gSkill Vallue Series total crap, or just a bad pair?

Grrrrrr....

I got a 2x1gb set of this memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231032

Just installed it and started trying to see how high I could run it 1:1 with the 2-3-2-5 timings.

Well....tried 240, since the cheap, 3-3-3-8, $85 a stick, Wintec stuff that I have now in 2x1gb dual channel was running fine there, albeit at slower timings.

Nope, not the gSkill...same result at 230, 220, 210, as a matter of fact, at ANY speed over 200, it wouldn't boot. I was using the A64 OC calculator, trying to see where I needed it to try to run so I can get my Opty 170 over 2.8 tommorrow, and the best divider I could come up with put it at 201, so I set it all up to run there, and nothing.

I read in some reviews at Newegg that people had this stuff up in the 240-250 range. What's the deal? And another thing, why does my Asus A8N-E board, that only supports up to PC3200, have manual timing settings for the memory from 400 mhz on up to 600? It also goes down to 200, that part I understand, but why up from 400? Does that mean I can run the 184 pin DDR500 stuff?

Still kinda ****ed that this $230 memory gets it *** kicked by some no-name cheap stuff.

Sounds like you really don't know what you're doing.

To push ram past its advertised timings you need to start loosening numbers.

That ram will do 220-235 @ 2.5-3-2-5 and some can do 240-250 @ 3-2-3-5

The best you'll get out of the ZX stuff at 2-3-2-5 is 200mhz, just like its advertised.

Yes you can run the DDR500 stuff, that really is the best ram for overclocking and why they now lable the ZX stuff as "value".

I actually had both the ZX stuff and the gskills DDR500 stuff and with my overclock I was able to get better benchmarks being able to find my fastest overclock with the lowest ram timings.

db post

I fully experimented with timings, at both 1T and 2T, as well as every voltage my board has for RAM.

I'll admit that I am not a fully seasoned expert, but I'm a quick study, and I have read alot, so I do have some clue. I wouldn't have posted that it won't run at 240 if it would run at ANY timing. I tried them all, nothing. The best I got it to boot at was 225, and that was at 3-3-3-6 2T, and that just plain sucks for memory that is CL2 at 200 mhz.

They are back in their box, and my old RAM is back in.

68Injunhed said:

I fully experimented with timings, at both 1T and 2T, as well as every voltage my board has for RAM.

I'll admit that I am not a fully seasoned expert, but I'm a quick study, and I have read alot, so I do have some clue. I wouldn't have posted that it won't run at 240 if it would run at ANY timing. I tried them all, nothing. The best I got it to boot at was 225, and that was at 3-3-3-6 2T, and that just plain sucks for memory that is CL2 at 200 mhz.

They are back in their box, and my old RAM is back in.

Click to expand...

You sure your HTT isn't in the way here?

What have you done to rule out its NOT the ram causing your instabilies?

I mean if you went straight to 3-2-3-5 and couldn't get more the 225

The main thing I did was try to see what I could get 1:1.

I set my CPU(3700+ Sandy) down to 10x, LDT multi to 3X, and then tried about 20 different RAM settings trying to get it to 232, which is where I was wanting it to go tommorrow when I get that Opty in. 280 HTTx10 gets me the 2.8 I want on the CPU, with 3X on the LDT, and 232 on the memory with a 5/6 divider.

No timings or voltages I tried, and I tried pretty much all of them, would get me more than 225, which for $230+ is not gonna get it.

As I said, the cheap RAM I have now is running 1:1 at 240, 3-3-3-8 1T, which BTW are the SPD timings.

I was trying to get memory that would do that or near it, but at 2.5-3-3-5 1T or so. This pair just wont do it.

I could get it to run at tighter(or even at 2-3-2-5) timings at 200 or just below, but my memory bandwidth in Sandra went to under 5800 for both values. I was getting 6600 and 6550 with the RAM I have now and how it is set. Maybe I'll just send it back and just keep what I have. I just figured that even the value series of gSkill would allow SOME leeway at advertised timings. My bad.

Sounds like your current ram does a good job with that one stick.

It's possible your board has something to do with it.

Now knowing your entire situation your best best would have been DDR500 stuff to try a completely different overclock.

Ya just send it back and wait till you get your new computer before you worry about 2gigs.

Doh! Shoulda been more specific, I have 2 gigs now. I think if this doesn't work for me, I'll just get some of the DDR500.

I had been running at 240 HTT on the 11x multiplier, running the memory 1:1, LDT at 4x.

Currently I am running the SD core 3700+ @ 2800, HTT at 280(10x multi), LDT3X, ram on the 5/6 divider at 3-4-4-8 1T(232mhz) on an Asus A8N-e, bois version 1010. This is gonna be my stock voltage jump off tommorrow with my new Opty 170...hey, dare to dream, right?

Can't remember the brand of PSU I have, need to go out and look in the shop where the box is(cold, snow, nasty), but it's 500 watts, 2x12v rails, plenty of juice, was for my old SLi rig.