GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

[carlthulhu]

I have a Gigabyte P35-DS4 (Rev 2.1, F14 Bios).

I upgraded my computer to Windows 7 64 bit, and am trying to upgrade the RAM from 4GB to 8GB. It had 2x2GB Corsair CGM2X2G800 sticks before, and now has 4x2GB sticks of DDR2-1066 from Crucial bought from Amazon.

Amazon.com: Crucial CT2CP25664AA1067 240-Pin DIMM DDR2 PC2-8500 CL=7 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR2-1066 1.8V 256Meg x 64 2GBx2 4GB Kit: Electronics

Problem symptoms include crashing when transferring large files between hard drives, and inconsistently calculating md5 checksum files for large (1GB) files.

It passed a memtest86+ test for a day, no errors.

I have not yet run Windows Memory Diagnostic.

I see others have had a similar problem:

http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/33618-p35-ds4-8gb-ddr2-1066-a.html

It did pass a Prime95 test. The problem appears to be related to large files.

Any advice on where to start is appreciated.

Regards,

Carl

[profJim]

Re: GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

Crucial Memory Advisor results for the Giga-Byte GA-P35-DS4 Motherboard
Computer memory upgrades for Giga-Byte GA-P35-DS4 Motherboard from Crucial.com
Be sure to click on SHOW ALL COMPATIBLE COMPUTER MEMORY

Both of my P35 motherboards are running with 8GB of ddr2 memory.
Memtest86+ is an excellent preliminary test, but additional stress tests using Prime95 or similar programs are required to ensure that your bios settings are stable.

We need detailed information about ALL OF THE HARDWARE in your system.

We can best help you after you create a detailed hardware list in the System Specs portion of your
forum profile http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile.php?do=editprofile at the bottom of the
profile page or in your forum signature http://forums.tweaktown.com/profile....=editsignature.
Be sure to include brand names and model numbers.

Post the highest recommend memory voltage that is probably on the sticker on your memory module.
Post a screen-shot of the CPU-z SPD window:



Post your current bios settings by filling in this bios template.
Copy and paste this bios template in a plain text editing program such as Notepad.
Enter N/A for any items that are not in your bios.
Ignore the values in the template and fill in your current settings.
This is an example of a properly filled in template:

CPU = Model #
Motherboard = Model, Revision #
BIOS Version =
Ram = Brand, Model#, Part#, And or Link

Robust Graphics Booster___________ [Auto]___________
CPU Clock Ratio ___________________[9x] ____________
CPU Frequency _____________________[3.95GHz (439x9)]
CPU Host Clock Control_____________[Enabled]________
CPU Host Frequency (MHz)__________ [439] ___________
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz)_______ [100]____________
Performance Enhance________________[Standard]_______
System Memory Multiplier (SPD)_____[2.40]___________
Memory Frequency(MHz)____[800]_____[1054]___________
DRAM Timing Selectable___(SPD)_____[Manual]_________
********** Standard Timing Control ************_____
CAS Latency Time________________5__[5]______________
Dram RAS# to CAS# Delay_________5__[5]______________
Dram RAS# Precharge Delay_______5__[5]______________
Precharge Delay (tRAS)__________5__[15]_____________
********** Advanced Timing Control ************_____
ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD)________ 3__[  3 ]___________
Rank Write to READ Delay_______ 3__[Auto]___________
Write to Precharge Delay_______ 6__[Auto]___________
Refresh to ACT Delay___________52__[ 50 ]___________
Read to Precharge Delay________ 3__[Auto]___________
Static tRead Value_____________ 7__[  8 ]___________
Static tRead Phase Adjust______25__[Auto]___________
____________________________________________________
System Voltage Control_____________[Manual]_________
DDR2 OverVoltage Control___________[+0.3V]__________
FSB OverVoltage Control____________[+0.1V]__________
FSB DeOverVoltage Control__________[-0.10V]_________
(G)MCH OverVoltage Control_________[+0.2V]__________
CPU GTREF Voltage Ratio____________[0.636]__________
CPU Voltage Control________________[1.35000V]_______
Normal CPU Vcore___________________[1.15000V]_______
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
__________Advanced BIOS Features:___________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Limit CPUID Max. to 3______________[Disabled]_______
No-Execute Memory Protect__________[Enabled]________
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)____________[Disabled]_______
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2)_________[Enabled]________
CPU EIST Function__________________[Disabled]_______
Virtualization Technology__________[Disabled]_______
(*Note* Must be enabled for VMware/Virtual PC)______
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
__________Integrated Peripherals:___________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
SATA AHCI Mode_____________________[Disabled]_______
SATA Port0-1 Native Mode___________[Enabled]________
Legacy USB Storage Detect__________[Disabled]_______
(*Note* Must be enabled to flash from USB)__________

[carlthulhu]

Re: GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

Hi profJim,

I've attached the information that you requested. I filled out the hardware configuration in my profile, and attached the CPU-Z screen cap.


CPU = Model # Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Motherboard = Model, Revision # Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1)
BIOS Version = F14
Ram = Brand, Model#, Part#, And or Link 4x2GB DDR2-1066 Crucial CT2CP25664AA1067

Robust Graphics Booster___________ [Auto]___________
CPU Clock Ratio ___________________[9x] ____________
CPU Frequency _____________________[3.00GHz (333x9)]
CPU Host Clock Control_____________[Disabled]________
CPU Host Frequency (MHz)__________ [333] ___________
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz)_______ [Auto]____________
Performance Enhance________________[Turbo]_______
System Memory Multiplier (SPD)_____[Auto]___________
Memory Frequency(MHz)____[1066]_____[1066]___________
DRAM Timing Selectable___(SPD)_____[Auto]_________
********** Standard Timing Control ************_____
CAS Latency Time________________7__[ Auto]______________
Dram RAS# to CAS# Delay_________7__[ Auto]______________
Dram RAS# Precharge Delay_______7__[ Auto]______________
Precharge Delay (tRAS)__________24__[ Auto]_____________
********** Advanced Timing Control ************_____
ACT to ACT Delay (tRRD)________ 4__[ Auto ]___________
Rank Write to READ Delay_______ 4__[Auto]___________
Write to Precharge Delay_______ 8__[Auto]___________
Refresh to ACT Delay___________68__[ Auto ]___________
Read to Precharge Delay________ 4__[Auto]___________
Static tRead Value_____________ 6__[ Auto ]___________
Static tRead Phase Adjust______0__[Auto]___________
__________________________________________________ __
System Voltage Control_____________[Manual]_________
DDR2 OverVoltage Control___________[Normal]_________
PCI-E OverVoltage Control__________[Normal]_________
FSB OverVoltage Control____________[Normal]_________
(G)MCH OverVoltage Control_________[Normal]__________
Loadline Calibration_______________[Auto]_________
CPU GTREF Voltage Ratio____________[N/A]__________
CPU Voltage Control________________[ Normal]_______
Normal CPU Vcore___________________[1.25000V]_______
__________________________________________________ __
__________________________________________________ __
__________Advanced BIOS Features:___________________
__________________________________________________ __
__________________________________________________ __
Limit CPUID Max. to 3______________[Disabled]_______
No-Execute Memory Protect__________[Enabled]________
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)____________[Enabled]_______
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2)_________[Enabled]________
CPU EIST Function__________________[Enabled]_______
Virtualization Technology__________[Enabled]_______
(*Note* Must be enabled for VMware/Virtual PC)______
__________________________________________________ __
__________________________________________________ __
__________Integrated Peripherals:___________________
__________________________________________________ __
__________________________________________________ __
SATA AHCI Mode_____________________[Disabled]_______
SATA Port0-3 Native Mode___________[Enabled]________
Legacy USB Storage Detect__________[Enabled]_______
(*Note* Must be enabled to flash from USB)__________


Regarding the maximum voltage on the memory, Crucial did not put that information on the chip labels.
It says 1.8V in the purchase description, but I'm unsure if that's nominal or max:

Amazon.com: Crucial CT2CP25664AA1067 240-Pin DIMM DDR2 PC2-8500 CL=7 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR2-1066 1.8V 256Meg x 64 2GBx2 4GB Kit: Electronics

From Crucial: Voltage — Indicates the power used by the module. The lower the better.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,

Carl

[profJim]

Re: GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

In your first post you didn't say which Prime95 test you ran and for how long.
The Prime95 Large FFT test stresses memory the most, and it's best to run Prime95 tests for 8 - 12 hours or longer.
When an error occurs your system has failed the test and the the test is over.
Check out the Prime95 tutorial link in my signature.

Your bios settings show that you haven't overclocked your system.
You should always have Optimized Bios Defaults loaded before you tweak your system.
If you load these defaults now, you will need to re-enter your current settings that have been changed.

The following settings should be made in your bios:

PCI Express Frequency (Mhz)_______ [[COLOR="#800000"][B]100[/B][/COLOR]]
Performance Enhance________________[Turbo]_______ <-- this should be OK 
System Memory Multiplier (SPD)_____[[COLOR="#800000"][B]2.40[/B][/COLOR]] <-- this can later be changed for 1066MHz
Memory Frequency(MHz)____[1066]_____[800]
DRAM Timing Selectable___(SPD)_____[[COLOR="#800000"][B]Manual[/B][/COLOR]]
********** Standard Timing Control ************
CAS Latency Time________________7__[[COLOR="#800000"][B] 6 ][/B][/COLOR]
Dram RAS# to CAS# Delay_________7__[[COLOR="#800000"][B] 6 [/B][/COLOR]]
Dram RAS# Precharge Delay_______7__[ [COLOR="#800000"][B]6[/B][/COLOR] ]
Precharge Delay (tRAS)_________24__[ [COLOR="#800000"][B]18[/B][/COLOR] ]

Static tRead Value_____________ 6__[ [COLOR="#800000"][B]5[/B][/COLOR] ] <-- 5 should be OK, 6 should be used if you have trouble booting
Static tRead Phase Adjust______0__[Auto]

System Voltage Control_____________[[COLOR="#800000"][B]Manual[/B][/COLOR]]
DDR2 OverVoltage Control___________[[COLOR="#800000"][B]1.90[/B][/COLOR]] <-- up to 2.00 is probably OK if needed
PCI-E OverVoltage Control__________[Normal]
FSB OverVoltage Control____________[Normal]
(G)MCH OverVoltage Control_________[[COLOR="#800000"][B]1.26[/B][/COLOR]] <-- with 8GB 1.24 - 1.28 is probably needed (1.10 is the default setting)
Loadline Calibration_______________[Auto]
CPU GTREF Voltage Ratio____________[N/A]
CPU Voltage Control________________[ Normal]
Normal CPU Vcore___________________[1.25000V]

Make sure that you have Round Off Checking enabled in Prime95 before running your tests.

[carlthulhu]

Re: GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

profJim - Thank you!

The BIOS setting changes that you recommended have the system running rock solid. I transferred 3TB of data to a new internal hard drive, and then copied it to a new 3TB external hard drive as backup.

No hangs, crashes, or corrupted data. I verified all transfers using md5 checksum to confirm accuracy.

Before the BIOS changes, all 3 issues plagued this new system build.

After the initial BIOS changes, the system re-booted when first copying files.

I made two changes to your recommended settings to increase stability:

Performance Enhance________________[Standard]_______ (changed from Turbo due to red warning in BIOS regarding system stability)

Static tRead Value_____________ 6__[ 6]___________ (changed from 5 per your suggestion above)


Two other settings were different from your recommendation:

DDR2 OverVoltage Control___________[+0.10V]_________ (1.90 was not an option)
(G)MCH OverVoltage Control_________[+0.250]__________ (1.26 was not an option)

One question - the additional voltage on the memory, raising it from 1.8V to 1.9V - Will that decrease the lifespan of the memory sticks?

Thanks a bunch, my wife wants to send you a 6-pack, she was getting tired of hearing me fighting with this. :)

Regards,

Carl

[profJim]

Re: GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

You're welcome, glad to hear that the new bios settings provided system (and family) stability.
My recommended settings were a starting point that should provide stability.
If I had an identical hardware setup as yours, some of the settings would need to be tweaked somewhat differently for my system to be stable.

Your P35 system should be stable with Performance Enhance = Turbo with non-overclocked settings, but this isn't a big deal. Static tRead Value (aka tRD) = 5 should be stable with your 333MHz FSB with your P35. Using the looser tRD = 6 settings lowers memory performance slightly, but the looser setting might be needed with your setup. This too isn't a big deal.

(G)MCH = +0.250 is probably too high and isn't ideal. Your system should be stable with +0.150 to +0.20 settings. See how low you can set this where your system is stable and doesn't have boot loop problems. In some cases, some memory kits require much lower MCH settings. MCH that is too high or too low can cause instability and/or boot loop problems.

DDR2 ram voltage at 1.90 (+010) is fine and isn't a concern. Using 4x2GB of memory usually requires somewhat higher voltage than a 2x2GB setup. If necessary, up to 2.10 volts is probably OK for long term use. Check with Crucial tech support to see what they recommend for your memory kit's recommended voltage range. Your current 800MHz memory timings have similar real world performance to 1066MHz speeds that would require looser, higher latency settings.

If you're not familiar with saving and loading bios profiles, check out this feature in your mobo user manual. It's also a good idea to save a hard copy of your current stable bios profile.

In addition to standard stress testing programs, zipping, unzipping and checking very large zip file integrity is an excellent additional test, where you use between 5 - 15GB of various sized files.

[carlthulhu]

Re: GA-P35-DS4 (rev2.1) 8GB DDR2-1066 RAM Problem

Hey profJim,

Thanks again for the time you've taken to help me out. It's very appreciated!

I'm not into game playing, so accuracy is more important to me than maximizing performance. I'm happy to slow things down a little for stability.

I changed the (G)MCH setting to +0.150 and it rebooted fine.

I will definately look into saving/documenting these BIOS settings.

Regards,

Carl