesn't seem to add up to what I actually ordered.

ram3.jpg


Mistake maybe? Hopefully I wasn't screwed on this.
 
It's definitely 1333mhz per Hynix. Voltage and timings are of course different too.
 
Well this keeps getting better. Windows doesn't want to use all of the RAM now. I reset my BIOS, manually set the voltages, timings, reseated the DIMMs a couple times, and it still only says 16gb is usable. Also, when my machine POSTs, I can see it flash "16777216k OK" before it continues booting up, but I don't see anything in the BIOS that could be affecting this (to my knowledge). It's Win7 Pro 64bit so it shouldn't be a Windows memory limitation either. I'm also using the latest BIOS update.

Anyone ever see this before?

ram4.jpg


I probably shouldn't bother testing this since it's not exactly what I ordered anyway :eek:
 
The picture on the original product listing is wrong also. That is for a 12GB kit since the modules say 2GB each. Not that I have not seen a wrong picture before. As for the speed difference I would not worry much about 1333 MHz or 1600 MHz especially because Intel only officially supports 1333 MHz.


Edit: Hmm I was wrong about that. It says 1066MHz

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=47932
 
To me the 16GB is either a motherboard/BIOS or OS limitation. What did memtest say the memory size was?
 
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Can you give the make and model of your motherboard? Things like this are the risks you run buying what I call 'off brand' memory. Most of the time it's not because the RAM itself is bad, but because they don't test it with as many MB manufacturers as other do. Most of the time it can be a compatibility issue.

Also, can you run a DxDiag?
 
Memtest says 16gb. DxDiag shows 24gb

Mobo is an EVGA Tri-SLI, model number 132-BL-E758-A1

DxDiag screenshot:
dxdiag.png


I also just reseated the RAM again as well as the CPU, spending a while checking for bent pins or debris in the socket. Nothing looked wrong.

The amazon seller just responded and requested pictures of what I was sent (Which I initially offered). At least I've established contact!
 
I got the same unfortunately. I am using Win 7 Ultimate and I am showing all 24GB. Now, I did get the Hynix 1333 as well. I don't really care about the speed difference as I don't overclock enough to warrant the 1600 speed. The 1333 and 1600 are the same price BTW. Mine are working fine, although I am disappointed I didn't get Samsung Chips that others got. You may have a motherboard that doesn't support over 16GB. Anyways, check with your MoBo manufacturer and see what they say. You may have to change a BIOS option for the memory. Good Luck.
 
I may have missed this but, have you updated your BIOS? I know your motherboard is suppose to support 24GB but maybe there is something funky going on in the background.

Also, I know this should NOT be an issue with a 64bit OS but, try completely uninstalling your video card drivers, go into device manager and manually remove the cards. Power the system down and remove the second card. Boot it with one card and see what happens.

I'm just trying to rule out ANY possibilities, as this is an odd issue.

64bit support: Check
Motherboard supports 24GB: Check

The only other thing I can think of is by using 'off branded' memory there is some sort of compatibility issue at a hardware level.
 
As I mentioned earlier, I do have the latest BIOS (Only a couple weeks old, I had to update in order to install my i7 980x).

Right now I'm running at 3 DIMMs / 12gb just fine. Running memtest on those sticks right now and will try the other three afterwards. I'm pretty sure each stick is fine but I'll just have to make sure.

The crazy thing is that I reset the CMOS, restarted, and then windows said 24gb (22.5gb usable) which makes a lot less sense than the 16gb from earlier. I rebooted and it went back to 16gb.
 
If that's the case then I feel confident in saying that it is most likely a compatibility issue with that particular brand of memory. It would not surprise me. The reason I say that is I had an Asus board back in the socket 939 X2 days that did not like OCz memory for some reason. I went through 3 kits of memory with similar issues, once I made the jump to Kingston, everything was just fine.
 
Just an FYI, Windows 7 Home Premium is limited to 16GB, even if it's 64bit. Just want to make sure you have Pro (which can use 192GB) and not that, because this is how Windows 7 will behave when it is a version limitation.

Source

Edit: sorry, didn't see someone else already posted it.
 
TIGR said:
Just an FYI, Windows 7 Home Premium is limited to 16GB, even if it's 64bit. Just want to make sure you have Pro (which can use 192GB) and not that, because this is how Windows 7 will behave when it is a version limitation.

Source

Edit: sorry, didn't see someone else already posted it.
Click to expand...

He has Pro 64bit.
 
I'm about at wit's end with this issue. Evidently a lot of other people have it with EVGA mobos too.

I've pretty much tried everything in that thread as well and am still having the issues. Many people are blaming it on EVGA. Some resolved their issues with going to an older BIOS, which isn't an attractive option to me since the 980x required a BIOS update.

Guess I'll submit a support ticket and see if there's anything else I can do. All the sticks pass memtest, will probably let it run overnight and while I'm at work tomorrow just to be extra sure.
 
Man that sucks to hear. But as I have said before, I am not surprised that it sounds like a compatibility issue. But why don't you send those sticks to me in the mean time, I have an Asus mobo. :D I kid, I kid. Good luck man.
 
I'd be more apt to agreeing that it's a compatibility issue (with my memory) if people weren't having problems with a bunch of "name brand" memory kits with smaller capacity. It's usually people complaining about getting 2/4gb usable out of their installed 6gb, or 6/8gb usable out of their installed 12gb.

I re-seated the cpu yet again, made sure my cpu block wasn't screwed on too tight, and reseated the sticks carefully for probably the dozenth time. But hey, I got the 22.5gb when I booted up this time. It'll go back down to 16gb (or even 8gb) as soon as I reboot though. Maybe I just have to leave my computer on forever! :rolleyes:

I'm throwing in the towel for the night. I'll update this thread again when something new develops.
 
I have an EVGA E758-TR 3 and I am not seeing the 6GB to 4GB problem however I just have 3 1.5V dimms installed. Also I am not aggressively overclocking. My i7 920 is running at 3.0Ghz BCLK 150 instead of 133.
 
May have found a fix for you, it's worth a shot other than getting a new Mobo.

Go to RUN -> type msconfig -> click on the "boot" tab -> Advanced Options -> Uncheck the box for "Maximum Memory". Restart the machine.

Assuming it was some how checked.
 
Proxy said:
May have found a fix for you, it's worth a shot other than getting a new Mobo.
Click to expand...

I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I did check that earlier and that wasn't it.

However, it might be my cpu (Please, anything but my new OEM 980x). I dropped in the i7 920 that I replaced the other week, rebooted, and bam. 24gb of memory, all of it addressable by Windows and working just fine.

Any ideas here? The contacts on the back of the cpu look just fine. Not sure what else to look for. Dammit.

Edit: Gonna make a thread in intel processors forum for potential CPU issue
 
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RageVI said:
I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I did check that earlier and that wasn't it.

However, it might be my cpu (Please, anything but my new OEM 980x). I dropped in the i7 920 that I replaced the other week, rebooted, and bam. 24gb of memory, all of it addressable by Windows and working just fine.

Any ideas here? The contacts on the back of the cpu look just fine. Not sure what else to look for. Dammit.

Edit: Gonna make a thread in intel processors forum for potential CPU issue
Click to expand...

Well if that's the case, it could be a motherboard thing. Do you by any chance know some one with a motherboard of a different brand that can run a 980x that you can swap CPU and memory to see if it is? I'm guessing buying a new Mobo doesn't sound good to you.
 
Could very well be a mobo/cpu thing too, but I'm not sure.

I'm still not happy with the whole Komputerbay thing. They asked me if I wanted to return the memory for the correct one, but I'm just not confident that they actually DO have it.

DDR3 1333 would work just fine, but if I wanted to go that route, then I could've gone with an infinitely more reputable manufacturer like OCZ or GSkill for only ~$50 more.

I might just return the memory and pick up a couple of these, for starters.

Edit: Posted my issue on the EVGA forums. Some more troubleshooting details there. Sigh.
 
If they've offered to send you the correct RAM, I'd go for it. If you keep this, you're guaranteed to be stuck with DDR3-1333. If you ask for the replacement, they at least might send you what you paid for.
 
Quick updates:

I ended up sending the memory back. Refund pending.

In the meantime, I've picked up 24gb of G.Skill ripjaws, and I'm having the same exact problems. Surely it's the CPU or Mobo now.

Unrelated news: One of my GTX 480s decided to die today. Did the troubleshooting and EVGA gave me an RMA number. It's been a great day! :D
 
RageVI said:
Quick updates:

I ended up sending the memory back. Refund pending.

In the meantime, I've picked up 24gb of G.Skill ripjaws, and I'm having the same exact problems. Surely it's the CPU or Mobo now.

Unrelated news: One of my GTX 480s decided to die today. Did the troubleshooting and EVGA gave me an RMA number. It's been a great day! :D
Click to expand...

damn, that's like $1k tied up in RMA... sucks!
 
Sorry to hear about all your troubles, but glad you're able to laugh about it! Sounds very frustrating.
 
I'd bet anything you bent a pin when installing your cpu. I had the exact same issue with a Gigabyte board a while back for a system i built for my father. Computer ran fine otherwise, but when i got off my ass and uninstalled everything, sure enough, bent pin (which there was no way to see with the naked eye, I needed a magnifying glass. Put the cpu and memory into a different board, and voila, no issues. Same exact symptoms as you've had.


and fwiw, there's no such thing as 1600mhz memory, just 1333mhz memory that can achieve 1600mhz clocks. And most boards will not do 1600mhz (stable) no matter what your memory is rated for if you've got every dimm filled with double sided memory.
 
I'd be more convinced it's a bent pin if it didn't work fine with my 920. I already did the whole magnifying glass + flashlight thing. I'm going to do it again just to be sure, but I still think it's something else.

As for the whole memory thing, I primarily returned it because I'd rather not have a no-name manufacturer if I'm going to have a potential problem with it. I would've kept it if it worked fine (Although the memory itself doesn't seem like the issue)
 
conscript said:
I'd bet anything you bent a pin when installing your cpu. I had the exact same issue with a Gigabyte board a while back for a system i built for my father. Computer ran fine otherwise, but when i got off my ass and uninstalled everything, sure enough, bent pin (which there was no way to see with the naked eye, I needed a magnifying glass. Put the cpu and memory into a different board, and voila, no issues. Same exact symptoms as you've had.


and fwiw, there's no such thing as 1600mhz memory, just 1333mhz memory that can achieve 1600mhz clocks. And most boards will not do 1600mhz (stable) no matter what your memory is rated for if you've got every dimm filled with double sided memory.
Click to expand...

then whats the point of the 2400mhz memory i've seen for sale?
 
conscript said:
and fwiw, there's no such thing as 1600mhz memory, just 1333mhz memory that can achieve 1600mhz clocks. And most boards will not do 1600mhz (stable) no matter what your memory is rated for if you've got every dimm filled with double sided memory.
Click to expand...

FWIW I have all 4 slots of my P55A-UD3 filled with 2gb sticks for a total of 8gb and I can still run my G.Skill Ripjaws at their rated 1600MHz at only 1.58V (though that's the absolute limit, I've tried higher with voltages as high as I'm willing to risk and it still wont run faster than 1600MHz). And that's a P55A-UD3, one of the cheaper P55 boards you can buy.
 
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