Asus P3B-F 256Mb SDRAM woe - dble-sided, but still sees 128

Recommended by Wim's BIOS...

by **__spc__** » Tue May 20, 2003 12:59 pm

Hi all,

Upgrading the memory in my Asus P3B-F (i440BX) m'board, and I'm having problems.

1. I tried a 256Mb PC133 module, single sided, which (now having read the posts here, obviously) didn't work. (I understand that PC133 will work fine, even though the - now aging - manual states PC 100..?)

2. I then tried last night with a replacement double-sided module, but still no joy!

I saw a post (by NickS I think) that mentioned modules with at least 16 chips (2x8) are needed.

My question then, what chip-configurations do SDRAM modules come in?

Cheers,

Steven.

by **KachiWachi** » Tue May 20, 2003 2:14 pm

Memory can come in many configurations...

With newer chip densities, manufacturers can offer less actual hardware but still maintain the same module memory size. The module part number from the manufacturer doesn't have to change either...that's what kills alot of people.

You have to know what technology your machine will accept, and buy accordingly. Usually that means knowing how many chips per stick, and learning (or researching) the actual chip part number to see if it can be used in your machine.

by **__spc__** » Tue May 20, 2003 3:11 pm

Hi,

Thanks for that info. This makes a little sense to me (my memory stick currently sitting 150km away) in that I'm sure it doesn't have 16 (2x8) chips on it. Would that be right then....?

Presumably then this means I could even have problems with 128Mb modules too?

Cheers,

Steven

by **sulbert** » Tue May 20, 2003 3:19 pm

A good (IMHO) FAQ concerning RAM support of i440BX (unfortunately already gone from its original location; still available from Google cache):
RAM modules compatible with motherboards based on the i440bx chipset.

by **__spc__** » Tue May 20, 2003 3:49 pm

Genius - all the answers I needed!

The problem was one of those classic IT user vs. IT support ones - "..but I've done what you said and it still doesn't work...."

Seriously, without understanding the finer points of memory module i'd of either been going backwards and forwards between my machine and the module supplier, or given up and bought more (more expensive) lower capacity modules.

Thanks again. That's a wrap for this thread!

by **Rainbow** » Tue May 20, 2003 7:31 pm

I had a crappy Memtek 256MB module - it was double-sided, but the chips were connected in a weird way - the module looked one-sided from board's view... Now I have one M.tec 256MB and one Winbond 256MB. They work fine. (board = Asus P2B)

by **sulbert** » Wed May 21, 2003 8:49 am

Rainbow wrote:I had a crappy Memtek 256MB module - it was double-sided, but the chips were connected in a weird way - the module looked one-sided from board's view...

x8 memory chips?

by **edwin** » Wed May 21, 2003 7:19 pm

sulbert wrote:A good (IMHO) FAQ concerning RAM support of i440BX (unfortunately already gone from its original location; still available from Google cache):
RAM modules compatible with motherboards based on the i440bx chipset.

Good stuff. Mirrored here:
http://www.elhvb.com/info/i440bx-RAM.html

by **__spc__** » Wed May 21, 2003 9:30 pm

Even more info...

For me, having just moved from Abit LX6C/o'clocked PII-233 to Asus P3B-F/Celeron 1GHz, it's back to learning again to see what I can do to get the best out of what what I've got.

Had to resort to 2x128Mb PC133 chips so o'clocking the FSB is still on. I reckon the 256Mb stick I was trying wasn't not 16Mx8 architecture, i.e. cheap stuff...

Never mind, by the time I need more than 512Mb, this m'board will long since have been upgraded...

Cheers again guys.

by **soupy** » Wed May 21, 2003 9:58 pm

Get Crucial DIMMS, and a Tualatin 1.4 Ghz.

Unless you want to try to O/C, then get a Tualatin 1.0 or 1.1.