S-Skill RAM questions

T

Tanatz

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 13, 2006
Messages
271
This RAM.

Installs and recognizes no problem but it does not operate at the advertised timings. memtest was getting tons of errors after only 2% so I didn't even let it go any further. Anyone having this problem?

edit: SORRY! I meant G-Skill!
 
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I'm assuming you're using the EP35-DS3L in your sig

let's get a run down,

Make sure the voltage is set to 2.1V
Timings are 5-5-5-15
I believe the EP35-DS3L has something called Driving Strength (was in the EP45), here you can set a profile for 1066 mhz.
Try a different MCH latch then adjust the multiplier accordingly.
Raise tRFC to something like 60
Raise the MCH voltage

Memory can be a finicky thing to get right, I have DDR2 1000 sticks but run them at 859 because of my OC, next highest I found was 1066 but was unable to get stable.

I usually refer this forum when I want to mess around with memory with Gigabyte motherboards:

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/
 
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See, that's the thing about the voltage, it doesn't specify the voltage, it only specifies how much to overvolt, i.e. stock, +.1 or +.2 Safe to assume stock is 2.0?

I did manually set the timing to timings to 5-5-5-15. Manually set the clock speed to FSB x 320 (333x320 = 1066).

With these tweaks, in my mind, that all should have worked. I didn't think the voltage needed a bump because I'm not overclocking.


I'll look into the other stuff you mentioned.
 
On my Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L board, the default memory voltage is 1.8.

To set the memory at 2.1V, choose the +0.3 setting in the BIOS.
 
Thanks guys, that guide on the GIGABYTE forums is amazing, I'm printing it as I write this. Will let you know how it works out.

As it stands, I set all the settings for the CPU and RAM to default and my PC keeps locking up hard, so I'll need to work it out for sure.
 
Update:

I had 4 sticks of this RAM installed for a total of 8GB. Following this guide to set my BIOS to its "baseline" settings and setting the RAM timings to the advertised rates, I could not get Orthos to run for more than 8 seconds. I was also experiencing hard lockups and / or random reboots.

My first line of thought was that it could be a faulty stick, as I've read a good amount of the reviews on Newegg. So I took two sticks out and started from scratch. Using that guide's baseline BIOS settings and the advertised RAM ratings I still could not get Orthos to run for more than 8 seconds; however, setting the RAM timings to AUTO while leaving everything else the same made everything pretty stable as far as I could tell, Orthos ran at 51 degrees for over 15 minutes.

At this point, I'm going to switch out a few sticks to see if I could get the RAM to operate at the advertised rates. I also read on Newegg many reviews by people who said they could not get it working...
 
Biskquik said:
I'm assuming you're using the EP35-DS3L in your sig

let's get a run down,

Make sure the voltage is set to 2.1V
Timings are 5-5-5-15
I believe the EP35-DS3L has something called Driving Strength (was in the EP45), here you can set a profile for 1066 mhz.
Try a different MCH latch then adjust the multiplier accordingly.
Raise tRFC to something like 60
Raise the MCH voltage

Memory can be a finicky thing to get right, I have DDR2 1000 sticks but run them at 859 because of my OC, next highest I found was 1066 but was unable to get stable.

I usually refer this forum when I want to mess around with memory with Gigabyte motherboards:

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/
Click to expand...


Raising the MCH voltage did not help, all other things equal.
I do not see settings for MCH latch or tRFC in my BIOS, could they be called something different?
 
That ram is no problem. The list is just a list of what they found convienient to test. It does not mean that if it is not on the list it will not work. I am running the same stuff. G-skill does like higher voltages even for not OCed. (the dirty secret is that at the rated speed the ram is overclocked and thus the higher voltage specs. It is lower speed ram that has been tested to run at the rated speed with the additional voltage needed to make it do so.) Info above is correct 1.8V is default and you want at least +.2 or +.3 . I also recommend the +.3 for 2.1 volts to the memory.

per above go to +.2 on MCH voltage.
Increase the FSB voltage one or two "bumps" over stock.
Make sure for now "Memory Performance Enhace" is normal.
Try 5 5 5 18 ( you will never notice any performance difference)


The MCH latch/strap will be changed automatically based on the FSB you enter. If you then look at the Memory Multiplier setting available you will see little symbols like "+" or "*" next to numbers that are presented twice and can hit F1 help to get a description of which MCH strap each value is for. I am not postive your bios will actually show this. The manuals even for boards that do show the extra symbols do not mention them.

(G)MCH Frequency Latch
Allows you to fix the chipset frequency at system bootup. Options for adjusting memory multiplier
below may differ according to the fixed frequency. Options are: Auto (default), 200MHz, 266MHz,
333MHz, 400MHz.

System Memory Multiplier (SPD)
Allows you to set the system memory multiplier. Options are dependent on CPU FSB and the
(G)MCH Frequency Latch settings. Auto sets memory multiplier according to memory SPD
data. (Default: Auto)

What I am trying to say is that I am pretty sure you do not have the mch latch setting in your bios. However you might have symbols next to the memory mulitplier settings that indicate a different latch. Not postive.

I should have made those guys put my name in bigger font.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1169366

try 9 x 360 with memory multiplier of 2.6 The memory will be a little underclocked but if you can get that stable it would be a good place to work from.
 
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I went with stock FSB and +.2 to both FSB voltage and MCH voltage, +.3 to DDR2 voltage and I tried the 5-5-5-18 like you said, and no luck, Orthos still failing at 8 seconds.

I also tried with 9x360 but there was no DDR multy for 2.6, there was 2.5~ like you said, there was also 3.33~ and I think 4.0+, same voltages.

I'm having to switch back to my old ram just to type these responses because with the G-Skill my PC hard locks. Very frustrating :mad:
 
Update:

I have installed all 4 sticks now, with a +.1 to MCH and FSB voltage, and +.3 to DDR2 voltage. I have my FSB at 333 with my DRAM multy at 3.0 rather than 3.2 (1000 instead of 1066) with timings of 5-5-5-18 and I was able to run Orthos for 15 minutes.

Next I will try to raise the tRFC some, will revert. I'm getting this to work if it's the last thing I do.;)
 
I had that kit with my EP45-UD3P and it ran perfectly. Just keep trying and you'll get it. It took me a minute also to get mine close to 1066MHz also. I think I got it close to 1000MHz and left it at that.
 
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