Memory seems to prevent start up.

[MoggizMagic]

Hello all, i'm new to the forum and in dire need of your help and advice.

I have recently purchased another 4GB (in two matching pairs of 2048MB) of Corsair TwinX to go with my 2GB (in two matching pairs of 1024MB) in my system. I installed these into my PC whilst it was running Windows XP. The PC worked fine during the brief time I was running it, a matter of days. I then installed Windows 7 Ultimate (32bit) which installed correctly and updated itself accordingly. The trouble started when I tried to enable SLi in the Nvidia Control Panel. I could enable it ok and even play a game but if I then restarted the PC it would hang at the Windows 7 start up screen. The bit where the flag comes together and then it pulses three times before continuing to load, it would pulse three times and then just sit there. Only resetting the computer can get it going again and then the windows recovery screen would come up. Only using this to system restore to a time before enabling SLi would let me start up correctly.

I thought this was a problem with graphics drivers for a long time and spent most of my energies chasing that but then by chance I found that going back to my original RAM fixed the issue. With this in mind I tried each of my new sticks of RAM seperately and again had no problems. It is only when I have both of the two new sticks of RAM in there that I have the issue. This may be because I have over 2GB in there.

A new developement this evening is that after setting a system restore point with SLI already enabled and forcing the error by inserting two sticks of 2048MB in there, if I then take out a stick leaving just 2GB in there and system restoring, I can start up again and still be in SLi.

So it seems to be consistent with having more than 2GB of RAM inserted with SLI enabled. I realise that 32bit Windows is limited to 4GB anyway so 6GB would be overkill but I at least want to be able to run 4GB of RAM with SLI enabled.

My full Spec :-

Intel E8400 3.0Ghz
6 GB Corsair XMS2-8500 (2x2048 and 2x1024)
EVGA 780i SLI Motherboard
Two BFG 8800GT OC2 in SLi
Creative SB X-Fi Fatality
Coolermaster 1KW PSU
WD Raptor 300GB HDD

I've been at this problem for six weeks now and at a dead end. Can anyone help me?

Dave

 

[wallyinnc]

Hi Dave, welcome to the forums
I don't know much about SLI and will have to research further. But looking at your Mobo specs, I see it states: DDR2 533/667/800/1200MHz SLI-Ready memory

Is your SLI ready? Also, it is a 1066MHz memory. Your Mobo says "support for up to 1200MHz". My experience is that you need tweaking top get memory that is not the standard the Mobo is designed for, even when they say it is supported.

I don't know if this helps. Can you give the PN of your memory and of your Mobo?

 

[MoggizMagic]

Hi Wally

I had wondered about the memory settings. I have left everything as stock and let the BIOS sort out the timings etc.. The POST shows that the memory is running at 800mhz with timings of 5-5-5-18.

The motherboard part number is 132-CK-NF78-A1 you can see the full specs here EVGA | EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard | EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard

The memory is CM2X2048-8500C5D 1066mhz 5-5-5-15. Other info given on the label is XMS2-8500 2.10V ver1.2 09470426

The two 1024 sticks say, CM2X1024-8500C5D 1066mhz 5-5-5-15, other info XMS2-8500 2.10V ver4.1 08241313

I a confused by the fact that 2GB works fine and 4GB doesn't though? I am just about to try 3GB to see what happens.

Cheers

Dave

 

[wallyinnc]

Thanks Dave
From what I saw it seems that the Mobo and memory specs are not the problem, your memory seems to be SLI certified (although I only found that at the Newegg site, Crucial site is not the best).

I a confused by the fact that 2GB works fine and 4GB doesn't though?

What is the memory sticks are the problem? have you tried checking them with Memtest? You will have to run for a few hours and ideally one stick at a time.

Also, are all memory and CPU settings in your BIOS set to Auto? What is the voltage BIOS is running the memory at?

 

[MoggizMagic]

Hi Wally

I'm memtesting as we speak. The first one has been on for 7 hours so far and i'll leave it on another hour or so before leaving the other one overnight. I am testing them one stick a a time.

I'm thinking that it won't find anything though because I have tried starting Windows with a configuration of 2GB stick and a 1GB stick and it fails. Then swapped the sticks over to the other two sticks and it still fails so it doesn't seem to be defective hardware unless its the motherboard that is failing with more than 2GB running through it.

I just have the BIOS doing everything in auto and i'm not sure what that is just now. I will check next time I go in there.

Thanks for the help again.

Dave