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Thread ID: 84890 2007-11-22 03:54:00 Dual Channel Memory Problems WidowmakerNZ (13048) Press F1
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613926 2007-11-22 03:54:00 Hi guys.

I was wondering if you might have a possible answer to a problem I currently have. I have been having issues with PC games freezing after playing for 15-30minutes -this seemed to affect the high end games rather than the low end ones, and happened much more frequently in vista than XP. I initially thought it was graphics card and tested heaps of stuff to do with this to no avail.

I finally decided it might be the RAM. I tried to do a windows memory diagnostics tool with my current RAM in and it froze at 5%. I thought this is off. I took 1 stick out and tried again. It worked fine and when I tried to play games I had no issues with any games freezing. So I thought well maybe one stick is dud, so I swapped them over. Both sticks worked OK. So then I thought it must be the slot on the MB. But no, both slots work ok. I only have problems when I run my RAM in dual channel. Running the 2 chips in single channel works OK. Now testing running dual channel in slots 2 and 4

My RAM is 4gb Corsair (2x2gb) @ 800mhz

MB is Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6

So is this likely to be a MB problem or a RAM problem.

And what do you recommend i do about this

Thanks guys
WidowmakerNZ (13048)
613927 2007-11-22 04:19:00 OK further test results.

Single stick works fine in slots 1-4
Dual sticks in single channel works fine in slots 1,2 and 3,4 respectively
Dual sticks, dual channel does not work in slots 1,3 and 2,4 at all and memory test freezes. This also corresponds to games crashing
Both RAM sticks work fine alone, and together in single channel, but seem to cause problems when placed in dual channel


So is it my MB that is the problem, or is it the RAM.???
WidowmakerNZ (13048)
613928 2007-11-22 04:25:00 First of all your hard drive problem you have/had may have been related.

Try getting Memtest 86 and test the memory with that.

I would hope a moderater may come to the rescue and merge the threads.

Post your system specifications using a tool like Everest.

We already know that you are running Windows.

Did you upgrade XP to Vista?

Are all drivers installed?

I take it that your O/S handles 4 Gig RAM and this shows.
Personally I do not use Vista at this time.
I use WinXP Pro 64 bit wich works happily with my 4 Gig RAM.

Corsair RAM you have is unlikely to have failed but could have.

Get back with the info.
Sweep (90)
613929 2007-11-22 04:27:00 So, what slots are the slots for dual channel??

The yellow ones, or the orange?

slot 1&3 ?

Or slot 2& 4?

Or other?
Speedy Gonzales (78)
613930 2007-11-22 04:29:00 OK further test results.

Single stick works fine in slots 1-4
Dual sticks in single channel works fine in slots 1,2 and 3,4 respectively
Dual sticks, dual channel does not work in slots 1,3 and 2,4 at all and memory test freezes. This also corresponds to games crashing
Both RAM sticks work fine alone, and together in single channel, but seem to cause problems when placed in dual channel


So is it my MB that is the problem, or is it the RAM.???

So maybe the motherboard does not support dual channel RAM.

I will now go off to read the manual for your motherboard.

We crossposted.
Sweep (90)
613931 2007-11-22 04:31:00 It suports DC upto 8GB (www.gigabyte.com.tw)

I've never seen a mobo with 4 slots that doesnt.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
613932 2007-11-22 04:43:00 I also wonder about which BIOS version you have.

1.0 or 1.1.

I have PDF files for the motherboard.
Sweep (90)
613933 2007-11-22 04:44:00 Yeah it definately supports DC and it says slots 1,3 and 2,4 .
Interestingly enough this problem seems to have cropped up before having a quick search on google, and it seems to be any memory running at 800 . They were talking about adjusting the voltage, but my RAM chips run at 1 . 8 and as far as I know that is standard .


At the moment I am on my 32bit copy of Vista and will run an everest report from there as having other issues with my 64bit XP copy .

Everest specs that I think are relevant . Any more I can post


Computer:
Computer Type ACPI x86-based PC
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
OS Service Pack -
Internet Explorer 7 . 0 . 6000 . 16546
DirectX DirectX 10 . 0

Motherboard:
CPU Type QuadCore Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2400 MHz (9 x 267)
Motherboard Name Unknown
Motherboard Chipset Intel Bearlake G31/G33/P35
System Memory 3584 MB (DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award Modular (05/11/07)
Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX
Monitor ViewSonic VX2235wm [22" LCD] (QA5072050892)
DMI:
DMI BIOS Vendor Award Software International, Inc .
DMI BIOS Version F4
DMI System Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co . , Ltd .
DMI System Product P35-DQ6
DMI System Version
DMI System Serial Number
DMI System UUID 00000000-00000000-0000001A-4D4E8E2F
DMI Motherboard Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co . , Ltd .
DMI Motherboard Product P35-DQ6
DMI Motherboard Version x . x
DMI Motherboard Serial Number
DMI Chassis Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co . , Ltd .

[ Memory Controller ]

Memory Controller Properties:
Error Detection Method 8-bit Parity
Error Correction None
Supported Memory Interleave 1-Way
Current Memory Interleave 1-Way
Supported Memory Voltages 5V
Maximum Memory Module Size 1024 MB
Memory Slots 4


[ Memory Modules / A0 ]

Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation A0
Installed Size Not Installed
Enabled Size Not Installed

[ Memory Modules / A1 ]

Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation A1
Installed Size 1024 MB
Enabled Size 1024 MB

[ Memory Modules / A2 ]

Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation A2
Installed Size Not Installed
Enabled Size Not Installed

[ Memory Modules / A3 ]

Memory Module Properties:
Socket Designation A3
Installed Size 1024 MB
Enabled Size 1024 MB

[ Memory Devices / A0 ]

Memory Device Properties:
Form Factor DIMM
Device Locator A0
Bank Locator Bank0/1

[ Memory Devices / A1 ]

Memory Device Properties:
Form Factor DIMM
Size 1024 MB
Speed 800 MHz
Total Width 64-bit
Data Width 64-bit
Device Locator A1
Bank Locator Bank2/3

[ Memory Devices / A2 ]

Memory Device Properties:
Form Factor DIMM
Device Locator A2
Bank Locator Bank4/5

[ Memory Devices / A3 ]

Memory Device Properties:
Form Factor DIMM
Size 1024 MB
Speed 800 MHz
Total Width 64-bit
Data Width 64-bit
Device Locator A3
Bank Locator Bank6/7



Regarding BIOS i have F4 . My mobo is 1 . 1 . I was thinking of flashing to F5c to see if that made any difference . Do you recommend?
WidowmakerNZ (13048)
613934 2007-11-22 04:53:00 It suports DC upto 8GB (www.gigabyte.com.tw)

I've never seen a mobo with 4 slots that doesnt.

Well for me I am just waiting to get further information from the original poster.

If you have not seen a motherboard with four RAM slots that does not support dual channel I could send you a picture.
Sweep (90)
613935 2007-11-22 05:01:00 Dont know if this will help (www.tomshardware.com)

I have a feeling the BIOS settings are wrong somewhere.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
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