Weird RAM problem.. Please Help

[Dealz-4-U]

Just an overview, here is the Motherboard and computer that I have:

1) Motherboard - http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/g...dlc=en&lang=en

2) Computer from Futureshop - http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0096472&catid=

So after recieving it, I heard many people say its best to upgrade to 2GB RAM for Vista... Okay thats cool, so I went out to Canada Computers and picked up a pair of these - http://www.canadacomputers.com/main....id=RAM.346.307

So I took out the pair that was included in the system, and put these in. On Bootup, It doesnt even boot up, all I hear are beeps.. The sound is like "Beep, Beeeeeeeeep". And repeat. (The second beep is longer)...

But get this, when I try just 1 of new OCZ alone, it works fine. When I try one along with one of the old ones that were originally in the system, it works fine also. It just doesnt work when I try to use both of them (OCZ) together, which is the whole point as to why I wanted to get them... to use them together for Dual Channell...

Any inputs/suggestions? This has got me stumped.

Thanks everyone

[goofball]

quite possible that the board does not provide the proper voltage to run these. If you can (most HP bios'es are useless when it comes to giving you additional controls), set the speed to DDR2-533 speeds and save. Shut down, install both. I ran into this with a board that did not allow voltage adjustments with OCZ Gold PC2-6400 that required more voltage than 1.8v to run (according to spec's).

[Dealz-4-U]

hmm.. there doesnt seem to be any options for me to change about the voltage in the ram... I am clicking on F10 on bootup and the area of the ram is greyed out, but no info on voltage...

[goofball]

right, so you can try downclocking the ram to pc2-4200 or 5300 speeds and see if it will run at the 1.8v that is considered standard at reduced speeds.

[Dealz-4-U]

right, so you can try downclocking the ram to pc2-4200 or 5300 speeds and see if it will run at the 1.8v that is considered standard at reduced speeds.

Oh I thought this was supposed to be done through the bios? Is there another way? Cause I dont know, and there doesnt seem to be any settings available to me changed in the bios for the memory.

On another note, here is a pic I took through EVEREST and it shows that the ram is running on 1.8v... Currently whats inside is 1 OCZ (1GB) and 1 original (512mb)... Any thoughts?

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/8866/88297489kc7.jpg


Thanks for the help, I appreciate it

[goofball]

You're running them at DDR2-800 speeds, which in their specifications requires 1.9v - 2.1v. Now, adding more ram might just make it harder to run at 1.9v all the way around. I did run into this problem with the ocz gold on my sister's ecs board without voltage adjustment but it gave me speed adjustments.
If you can, return them and just get some valueram. Something like the Kingston or Mushkin run at 1.8v

http://www.canadacomputers.com/main....id=RAM.346.307

[Dealz-4-U]

hmm.. yeah before I got them I was going to get the Mushkin, but the rebate for these made them seem a better choice, and plus, OCZ is a well known brand.

You think Canada Computers will accept returns on open and used RAM? I dont want to look like a newb trying to return something that they cant take back

Thanks for the help

[goofball]

Mushkin is not a no name brand by any means.
I don't know about the policy from CC, I have not had to ever return anything to them. I'm sure you could probably sell them at your cost if you wanted to, not everyone wants to deal with rebates.

[Blackjack]

You think Canada Computers will accept returns on open and used RAM? I dont want to look like a newb trying to return something that they cant take back

Thanks for the help

YMMV with CC. You might try and snag(I'm in the same boat as you) some of that Buffalo ram from FS before midnight(sale is over then). At least you can return the RAM from FS.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...on=&langid=EN#

[Dealz-4-U]

Yeah, looks like I will look to sell them at cost...

YMMV with CC. You might try and snag(I'm in the same boat as you) some of that Buffalo ram from FS before midnight(sale is over then). At least you can return the RAM from FS.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...on=&langid=EN#

Hmm.. yeah I was thinking about that, but after shipping, the Mushkin set would only be a few dollars more.

[Oversized Rooster]

Mushkin is not a no name brand by any means.
I don't know about the policy from CC, I have not had to ever return anything to them. I'm sure you could probably sell them at your cost if you wanted to, not everyone wants to deal with rebates.

Agreed. I bought a 2x2GB Mushkin DDR2-800 set for my comp which made it stable. Before, with 4x1GB Crucial DDR2-1066 it was doing some pretty weird things (turned out it didn't like having 4 sticks). Mushkin makes excellent RAM - they're not as popular as Corsair or OCZ. However, the quality is right up there.

Anyway, to the OP...you should be looking for the most stable and compatible option right now. With that mobo, don't even touch most RAM kits sold in Chinatown. Voltage as well as timings can be an issue.

Pick up a pair of 1GB Crucial Rendition DDR2-800 modules. They need like 1.8 or 1.9V to run. These are most likely going to be "liked" by the cheapest and crappiest mobos even. In other words, they're a safe bet at working properly.

[ppl4golf]

If you look at the QVL for Asus mobos (especially AM2 ones), the list is sparse and OCZ rams have very little presence there. For no hassle compatibility for Asus mobos, Kingston 667 value ram seem to work very well in my experience.

Don't get the Cosair value ram - I bought them twice and returned them twice.

[ppl4golf]

hmm.. yeah before I got them I was going to get the Mushkin, but the rebate for these made them seem a better choice, and plus, OCZ is a well known brand.

You think Canada Computers will accept returns on open and used RAM? I dont want to look like a newb trying to return something that they cant take back

Thanks for the help

Take them back within a week should be no hassle at all - ram incompatibility is very common problem, I have returned rams to CC twice before and no problems. The only place that gave me dirty looks was Infonec.

[goofball]

If you look at the QVL for Asus mobos (especially AM2 ones), the list is sparse and OCZ rams have very little presence there. For no hassle compatibility for Asus mobos, Kingston 667 value ram seem to work very well in my experience.

Don't get the Cosair value ram - I bought them twice and returned them twice.

The QVL's rarely get updated and it's not really a comprehensive list of what will work.

Sorry to hear of your bad luck with the Corsair. I have used over 2 dozen of these modules for builds with no issues. Majority of those were with Asus boards as well.

Really, this isn't so much a problem with manufacturer ram incompatiblity as it is just an issue of specific model incompatibility. It's somewhat expected when you get ram that asks for non-standard voltages that can't be set manually by the user.

[Dealz-4-U]

Take them back within a week should be no hassle at all - ram incompatibility is very common problem, I have returned rams to CC twice before and no problems. The only place that gave me dirty looks was Infonec.

Ok will give it a try... The only thing is that I cut out the UPC code cause I was getting the rebate forms ready.. still have everything though. You think would they care? Im gonna try regardless.

Thanks again everyone, will be trying the Mushkin set as it has gotten RAVE reviews on newegg.