Caution, Asus P5B and memory choice.

[mgillespie]

This board is VERY picky about what memory it likes. I have a few sticks on RAM here, and 70% of them don't work, to the extent the board won't even POST.

I have some brand new OCZ 1GB DDR2 PC5400, which does not boot. I have also tried some 1GB kingston DDR2 PC3200, which also does not boot.

Eventually I sold my grandmother to my company's IT deparment, and borrowed a stick of HP DDR2 (Hynix memory chips on it), and it booted fine.

Whilst it was running, I updated the BIOS to 0213, and then re-tried the previosly non-working RAM, and I could still not get the board to POST.

The tech guys and Novatech suggested it may have been down to the number of chips on the RAM module, both of the ones that failed to boot, and they were double sided, with 14 chips. The module that did boot, had 8. So this explaination does sound credible.

Not very good :-( Busting a gut to get my Core 2 Duo E6600 system running, and now have to wait for some more memory, in the hope another brand may be OK.. :-(

[Taxation]

in my motherboard manual there was a section that said all of the memory what works with the motherboard.
Check the manual if you havent already done so :wink:

[mgillespie]

Yes, I have that list also. None of the listed 1GB modules are actually available by any UK retailer I can find. I also notice Asus has removed the P5B QVL list in the last couple of days from their website. Sounds a tad dodgy...

[Taxation]

maybe for revamping :D
have you emailed asus about this problem??

[mgillespie]

Yes, I have, i'll keep people posted. I think it's just too bleeding edge thou, the 965P and Core 2 Duo have only been around a couple off weeks, and as usual poor unsuspecting punters are beta testing things...

[mgillespie]

Finally got things resolved. My Core 2 Duo E6600 is now hapilly running with 2GB of DDR2 667 from PCWorld (sorry for swearing on here): http://tinyurl.com/ksh3v

Seems the OCZ 1GB value sticks (and perhaps the premium sticks) are a total no-no on the P5B.

[Taxation]

pcworld, thats blasfimey

[mgillespie]

Normally, I would agree, overpriced, and staffed by species more at home in Monkey World. This time however, I picked up 2 sticks of 1GB DDR2 667 for £120, pretty much the going rate.

[Taxation]

thats not bad then

i love going into pcworld, and the staff go to describe something and you hear something that is wrong and u tell them what the actual product is and what it does :D

before they said that an AMD 64 bit processor was twice as fast as a 32 bit P4,i soon told em otherwise, and the bloke was squirming and trying to work his way out of the hole he just dug :twisted:

[djgandy]

expensive memory....Over-rated poopoo :-p

My novatech ddr400 runs nicely at 225mhz ;). One of the sticks is easily over 2years old too.

[Nox]

My novatech ddr400 runs nicely at 225mhz ;). One of the sticks is easily over 2years old too.

i've got a couple floating around somewhere, were actually twinmoss, and were still going strong at around 235Mhz :) but my cpu topped out then, so it didn't really matter much :)

Not that i'd ever overclock anything from Novatech, obviously :)

Nox

[Spoonboy 90]

mgillespie: What symptoms was your system exibiting with the dodgy RAM?

I have the same mobo with some Corsair Value RAM and i'm getting no VGA output (card tested and working).

Thanks
Jamie

[mgillespie]

Wouldn't even POST with the RAM in, nothing, nada. Take the RAM out, and you get POST beeps (telling you no RAM).

[Spoonboy 90]

Thanks, thats what i'm getting nothing when the RAM is in and what sounds like 1 Long and 2 Short Beeps when the RAM is out.

Think i'll give some of that P@ W#rld RAM a try tomorrow.

[mgillespie]

Yep, thats exactly what mine did, and twas the RAM.

If you can borrow seom DDR2 (I borrowed some from the IT department from work, in exchange for a programming favor), if you can get it to boot, update the BIOS (v0309), and then try your existing memory.

Otherwise goto PCWorld, and stare in awe about how much primates have moved on recently... :-) (no offence to primates).

Make sure you get exactly the same as posted in the thread above, as anything else may do the same, I managed to get lucky....

[mgillespie]

Also, please post your results, did new memory sort out your problems....

[Spoonboy 90]

Just got back from PC World... As far as I can tell its the same RAM as you got but still no joy. :cry:

[mgillespie]

Was it the same stuff, the Component Shop brand?, PC5300 as they do a couple of different types.

[Spoonboy 90]

Yes the same stuff, assuming of course they only use one supplier... cant remember the brand but i've just returned it for a refund.. never let it be said that PC World aren't good for something.

I've got and RMA number from there retailer and they are going to collect the Mobo, CPU and RAM tomorrow.

[mgillespie]

Just an update on this, there is a slew of BIOS updates from the ASUS site, to increase memory compatability, including P5B, and P5B Deluxe.

If you have the problem I described in the thread (no POST beeps with memory installed), beg/borrow/steal some low spec DDR2 to boot the system, update the BIOS to the latest, and then try again, chances are it may work.