System doesn't want to take 8GB or ram

[bobj]

Ken, yes a google search shows my mobo and 8gb frequently sold as a kit, no problems with my mobo and 8gb show up, also everything works OK with Vista for me. So I am pretty sure it is just a Windows7 problem that I will just have to wait until MSFT fixes.

 

[johngalt]

Both of you - are you installing / do you have access to motherboard drivers that are 100% compatible with Windows 7? I am willing to bet that you're missing a chipset / other driver and / or Windows Update has replaced your OEM driver with a 'windows' driver that it thinks is better - and yet that is simply degrading performance....

 

[bobj]

johngalt,

I think you are probably on the right track, thanks! I will do some digging and make sure I have the right drivers, etc...

will let you know if i get it working ..... thanks again for putting me on this path.

bobj

 

[Dinesh]

I m sure you all will like this: Do You Really Need More Than 6 GB Of RAM? - Vista Forums

 

[johngalt]

I can answer that without reading it right now - *yes*.

I have 60+ extensions installed in Firefox, I like to keep multiple browsers open (for various reason, not just testing, but for some sites that seem to be broken in Fx) and I have numerous email accounts at various sites, some of which are POP but some of which (GMail and GMX) are IMAP - that is a lot of power there, especially considering I use the Weave extension for Fx to keep every thing backed up, and that I have several thousand bookmarks, so I have seen it easily happen where Fx is using 500 MB or more of my RAM *actively*.

Add to that the fact that I have dual monitors, and that now nVidia drivers *finally* allow multiple monitors even in SLI mode and I can easily have all 4 GB of RAM used up to the very last bit. I have lately gotten into the habit of running WMC on one monitor and Prototype on the other....

The average user, probably does not need more than 4 GB right now. However, back in 2002, when I built my P4, the average machine on Dell had ~128 - 256 MB of RAM - I built mine with 1.25 GB (dual 512s and a 256 that I added for fun). To be honest, XP never had a slow down problem on my machine like most people complained about - wonder why?

I guarantee you that the next machine I build will have 12 or 24 GB of RAM. Anything less would be against my future proofing religion.

 

[Dinesh]

Just looked at your computer pics... you don't have a Computer, its a rocket mate. Awesome!

 

[johngalt]

Moi? Thanks - but it pales in comparison to what I want to build (and I already have the i7 965 EE sitting on the shelf waiting for a home)....

 

[bobj]

dinesh,

the OP is seeking to get (their) 8gb working. I see you are a win7 expert, so if you can provide a solution it would be appreciated.

 

[Dinesh]

HI Bob, as you said that all 8 gb works with vista, its obvious that its a bug in 7. i would advise you to wait till the final release. On my desktop, if i install windows 7, my back sound port doesn't work. But when i install vista on it, the back audio port works. I still do not understand what's causing this. But this is true.

 

[bobj]

Hi Dinesh,

Yes I'll go with your suggestion and wait for the final release before putting 8gb back.
also I have no problems with Ubuntu Linux using the 8gb. Thanks for the response.
bobj (p.s. my son in law is from mumbai)

 

[johngalt]

Incorrect. It is *not* obvious that it is a *bug* in W7 b/c, as I mentioned earlier, drivers are needed to make the OS work with the hardware. If your mobo manufacturer has not released drivers for your mobo that work with / in W7, and W7 itself does not have any applicable drivers for a device or has a generic one that is not enabling correct features of parts of your mobo, then you will have issues - and that is in *no way* a *bug*.

 

[Dinesh]

You are Welcome bob. I m sure that none of the memory sticks or the motherboard slots are bad. Its just that windows 7 is not taking it. its just a matter of more 3 months. Final release is on 22nd Oct. and I m from mumbai too.

 

[bobj]

Johngalt,

you suggested early on to check for latest BIOS, which I replied I had. OOPs! I checked again and I am wrong, I had 1001, latest is 1203, so I guess i'll give it another try with the correct BIOS. My bad.

 

[zigzag3143]

8gig prob

Ken, yes a google search shows my mobo and 8gb frequently sold as a kit, no problems with my mobo and 8gb show up, also everything works OK with Vista for me. So I am pretty sure it is just a Windows7 problem that I will just have to wait until MSFT fixes.

I know you have gone trou every possible variation. could it be a bad memory slot?

Im clueless, we have gone thru everything i can think of
you have tested the memory, in the 4 slots and it passed, have upgraded the bios, is there also a chipset upgrade for your model?

Ken

 

[johngalt]

The BIOS update may be a major factor - but I am still betting on Windows 7 *specific* drivers for your hardware.

 

[stevieray]

louieyazon:

If the bios update and driver fixes don't work, you could try this: boost your FSB voltage by a notch. In my case, that was +.06 volts. My mobo and yours share the same northbridge chip, and the small voltage tweak cured my random crashes and surprise reboots.

 

[louieyazon]

Okay, do you suggest we install vista 64 first and test our setup just to make sure its not a hardware issue?

 

[Dinesh]

Okay, do you suggest we install vista 64 first and test our setup just to make sure its not a hardware issue?

This would be a good idea.

 

[louieyazon]

Sorry this took a while. For now I found the time to try and fiddle with the voltage thing as I got that suggestion both from stevieray here and another guy in the MSI forums.. but, turns out I can't fiddle with it on my BIOS and am wondering if doing something wrong or looking in the wrong area. Hopefully will find the time to do that install vista 64 bit this week, but for now I know the hardware and the memory test recognize all the ram. Thanks to all those that have been replying.

Voltage Range

Memory-Z

Looking at a single sticks stats

Cell Menu (notice the grayed out ram freq)

Voltage Part of the Cell Menu (notice grayed out, read only parts)

Voltage Part with the RAM voltage option highlighted

Voltage Range (enlarged version of left side of above photo)

 

[saverio]

I don't know if this would help, but I had a similar issue with my Asus P5Q Deluxe mobo.

The bios was supposed to support 8GB and the board likewise, but there were constant issues.

In the end I went onto the forum of the memory mfr, in this case Corsair, and they advised me that voltages still needed to be altered to take advantages of the bigger memory. Just because the board is capable of taking 8GB, there is nothing to say that it is set up to from the start. The corsair forum was great.

Also I bought a matched set of 8GB, when you fill all the slots, boards get quite sensitive to voltages etc. I doubt it is anything to do with 7 per se, maybe that 7 is just fussier, or more sensitive to such things.