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I purchased this Kingston ram kit for this motherboard and had difficulty getting it to work at 1066. I got hangs and had to reset the CMOS numerous times. Hopefully this will help someone get it working without too much hassle.
My system is a GA-EP45-DS3L with Bios Rev F11b
Solution:
Short the CMOS reset jumper next to battery first to be sure the BIOS autodetects the CPU correctly.
Move both Kingston memory sticks to the RED sockets on the mobo. I could not get it to work using the yellow sockets.
Do normal POST and save a copy of CMOS if you want
Check CPU FSB value. I'm running an E7500 so the FSB is 266 for the CPU which is represented by an "A" in the RAM timings.
Enter BIOS M.I.T. (Tweakers thingy)
Set:
Having said all this, I've found the board runs better if you leave the RAM settings as detected (Do increase Voltage to 2.2) with the exception of the C.I.A.2. and performance enhancement. I'm currently testing further but the board runs smoother with CIA2 set to "CRUISE" and Performance Enhancement set to "TURBO". The "Performance Enhancement" seems to reduce the cycle times and CIA2 setting automatically overclocks the CPU a bit when demand is higher. If you set the RAM for 1066 you won't be able to successfully use the above ram & cpu overclocking enhancements. Windows 7 sees no difference in performance between 1066 and 800 in the memory multiplier and the system seems jerky at times when set to 1066.
Finally, I noticed a moderate, but not startling performance increase compared to my previous 2 gig of Kingston PC-5300 which I was able to get to run with Voltage set to 2.2, Performance Enhancement set to "EXTREME" and C.I.A.2. set to "SPORTS" or higher. I use both prime95 and, oddly enough, DVD Shrink as a stability test. From my experience DVD Shrink 3.2 is a program that will lock up an unstable system.
My system is a GA-EP45-DS3L with Bios Rev F11b
Solution:
Short the CMOS reset jumper next to battery first to be sure the BIOS autodetects the CPU correctly.
Move both Kingston memory sticks to the RED sockets on the mobo. I could not get it to work using the yellow sockets.
Do normal POST and save a copy of CMOS if you want
Check CPU FSB value. I'm running an E7500 so the FSB is 266 for the CPU which is represented by an "A" in the RAM timings.
Enter BIOS M.I.T. (Tweakers thingy)
Set:
CPU Host Clock Disabled
C.I.A.2. Disabled
DRAM PERFORMANCE CONTROL
Performance Enhancement Standard
(G)MCH Freequency Latch Auto
Set below to CPU frequency multiplier that gives you 1066 for your CPU clock value
System Memory Multiplier 4.00A (for my CPU)
DRAM Timing Select Manual
CAS 5
tRCD 5
tRP 5
tRAS 15
ADVANCED TIMING CONTROL
Command Rate (CMD) 1
DRAM VOLTAGE 2.3v
These settings work for me. Hope it works OK for you.C.I.A.2. Disabled
DRAM PERFORMANCE CONTROL
Performance Enhancement Standard
(G)MCH Freequency Latch Auto
Set below to CPU frequency multiplier that gives you 1066 for your CPU clock value
System Memory Multiplier 4.00A (for my CPU)
DRAM Timing Select Manual
CAS 5
tRCD 5
tRP 5
tRAS 15
ADVANCED TIMING CONTROL
Command Rate (CMD) 1
DRAM VOLTAGE 2.3v
Having said all this, I've found the board runs better if you leave the RAM settings as detected (Do increase Voltage to 2.2) with the exception of the C.I.A.2. and performance enhancement. I'm currently testing further but the board runs smoother with CIA2 set to "CRUISE" and Performance Enhancement set to "TURBO". The "Performance Enhancement" seems to reduce the cycle times and CIA2 setting automatically overclocks the CPU a bit when demand is higher. If you set the RAM for 1066 you won't be able to successfully use the above ram & cpu overclocking enhancements. Windows 7 sees no difference in performance between 1066 and 800 in the memory multiplier and the system seems jerky at times when set to 1066.
Finally, I noticed a moderate, but not startling performance increase compared to my previous 2 gig of Kingston PC-5300 which I was able to get to run with Voltage set to 2.2, Performance Enhancement set to "EXTREME" and C.I.A.2. set to "SPORTS" or higher. I use both prime95 and, oddly enough, DVD Shrink as a stability test. From my experience DVD Shrink 3.2 is a program that will lock up an unstable system.