[PLUG] nForce2 Memory Woes

[Steve Bonds]

On Wed, 26 May 2004, Steve Bonds 1s7k8uhcd001-at-sneakemail.com |PDX
Linux| wrote:

> I figure I have some options:
>   1) Reduce the memory bus frequency so it works
>   2) Try the expensive HyperX "matched" RAM
>   3) Try Crucial's CAS 3 RAM (vs 2.5 on Kingston's, maybe slower timings
>      help?)

I took option "2" and it seems to have worked, and was less expensive than
I initially thought it would be.  The only bad part of this solution is it
effectively locks me in to 1GB total system memory, since my chances of
finding a 1G module that would "match" my 2 512MB modules are pretty slim.

Also, to answer Rob's questions that got lost in the shuffle:

> DOES reducing the memory bus frequency solve the problem?

Yes.  This works flawlessly, but I didn't get the 400MHz chipset and
400MHz CPU just to run at 333MHz.  ;-)

> DOES slowing down the timings solve the problem?

No, in fact this seems to make things worse-- however I suspect that the
magic I-know-what-I'm-doing override to enable them in my BIOS also turned
on something else that broke it.  I didn't follow up to find out exactly
what this may have been since I wanted everything to work at full speed.

  -- Steve