Nerd Required, Corsair 3200XL 2-2-2-5, suggested timing to to remove mem instability?

Nerd Required, Corsair 3200XL 2-2-2-5, suggested timing to to remove mem instability?

Hello

I have the folloing parts, MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum (v1.3 bios), 3500+ s939 A64, SLK-948U Heatsink and a 1GB (matched pair) of Corsair 3200XL memory.

It detects and works fine but the PC locks up when doing heavy memory benchies and or 3DMark.

I have set the following memory timings in the BIOS

2-2-2-5 (Auto Detects), 1T Timings, non Agressive memory timings (BIOS Setting) etc

Q1) I think the memory is getting unstable in heavy loads, can anyone suggest relaxed memory timings that will help stability and not drop the performance too much.

I am rebuilding the system (Windows XP Pro SP1 as SP2 may have been the problem).

Thanks.

what speed are u running them ?? ddr400?. if u are running that speed try something a little looser and see if it cures the lock ups. if so then you may have a mb or memory issue. cause they should run 2.2.2.5.

Thanks flapperhead

They are running at 200/400 (stock).

>can anyone suggest relaxed memory timings that will help stability and not drop the performance too much.

I was asking what is a good setting to relax too? Suggestions?

lose the 1T timing. If not, try increasing the dimm voltage

FearTec said:

I was asking what is a good setting to relax too? Suggestions?

Click to expand...

Whatever it takes. Try the different combinations. Since nobody else has your exact components to test, you are the only person on god's green earth that has the opportunity to establish if relaxing the timings will help, and if so to what degree.

Don't lose the 1t, laxing timings isn't nearly as bad as losing the 1t

man_utd said:

Don't lose the 1t, laxing timings isn't nearly as bad as losing the 1t

Click to expand...

Totally untrue.

Unless you consider 1 second in SuperPI and PIFast bad, or 200 pts out of 24,000 in 3dmark01, or 70 pts out of 7.5k in 03 bad. The only place where 2t seems to make a considerable difference is Sandra, which is so focused that it doesn't really have any meaning in real-world performance.

tRCD 2 vs tRCD 3 actually makes more of a difference than 1T vs 2T in every other benchmark I've tried.

Thanks Guys, i will give a few things a try. The instability could even be the A64 chip or memory controller and not the Ram or maybe the ThermalRight's SLK-948U 's heatsink airtflow pushing heat directly onto the memory chips (very close). or even something else.

Thanks again

Try 2-2-2-10 1T. I was having similiar problems with my new system. Several people told me to change my timings to what I told you and I haven't had an issue since.

It seems the Intels like the 2-2-2-5 timings but the AMDs need 2-2-2-10. The 1T command rate is a big thing don't turn that off unless you have to.

have you tried memtest? how did you find out it is/was unstable?

test it with memtest, if it fails at stock settings, maybe try different RAM, but definatly RMA something...(unless you broke it )

Possible Fix

You might have the same problem I have.

Set to: 1T 2325, agressive, mem 2.7v, agp default 1.5, cpu startup
And make sure you have bios 1.3


in core cell:
- aggressive on
- spread spectrum off (either way works, off has better clock signal)
- mem 2.75v (is spec, but mine works 2325 with auto or 2.7, as welll)
- AGP 1.5
- CPU Startup

in mem:
- set all auto (even 1T/2T, it will pick 1T, unless you have all 4 slots filled, which will save you the hassle if you ever put 4.)
- set RAS to CAS to 3


Get memtest86 or memtest86+:
http://www.memtest.org/

Run like 1 full pass (default, tests 1-7), then pick test 5 to run by itself for like 20 passes. Should pass at 2325, and fail at 2225 in like 5 passes or so of test 5, maybe less.

*******************

The mem doesn't work per spec for many people. Spec says 400DDR 2225 1T, end of story. It should work but for me it doesn't, and lots of others or maybe all A64. There are people who have this and works fine too. No one knows why yet.

Most who buy this mem overclock, bump the timings, and would never know. Many others are now buying OCZ G-Skill, etc, with TCCD memory that can run the same timings as the XL on this board. Seen alot more good examples of TCCD working. I can also say the three I have tried very really hot, like 55C at spec, I can only assume the TCCD doesnt do this.

Long thread, I've spent way too much time on this:
http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30754

same problem here. I went to 2-2-2-7 and that fixed it. I am going to try and lower it back down once I try the new beta bios.

Im running the Corsair XMS Pro 3200 @ 2-2-2-5 with zero issues on my A64 rig, hours of heavy gaming has turned up zero issues. Great ram, wickedly fast and supposedly will do DDR500 @ 2.5-3-3-7 timings according to Corsair....

I got same mobo, chip, rm and I have not have a single problem with that ram...just try shuffling the ram about, try slot 1&2 or 3&4 and see some mobo can be picky about that