Ram speed and single/double sided problems

I am upgrading the memory of our second PC.
The motherboard user guide suggests that the memory size and type are automatically detected.
I have puchased a DIMM which is supposed to be 256Mb PC133 (133Mhz) (it is NOT marked with anything) yet the BIOS detects it as only 128MB at 100Mhz. I have checked the advanced settings in the BIOS which is set automatically detect the ram (as opposed to manual detection).
The DIMM is DOUBLE SIDED. Could it be that the motherboard only detects single sided ram correctly? There is NOTHING mentioned about double or single sided memory in the user manual.
Also regarding the speed, should I try setting the BIOS to MANUAL ram detect and 'play' with the adjustable settings?
The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-61EML.
Thanks in advance
John

 

Yeh I know all that.
I installed the SINGLE stick of ram which was sold to me as 256MB PC133 yet the POST displays 128Mb at 100Mhz.
I have the manual already and it makes no mention of double or single sided ram.

Does anyone know if some motherboards only support single sided ram?
I also have one stick of ram with a sticker stating that it is PC133 yet it also is displayed as 100Mhz.

The manual states that the motherboard supports PC100/PC133. It also states that the BIOS will automatically detect memory type and size. And states that the motherboard has two dual in-line memory module (DIMM) sockets support 4 banks.

So why when I install a single stick of ram labled PC133 does it display memory speed at 100Mhz?

Lastly is the a way of slowinmg down the speed of the POST so that I can easily read what is dispalyed during start up?

 

The RAM is not completely compatible with the motherboard. Yes, only one side can be used by the motherboard. If you search around on the internet you will probably find an explanation. RAM manufacturers actually poll users for the way their products work on different motherboards.

In the BIOS settings under Advanced Chipset Features, check the setting Top Performance. Amoung other things, it may control the FSB and I would guess Disabled (the default setting) runs the FSB at 100Mhz (underclocked), Enabled sets it as 133Mhz. If you find instability set it back (and if you find you cannot boot with that setting, you will need to "clear the CMOS ").

During POST/configuration, tap the Pause button to see the screens one at a time. You can advance by tapping Enter...Pause...Enter...Pause...Enter...

Matt

 

Thanks for your suggestion.
I could not find that Advanced Bios setting but did find in the Frequency/Voltage control settings for the CPU host frequency (set to 100) and Multiplyer set to (X13) - I have a Celeron 1.3Ghz CPU. I set these to 133 and 10 to see what would happen but then the PC would not power up. I remembered something about removing the battery from the motherboard to get around problems with Supervisor Password and so removed it hoping that the BIOS settings will default. How long does the battery have to remain removed and will this reset the BIOS settings and if not what do I do now?
Lastly the RAM I purchased is marked ECC. There is nothing in the motherboard manual referrimg to ECC. Could this be a problem too (regarding the ram speed not being detected and/or not detecting correct ram size)? And (going by your reply) I should then purchase SINGLE SIDED ram only?

 

I say 30 minutes, but if it seems the same, make it several hours.

I looked up a GA-6IEM at Crucial. For ECC it says:

I don't think double sided should matter, more it will be the combination of the RAM with the motherboard. Crucial says it does not support ECC, so you will need to find non-ECC to begin with. You can check on other RAM websites like Corsair and Kingston if you want a second opinion.

Post back if clearing the CMOS does not work, but I won't have many suggestions.

Matt

 

John:

Matt and Tony have addressed your situation but lets pull it all together in summation with a couple of caveats. Your system requires unbuffered low density memory which means ECC (registered) memory will not work. Don't feel bad - registered memory won't work in a lot of machines (most). As to the single vs double sided issue - its a non issue - your board supports (two banks) in each DIMM slot - thus "four banks ". As to the PC100 vs PC133 - most (not all) PC133 will run at both 133 & 100MHz.

Moral of the Story - Not all memory is created equal. Do your research before you do your shopping. Sometimes those "Good Deals" aren't so good.

 

Thanks Rockster,
As the motherboard manual made no mention of memory types I thought that it must have supported all (did not know about type ECC any way never having heard of it). Maybe it is a newer type of SDRAM not arround when the motherboard was put on the market. I guess that is another thing I have now learnt.
The RAM I purchased actually works but (as mentioned earlier) it was sold to me as PC133, 256Mb and it actually runs as PC100 at 128Mb.

I have managed to 'untangle' the BIOS settings I set trying to force the PC to run the memory at 133. I learnt the hard way that you also have to remove the power cord from the tower (as well as removing the back-up battery). I had no idea that power is supplied to the motherboard even when the PC is powered down....hmmmmmmm!

 

Tony,
Thanks for your information. Now I understand why my ram won't run at 133 (because the celeron runs at 100 * 13).
Maybe I will look for a cheap socket 370 Pentium 3.
John

 

Tony
I agree and I have decided not to persue this PC as it is only our second PC which doesn't get used much. Besides it is heaps faster than it used to be when it only had a PII 333Mgz processor (and motherboard) and only ATA33 (it is now ATA100 and that made it heaps faster on its own).

Right now I have more serious problems with my main PC which is a P4 2.4Ghz with 1Gb PC333 ram and often (but not always) runs slow.

When I power up and it plays the Windows XP (startup)music the music stutters ALWAYS. Other 'event' music usually sounds fine. Also (often) when I open (double click) MY COMPUTER the window opens immediately but it takes around 4 seconds to display the contents (ie hard drives, DVD drive etc) - it does NOT show the 'searching' icon (torch) while this occurs.

Also I have noticed that when I resize a window (drag the side or bottom to a new position) the window takes a few seconds to redraw. Programs seem to run ok.

I have run error checking and defrag on C: drive and also did a full scan for viruses. Also ran Microsoft malicious software removal took. I( wonder if I have hardware problems and/or need to reinstall Direct X and/or the audio drivers? Any ideas? The PC has only recently started to do the above.

I am at the stage of considering reformatting and reinstalling everything.