i have a problem with ram on my computer i have 2 sticks of 256mb on my computer and I recently bought 2 sticks of 512mbs but i have a problem when the 2 pieces of 512 are put on the computer plus the 256 that was already there guildwars gives me an error message saying something about memory chip could be faulty when i run it i thought one of the new sticks could have a problem so i removed the 256mbs sticks that were already on comp and tested the 512 mbs memory on the same places to see if it could be a defect on the slot of the mobo or something i run the game again and no problems whatsoever now i try putting back the 2 sticks of 256 plus 1 stick of 512 and run game and no problems i get the problem when i stick the 4 of them and to make things even more confusing the mobo uses dual channel im not sure how to set up dual channel if you have to set bios or something theres 2 color slots that are green and 2 that are orange so i put on the green ones the 256 sticks and on the orange ones the 512 i have no problems when using computer for normal stuff like this or chatting or downloading but it gives me trouble on guild wars and need for speed most wanted seems to crash for no reason and that no used to happen before i got memory
i think i wrote too much and i just had to simply say that all the 4 sticks are all right the problem is when i stick the 4 piece of ram it doesnt matter which one sometimes computer will shut down and games just stop responding for example im driving for awhile on need for speed screen crashes and says error to send error report to microsoft the games i have this problem with the games oblivion and need for speed most wanted but with guildwars when i start it automatically says something about ram im not even able to play it but with 3 sticks i can play fine so in other words 3 sticks= no problems at all with 4 i get problems and i think it has to do with the dual channel theres 2 green slots and 2 orange ones on the green i put the 256mbs sticks and on the orange the 512mbs sticks and i dont know if you have to do something else to activate the dual channel thing
What motherboard do you have? Do you have single-sided RAM (RAM chips on one side), double-sided (RAM chips on both sides of the stick), or a mixture of both?
my motherboard is GA-8IPE1000-G this one http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products...aspx?ProductID=1757&ProductName=GA-8IPE1000-G this is the memory i bought 2 sticks of 512 http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=305222&pfp=SEARCH the way i put the ram on mobo is like this -------------------------------------- 256 stick -------------------------------------- 512 stick -------------------------------------- 256 stick -------------------------------------- 512 stick
Okay, now, are there RAM chips on one or both sides of the 256MB sticks? How about the 512MB ones? The reason I'm asking is because the chipset on that motherboard supports up to 4 banks of RAM. Each side on a stick of memory counts as a bank. What I suspect is the problem is this: Both the 512MB sticks are double-sided (RAM on both sides), and both of the 256MB sticks are single sided. You run into problems when you put both 256MB and both 512MB because you end up with 6 banks of RAM. Taking one 512MB stick out leaves you with 4 banks total. Basically, you have a choice: 1.)Leave out 1 512MB stick -or- 2.)Yank both 256MB sticks and run with both 512MB ones.
the 256 are single sided and the 512 are double side what if i get 2 more sticks of the same memory? that be 2+2+2+2=8 banks? would i have a problem in this case?
Yes. The i865PE chipset on your motherboard supports a maximum of 4 banks, and that's probably why you're running into trouble. The other possibility is that your sticks are butting heads with each other, but considering how they function fine when mixed at 4 banks or less. Four banks does not mean 4 sticks of RAM. If you got 2 more single-sided sticks and plopped them in along-side your 256MB, you should be okay. If you used the 512MB sticks by themselves, you'd be okay. As long as you're not exceeding the 4 bank limitation, you should be fine.
ok thanks for the explanation if i keep running my machine this way could it damage my motherboard having 6 banks?
No. What you'll find is that you're probably going to get issues related to memory errors, which can lead to a corrupt OS and/or programs. It's not advised you continue running it over 4 banks...unless you're somehow craving an unstable system. It's also not likely to be supported by Gigabyte, unless they've made some guarantee that you'll be able to run over 4 banks.