SLOW pc3200

i just got pc3200 in a gigabyte somethin or other...this comp is at school that i built for the tech club and i don't remember the model mobo...but its kt400 and its 110 at newegg

anyway....i set the ram type in the bios for auto select and i ran sisoft sandra at all stock settings....on the memory test i got 1400....thats like half as high as it should be. What could be the problem?...I also think this is contributing to low 3dmark scores

mem benchmarks are always limited by the fsb. so if your cpu is running at 100 fsb then that would be the reason for the low scores.

the cpu is at 133fsb running 13x mutliplier (stock settings)....and its still getting very low....

apparenlty nobody knows the answer to this question.....somebody HAS to know...

When you see people around here with high memory scores, it's because they have a very high fsb. Yours is stock(133) so you shouldn't expect much.

If you want high scores, raise the fsb and change it to more aggressive settings. Since this is for a school computer, don't know if you can or should care.

Don't auto-select the RAM timings. Use the manual option and set all the timings too the fastest.

Also upping your FSB will help.

-PC

well we built this computer as a project but in sandra it scores half as high as pc2700.....and it scores less then my pc2100 at home.....like 500 points less....and mine isn't oc'ed either and i have a slower chipset...kt266a

holy **** people have read this thread 1077 times...jsut caught my eye..sry for spam

Can you post your RAM timings? They do have a noticable effect on performance.

change the multi to 9 and set the fsb at 200 but you'll first have to unlock the chip

it will be slightly OCed but to the point that it should be stable for years on end

the whole point is that i want it to work the correct way at the factory default settings.....which means...setting the bios to settings that will allow it work....at the recommended setttings for sisoft sandra....which means...faster than my pc2100 266fsb ram.....not slower.....

well....i got it up to 2000 on sisoft sandra with 142fsb and it set as ddr166/333 settings....it gets 1400 in sandra at 200/400ddr setting. What i don't understand is the fact that i can't change the ram timings in the bios...this is the default bios on the GA-7VAXP ....how and can i flash the bios to a newer version so i can change these settings...?

In your BIOS hit CTRL+F1. That'll open up the RAM timings under Advanced Chipset Feaures.

THANK YOU...Ill try that tomorrow...finally a meaningful post....whew that took a while

Hehe

You're welcome. Just got the GA-7VAX myself last week and wondered why I couldn't set RAM timings. Dug around the web a bit and that answer came up. Gigabyte really should have documented that "feature" in the manual.

Man why has this been read SOOOO many times...

yea i was trying to figure out why so many people have read this and not bothered to give an answer....kinda crazy

You probably don't have 4-way interleave enabled. That's usually considered a "default" setting to be enabled, but oddly enough most mobo manufactureres have it set to disabled by their default.

The reason you haven't got a good answer is you haven't provided sufficient information.

well how do i enable 4 way interleave

The reason you haven't got a good answer is you haven't provided sufficient information.

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Yeah, this is a mystery allright and people like mysteries. That must be why so many people read it.

Well, how about pulling the curtain a bit and revealing some clues for us Dragon Orb?

I am personally curious as to what brand RAM this is. Also, some important things need answering such as:

well....i got it up to 2000 on sisoft sandra with 142fsb and it set as ddr166/333 settings....

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So, then would I be right in assuming that you set the ratio in BIOS so that the RAM would run at 333Mhz (at the speed of PC2700 RAM) when the FSB is at 133Mhz ? If that is the case, 142 fsb will only give you about 355Mhz. The RAM you are using on the other hand, is rated for 400Mhz. You have to keep in mind that in order to run the RAM at its rated speed, you HAVE to overclock. For PC3200 RAM to run at 400Mhz (its rated speed) with that ratio that you are using, you have to have your FSB at 160Mhz. Otherwise, you won't be running the RAM at its rated speed and therefore the PC3200 RAM is going to waste. You could as well buy much cheaper lower rated RAM.

Also, Cullam3n made a good point in saying you should set your timings manually in BIOS. The mem timings in BIOS when set to auto are not always dictated by the RAM. Sometimes the motherboards will set slower speeds for the RAM when the timings are set to auto than what the manufacturer advertises the timings as. Don't forget that there is still no DDR400 standard so set your timings manually.