Help Noob with RAM Issue

[ToxicBanker]

As part of my new insurance replacement pc I got the following:

Transcend® aXeRam™ DDR2-1066 Gaming RAM Kit - Matched Pair Of 2x 2GB Modules - Aluminium Heat Spreader, CL5 (5-5-5-15)

but it was out of stock so only got it Tuesday. Before installing it I just used a cheap 2 GIG DDR2 800 module. It worked fine, played both HAWX and COD world at war without issues.

After installing the new memory my pc has just been useless for gaming... which is sort of against the point off gaming memory...

This is my current specs:
GA-EP45-UD3RGIGABYTE® P45 & ICH10R Express Chipset - Socket LGA775, 1600MHz FSB
Boxed Core2™Quad Q8200 Processor - 2.33GHz Quad Core, Socket 775, 4MB, 1333MHz FSB
GIGABYTE® ODIN GT 550W Modular Power Supply
Transcend® aXeRam™ DDR2-1066 Gaming RAM Kit - Matched Pair Of 2x 2GB Modules - Aluminium Heat Spreader, CL5 (5-5-5-15)
XFX GTS 260 512mb
2 x Seagate 500GB hdd
I am running XP Pro SP3

Description of issue: The new RAM works, Windows loads up and the Ram is indicated in dxdiag as +-3.3Gig (which I am told is fine because only the top Vistas (Ultimate?) will pick up the full 4 GIG?) Windows runs fine but when I start COD the game either crashes back to windows immediately or allows me to start playing but then crashes after a random amount of time (sometimes I can play for 5 min, sometimes only a couple of seconds). It does relatively the same in HAWX.

Last night it also restarted my pc a couple of times, I would be playing COD for a minute or two and suddenly the screen would flash blue (with some writing on it, but its too fast to read) and then the pc restarts.

I am 100% sure that the RAM is installed correctly, I read through both the motherboard manual and the RAM's own instructions to make sure about the Dual Channel setup. As you know new motherboards generally colour code the slots so I have tried both sets of slots, with the same results.

Do you think its just faulty memory or can it be a problem with the motherboard? (Both are brand new, I only got the PC on Saturday)

Thanks in advance

 

[greggpb]

Run Memtest86+..
also make sure you vista is fully updated there was a hot fix for game's crashing when more than 3 gig's of ram was installed, think it is in sp1

 

[LFX]

check the bios of the ram are getting their specd bios, if not then bump it up. you may also have to increase northbridge voltage.

run memtest, could also be faulty sticks

 

[greggpb]

yeah oc ram might need more that the standard 1.8 volts to run properly..

also you might have a faulty slot it being a new mobo and all

 

[greggpb]

http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?products_id=18112 rekon the voltage should be 2.0v

 

[SirFooK'nG]

yeah oc ram might need more that the standard 1.8 volts to run properly..

+1 usually between 2.0v and 2.2v also you will need to see if the ram timings are correct in the bios (you might need to change them manually) What does your POST display on boot for the speed of your ram? If it is at 800 then its not set correctly, but it should still work fine. If it is at 1066, check those voltages and timings (5-5-5-15)

PS the 3.3gig Ram is a Windows 32 bit limitation - Only 64 bit will use/show more...

 

[ToxicBanker]

Thanks for the replies.

I checked the POST when I first installed the memory, the speed is at 1066. I changed the voltage last night to 2.0V but it didn't fix the problem, the recommended voltage according to the docs is 2.0V so I didn't want to set it any higher. Will run memtest tonight.

 

[Kawak]

somehow I think its got something to do with vista's hypermemory, since your problem only occurs when running games, memory is used all the time in a system not just for gaming, I remember there is something to change to disable hyper memory, I will check and post here.

 

[ToxicBanker]

So last night I tried slots 2 and 4 again, I set the voltage to 2.0V in BIOS and ran Memtest86+.... memtest didn't pick up any problems so I started up COD... played for 2+ hours without any issues?? HAWX also ran perfectly. So it seems the problem must be with slot #3.

Another issue also crept up as my brand new 250GB external hdd wont work on my pc. (I tried all usb ports) But it works fine on both my work laptop and a friend's laptop? BUT my usb sticks and my friend's 80GB external drive works fine on the pc (in all USB ports)....

What do you think? It seems that I just got a faulty motherboard?

 

[greggpb]

sounds like a faulty mobo for the first issue ...


what a pain.. means a full rebuild..