256mb recognized as 128mb - PCCHIPS M748LMRT (please help!)

Is your memory not fully recognized? (Intel VX chipset Memory recognition)
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s2renato
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I have a M748 LMRT PCchips (I know, people told me PCchips is a bad choice...) motherboard and I am having some RAM expansion problems. My PC is a Pentium III 700Mhz with 3 memory slots. The manual states that I can have up to three 256mb memory sticks. The first stick that came when I bought my PC is a 128mb PC100 with modules on both sides. I made then a first expansion with more 128mb. I bought a PC133 memory stick but I had no problems, the only thing is that it has modules on only one side, but it works. Last week I decided to have my last memory upgrade (want to have 516mb). I bought a PC100 256mb memory stick with modules on both sides, but my system is reading only half of it. I was using a BIOS dated 05/18/2000S and after this made an upgrade to a BIOS I found at the PCchips FTP site dated 09/14/2001S (used the aminf336.exe flash utility). It didn't change anything, besides the fact that now it seems that I can have up to 1536mb, as you can see by this analysis I ran with BIOS Agent:

Program: eSupport.com BIOS Agent Version 3.23
BIOS Date: 09/14/01
BIOS Type: American Megatrends
BIOS ID: 62-0914-999900-00101111-071595-000000-M748LMRT
OEM Sign-On: Release 09/14/2001S
Chipset: SiS 620 rev 2
Superio: ITE 8661/SiS 6801 rev 6 found at port 279h
OS: Win2000
CPU: Pentium III 700 Mhz MAX: 800 Mhz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Yes
BIOS ROM Size: 256K
Memory Installed: 384 MB
Memory Maximum: 1536 MB
Memory Slot 01: 128 MB
Memory Slot 02: 128 MB
Memory Slot 03: 128 MB

I also ran a mainboard information report by SANDRA and would like to share with you guys these parts of the report:

Memory Controller
Error Detection Method : None
Error Correction Capability : None
Supported/Current Memory Interleave : 1-way / 1-way
Number of Memory Slots : 3
Maximum Installable Memory : 1536MB
Maximum Module Size : 512MB
Supported Memory Types : DIMM, SDRAM
Supported Memory Voltages : 3.3V

Physical/BIOS Memory Banks
DIMM1 (RASL-0 RASL-1) : 128MB DIMM SDRAM single-bank
DIMM2 (RASL-2 RASL-3) : 128MB DIMM SDRAM single-bank
DIMM3 (RASL-4 RASL-5) : 128MB DIMM SDRAM single-bank

Logical/Chipset Memory Banks
Bank 0 Setting : 128MB SDRAM 8-1-1-1R 6-2-2-2W 3-4-5CL
Bank 1 Setting : 128MB SDRAM 8-1-1-1R 6-2-2-2W 3-4-5CL
Bank 2 Setting : 128MB SDRAM 8-1-1-1R 6-2-2-2W 3-4-5CL
Speed : 1x 100MHz (100MHz data rate)
Multiplier : 1/1x

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module 1 : Samsung 256MB 16x(32Mx4) SDRAM PC133U-333-542 (CL3 upto 133MHz)
Memory Module 2 : D730C029 128MB 8x(16Mx8) SDRAM PC133U-333-542 (CL3 upto 133MHz) (CL2 upto 100MHz)
Memory Module 3 : 128MB 8x(16Mx8) SDRAM PC100-333-622 (CL3 upto 125MHz) (CL2 upto 83MHz)

Ps. Module 1 - Memory I just bought
Module 2 - My first upgrade
Module 3 - the original memory that came when I bought my PC

On a side note: I ran my PC with only the 256mb stick and it also worked with only half of it...

Sorry, I know this a big text but I wanted to give the maximum information I could to see if someone can help me. And sorry about any english mistakes.

Cheers from the Brazilian tropics!
Rainbow
The UniFlasher
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The new memory module is not supported by older boards. It has chips on both sides, but it's single-bank only from the chipset's view. I had a module like this too and I replaced it for real double-sided double-banked module (because I needed it for my Asus P2B board).
Patched and tested BIOSes are at http://wims.rainbow-software.org
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Denniss
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16-chip with 32x4 does not work with full capacity on older boards - needs to have 16x8 internal organisation (like your other memory sticks have)
s2renato
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It seems that I really have no choice besides getting my money back. I was really trying to get this working because right now it's really difficult to find olther memory sticks with real double-sided modules here in Brazil.

Thanks for your toughts on the matter!
s2renato
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Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2003 7:20 am

By the way, just one more question. After the BIOS upgrade do I really have the possibility of having up to 1536mb of memory and faster CPU, let's say, use a 1,5Ghz processor (I know, wrong topic...)? Or the motherboard just won't recognize those new features?

Thanks!
Ritchie
BIOS Guru
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Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 5:17 am

On your original problem, I was thinking maybe you were exceeding the number of rows of memory permitted. Rows is different to slots. Each single side of memory equals one row. So if you installed two double sided modules for example, you would have had four rows of memory installed. Now I noticed your report showed all three memory slots occupied. So say if you tried your new 256 MB module, your new 128MB module (if I have got these figures right) and left a third 128MB moduled in there, depending on whether the modules were single or double sided you could have potentially had a total of six rows of memory installed. But the board probably would not support six rows (physically it might - but the system may not recognise it).

If you still have those memory modules which you purchased, find out whether they are single or double sided, and then find out how many rows your main board supports, and then see if you can make up the desired MB of RAM by keeping with the number of rows permitted.

Also are you using reasonable quality memory. I have had compatibility problems with some cheap brands. I now try to stick to Kingston and Hynix as I find these good.
edwin
The Hardware Archivist
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Kingston has been removed from my recommendations list as a lot of people have compatibility problems with their sticks lately...
edwin/evasive

Do not assume anything

System error, strike any user to continue...
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