Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[gimlet]

Yea but the key is when the mobo was released, and what version of bios it comes with.  Even current "new" motherboards were mostly released a year or more ago, if it's a processor model that was released to market just a few months ago the bios in the mobo might not be compatible.   Then it's a bit PITA because you either have to get a cpu that IS compatible, put it in the board, boot, update the bios, then put the original cpu back, or take out the bios chip and flash it in an identical motherboard.  Even "new" motherboards can have been sitting in stock for a while too.

What is the mobo model and cpu, anyway?   You can google to see if people have been having these kinds of problems with that combination.

[Chattox]

So glad I found this thread! I really need some help understanding RAM.

I currently have 6GB of what I assume is DDR3 RAM, but I have no idea of specifics. It's in 3 sticks of 2GB, leaving one slot of 4 open which I'm told isn't a great thing to do anyway. I want to upgrade, most likely to 2 sticks of 4GB, but I have no idea what my motherboard is and isn't compatible with.
According to the manufacturer's website, my motherboard can support up to 1333MHz of whatever it is, but the lowest I can find on my components seller of choice is 1600MHz. Will this still work?
Specifically, I'm looking at this. Can my motherboard support this RAM?

[Thief^]

Generally speaking, if you buy ram that's too fast it'll just run at the slower speed.

So yes, it should work.

Your motherboard's manual (available for download) will say which two slots you should use first. It'll either be the two closest to the cpu, or first and third.

EDIT: I looked, on page 16 of the manual it has a table titled "Dual Channel Memory Configurations Table" which says to use slots 1 and 3 or 2 and 4 if you're using two modules.
Three modules (like you had) will most likely have disabled dual-channel mode, which will have unnecessarily halved your performance

[Chattox]

which will have unnecessarily halved your performance

...This explains so much. Ordering that RAM now, thankyou so much

[gimlet]

Well, halved the *ram* performance, which is a smallish (but definitely noticeable) component of the overall performance.   Just wanted to warn you not to expect a miracle improvement in everything ;P

Also the cheap way to upgrade would be to buy 1 more stick of the 2G - but you really want the same brand/same exact model of memory that's in there already.  The only downside is that it will fill all 4 slots, but you'll probably not be adding more memory for a while after you've got 8G.

And whichever mem you pick, DO run a memtest on it when you get it - at least a few hours and preferably overnight, that way you can find if it's got a problem while you're still in the return period...   Easiest way is to DL a Live Linux like Ubuntu, or something like Hirens Boot CD with a bunch of utilities.  You don't have to boot to linux, the memtest should be right on the boot menu.

[Chattox]

I bought 2 sticks of 4GB, as the RAM that is in there currently is ancient, probably over 5 years old or so as it was salvaged from a previous computer. Is there a way to do a memtest w/o linux or Hirens? I'm a relative noob when it comes to computers and don't want to risk messing things up like I did last time I tried Hirens

EDIT: I assume I couldn't leave 2 sticks of 2GB in to get 12GB, could I?

[gimlet]

Heh, you say "ancient", I say "burned in and known to work"   Really, if it's working it's good, buying even the fastest possible brand new memory would only have a small potential performance improvement.

You really need something bootable, like a USB stick or cd/dvd, because memtest runs instead of an operating system so you can't start it from Windows.   There should really be zero possibility of any kind of damage from booting from a Live Linux/Hirens type utility USB/cd/dvd - just don't run the dangerous stuff that makes changes to your system, stick to harmless diagnostics like memtest.

Actually, memtest86+ has a thing to create a bootable USB stick, that is probably the best option, you don't need to download a gigabyte of linux or utilities you're not interested in - http://www.memtest.org/  downloads,  "Auto-installer for USB Key (Win 9x/2k/xp/7) *NEW!*".

You *might* be able to do that to get 12G, but it's recommended not to mix different models of ram.  And going from 8G->12G almost certainly won't give you much gains, unless you're running one of a few very specific memory-hungry applications.  Oh and you do have a 64 bit version of Windows right?  Otherwise it's only gonna use (a bit less than) 4G no matter how much physical ram you put in...

[Chattox]

Heh, you say "ancient", I say "burned in and known to work"   Really, if it's working it's good, buying even the fastest possible brand new memory would only have a small potential performance improvement.

You really need something bootable, like a USB stick or cd/dvd, because memtest runs instead of an operating system so you can't start it from Windows.   There should really be zero possibility of any kind of damage from booting from a Live Linux/Hirens type utility USB/cd/dvd - just don't run the dangerous stuff that makes changes to your system, stick to harmless diagnostics like memtest.

Actually, memtest86+ has a thing to create a bootable USB stick, that is probably the best option, you don't need to download a gigabyte of linux or utilities you're not interested in - http://www.memtest.org/  downloads,  "Auto-installer for USB Key (Win 9x/2k/xp/7) *NEW!*".

You *might* be able to do that to get 12G, but it's recommended not to mix different models of ram.  And going from 8G->12G almost certainly won't give you much gains, unless you're running one of a few very specific memory-hungry applications.  Oh and you do have a 64 bit version of Windows right?  Otherwise it's only gonna use (a bit less than) 4G no matter how much physical ram you put in...

Yeah, 64-bit here. I'll try Hirens again, thanks

[MrWiggles]

 So, I have an MSI GX740 laptop. Windows 7.

And for whatever reason the built in keyboard stopped working. So I got a usb one, as short term solution. But the built in one was giving a lot of eranious input.

So I went to the device manager, and tried to disable the ps/2 keyboard. That wasn't selectable. So I uninstall its driver...

And that seem to have just disabled any keyboard inputs and now the mouse thinks its left click is a right click.

How fucked am i?

[miauw62]

Also, I've heard being said that it's better to have 4/8/16 gigs of RAM than 6/12. Not sure how true it is, though. I have 16 gigs.

And MrWiggles, unless you have a driver CD, probably very.

[Tellemurius]

Also, I've heard being said that it's better to have 4/8/16 gigs of RAM than 6/12. Not sure how true it is, though. I have 16 gigs.

And MrWiggles, unless you have a driver CD, probably very.

Considering those that use the 6/12/24 scheme are Triple Channel controllers i highly doubt it since they have access to more bandwidth than a dual channel controller that dominates the mainstream market.

[Sappho]

My computer strikes again! This time it's the audio drivers. Recently, whenever I reboot my computer, the Realtek HD Audio manager crashes a few moments after Windows loads. It seems like this has been happening since I updated my video drivers (and then rolled back my video drivers one version because they were crashing some other programs). I will try to move my video drivers back one more version, but... what the hell? How is it that NVIDIA drivers are crashing my entire system time and again? And what do I do if I can't fix the audio drivers?

Interestingly, the built-in speakers work fine, as do my external speakers. I only encounter a problem when I try to plug in the headset. It won't recognize it at all, neither the headphones nor the microphone. I need to record a video for work today (absolutely must have this done) and I can't. It's a very serious problem. Any advice or suggestions are gratefully accepted... I already tried uninstalling and reinstalling the audio drivers to no avail.

EDIT: After further testing, it seems that it's the microphone jack that's broken. If I plug in speakers or headphones, they work fine, but the moment I plug in the microphone, both jacks go dead.

EDIT2: Okay, downgrading the NVIIDA drivers seems to have solved the Realtek problem, although one of my desktop gadgets is now broken again. It's astonishing how thoroughly these drivers can mess up my system. I keep hearing from everyone how important it is to have the most up-to-date video drivers... Apparently not if you use the NVIDIA Geforce.

[Thief^]

EDIT: I assume I couldn't leave 2 sticks of 2GB in to get 12GB, could I?

If you put the two 4GB in the first and third slots (i.e. the first slot of each channel) and the 2GB sticks in the other two, then it should not only work but also keep dual-channel mode enabled

Ideally you want to match the ram timings, but most decent motherboards should take the lowest common denominator between mismatched ram anyway.

[Chattox]

RAM arrived today, installed it and it's all working brilliantly. I'm noticing a huge increase in performance. Shadow of Mordor would chug along at ~30fps on medium settings before, and now sails along at 60fps on high. This makes me wonder if maybe the RAM I was using was perhaps faulty or something, to get that much of an improvement?
Also, not a single blue-screen so far, which I thought was down to my harddrive but was apparently my RAM. Thanks a ton, guys

[miauw62]

You can still test your RAM if you want to be absolutely sure. You could also test your HD, even!