Is P2B compatible with 256MB chips ?
francois.medioni
Bernd Blaauw
"francois.medioni" <fmed...@noos.fr> wrote in message
news:90e185$1uln$1...@news6.isdnet.net...
> Thanks
>
>
Mark Booth
<bbl...@hotmail.com> writes
>it can hold 3*256=768MB of RAM, so do the math yourself
Are you sure before you go and waste someone's money?
There are several types of 256MB Dimms. One uses 16x128Mbit chips,
another uses 8x256Mbit chips. I believe that the BX chipset can support
up to 8 rows of 128Mbit chips (hence up to four double sided Dimms,
maximum 1GB) but cannot actually support 256Mbit chips.
If you know better then please inform me, I am just going by what I have
read in datasheets.
Now the original question was not too precise, because chips on Dimms
are measured in terms of Mbits, whereas Dimms are measured in terms of
MBytes (In common usage "M" is mega, "B" is Bytes, "b" is bits).
So if the question is "Is the P2B compatible with 256Mb chips?" then the
answer is "No".
However, if the question is "Is the P2B compatible with 256MB dimms?"
then the answer is "Yes, if you are using 'Registered' Dimms".
Take care,
Mark..........
--
If the world were an oyster, it would be mine.......
Larry A. Little
dimms?"
> then the answer is "Yes, if you are using 'Registered' Dimms".
Where did you get this information? I can find nothing in the Asus
literature (manual or web site) saying you need registered DIMMS when
you're using 256MB sticks, and I have never heard anybody mention this
before.
Thanks,
Larry
"Mark Booth" <mark...@anang.com> wrote in message
news:6hoLqgC$54K6...@btinternet.com...
> In article <90emti$kb8$1...@news.tue.nl> on Mon, 4 Dec 2000, Bernd
Blaauw
> <bbl...@hotmail.com> writes
> >it can hold 3*256=768MB of RAM, so do the math yourself
>
Mark Booth
Larry A. Little <lali...@socal.rr.com> writes
>Where did you get this information? I can find nothing in the Asus
>literature (manual or web site) saying you need registered DIMMS when
>you're using 256MB sticks, and I have never heard anybody mention this
>before.
The BX datasheets from Intel kept talking about using registered Dimms
for 256MB memory. My original P2B manual (1.00) didn't mention 256MB
Dimms at all. The manual I had on my hard disk (1.02) said "NOTE: At the
time this User's Manual was written, 256MB DIMMs are only available as
registered memory". I see that a the latest manual (1.10) I have just
downloaded seemed to have removed this remark, so the restriction may
also have been removed.
I would suggest that anyone buying 256MB Dimms for a P2B make sure that
they get them on approval, i.e. make sure that you can take them back if
they don't work.
I think that registered Dimms were required if the Dimm has more than
8/16 chips on it (i.e. 4 bit wide chips are used rather than 8 or 16)
and prior to 128Mbit parts the only way to get a 256MB Dimm was by using
32x64 Mbit parts. Having said that I still don't think that single sided
256MB dimms (using 8x256Mbit parts) would work, just the double sided
256MB Dimms (using 16x128Mbit parts).
If anyone who has any 256MB Dimms working in their P2B, then I would be
interested to know about them: How old are they? Are they registered or
unbuffered? What is the part number of the chips used on it? How many
chips are on the Dimm?
Mark Booth
s...@west.com writes
>I just picked up an Apacer 256M PC133 stick. I forgot to write down the
>chip part numbers other than to check that they were infineon chips.
>I did pull the mfg sticker off a couple of chips just to make sure they all
>get all the cooling they can.
>I'll see if I can get the chip's pn and count off another stick at the
>store.
Thanks Sam,
>I ran prime95's torture test for about 14 hours with this stuff and there
>were no problems at 1.8 volts and 133 FSB.
>eprom numbers were 3/3/3/10
As I would expect at 133FSB.
Mark..........
[PS Sam, would you email me personally with a valid email address
please? I tried to send you some email but it bounced. I assume the
address you use is news is spam blocked.]
aure...@libero.it
BX Chipset support only 64Mbits chips (you can read this
information in Intel pdf documentation).
So if you want to buy 256MByte Dimm.
On the Dimm with no parity there are 256*8/64=32 chips
(16 Chips per side).
No 128Mbits tecnology chips are supported.
Bye
Aurelio
In article <90e185$1uln$1...@news6.isdnet.net>,
"francois.medioni" <fmed...@noos.fr> wrote:
> Thanks
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
s...@west.com
I don't do the email thing. would it help your setup if I put
s...@west.com.invalid or something similar here ?
Miguel Berg
can handle 128Mbit chips:
"http://www.asuscom.de/de/support/techmain/FAQ/mobo_cpu/faq094_MBIT.htm
"
In article <913js4$2b1$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
Mark Booth
Berg <mig...@my-deja.com> writes
>Not true! See the following page which states that BX boards
>can handle 128Mbit chips:
>"http://www.asuscom.de/de/support/techmain/FAQ/mobo_cpu/faq094_MBIT.htm
Thus we circle back to a comment I made last Monday. *8')
If the question is "Is the P2B compatible with memory modules which use
8/9 x 256Mbit chips?" then the answer is No.
But if the question is "Is the P2B compatible with 256Mbyte memory
modules?" then the answer is:
No if it uses 8/9 chips (256Mbit).
Yes if it uses 16/18 chips (128Mbit).
Yes if it uses 32/36 chips (64Mbit) and the Dimm is registered.
This is what the specifications say, hopefully this is clear now? I
would still be interested to know if anyone can confirm this through
experience.
In article <3a361a4...@news.flash.net> on Tue, 12 Dec 2000,
s...@west.com writes
>I don't do the email thing. would it help your setup if I put
>s...@west.com.invalid or something similar here ?
Sorry to hear that Sam. I prefer to hold private conversations in
private rather than in a public forum.
On the subject of your Apacer 256MB Dimm, PN 71.84350.115.
The spec is at:
http://www.apacer.com/product/pdf/b-4-1/7X.84350.XX4.pdf
With the pertinent section being:
"Apacer Memory Product Specification 256MB SDRAM DIMM
32MX64 SDRAM DIMM based on 16Mx8,4Banks,4K Refresh,3.3V
Synchronous DRAM with SPD
The Module is a 32M bit x 64 Synchronous Dynamic RAM high
density memory module. The module consists of sixteen CMOS
16M X 8 bits with 4 banks Synchronous DRAMs.
7X.84350.XX4 133MHz(7.5ns @CL=3)
7X.84353.XX4 133MHz(7.5ns @CL=2)
"
So it does indeed confirm my statement that if the 256MB Dimm uses 16/18
128Mbit chips then it should work in the P2B.
Now, can anyone confirm that a 256MB Dimm using 8/9 x 256Mbit chips does
not work?
Take care,
Mark..........
s...@west.com
>
> "Apacer Memory Product Specification 256MB SDRAM DIMM
>
> 32MX64 SDRAM DIMM based on 16Mx8,4Banks,4K Refresh,3.3V
> Synchronous DRAM with SPD
>
> The Module is a 32M bit x 64 Synchronous Dynamic RAM high
> density memory module. The module consists of sixteen CMOS
> 16M X 8 bits with 4 banks Synchronous DRAMs.
>
> 7X.84350.XX4 133MHz(7.5ns @CL=3)
> 7X.84353.XX4 133MHz(7.5ns @CL=2)
> "
>
>So it does indeed confirm my statement that if the 256MB Dimm uses 16/18
>128Mbit chips then it should work in the P2B.
>
>Now, can anyone confirm that a 256MB Dimm using 8/9 x 256Mbit chips does
>not work?
>
>Mark..........
Mark from the information above, can you deduce if two of these sticks
would work in memory slots 1 & 2 or would they need to be in slots 1 & 3 ?
Mark Booth
s...@west.com writes
>Mark from the information above, can you deduce if two of these sticks
>would work in memory slots 1 & 2 or would they need to be in slots 1 & 3 ?
The BX chipset supports up to 8 rows of memory, these are allocated two
per Dimm slot, thus the reason for up to 4 Dimm slots. Theoretically
Dimms can be placed in any combination of slots, however timing
tolerances might mean that certain combinations of slots and Dimms might
be more stable than others - I have never experienced this though.
Personally I rarely consider which slots should be populated, I usually
decide based on accessibility and nearby cables etc.