how to avoid downclocking while using 3 or 4 memory slots

i have a 64-bit machine running 32-vista, 2 x 512MB corsair brand sdram. i
need to upgrade my ram to at least 3GB (is 4GB preferable?), and i want
800MHz (pc2-6400). the mb has 4 memory slots and a non-flexible ram operating
voltage of *exactly* 1.8v. corsair tells me that the only 1.8v model that
they have for me is their pc2-6400 cl5 Twin2x4096-6400C5DHX. but the "corsair
ram guy" admonishes that if i integrate 3 or 4 modules (apparently of
*every* density) then it will automatically downclock to 667 MHz:
http://www.asktheramguy.com/forums/showthread.php?p=309414&mode=linear#post309414.

i see nothing in the extensive intel literature that would suggest such a
downclocking phenomenon, and intel tells me that it might happen with *some*
module manufacturers. no other module manufacturer has mentioned such a
downclocking. But intel's site
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/ddr2/ states - if this be relevant
- that incorrectly programmed spd's will result in downclocking an 800 to 667.

i don't want 667 - i want 800!

just wondering whether there are comments relevant to this.

 

Visit http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=DG965RY
for memory advice.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

--------------------------------------------------------------------

:

i have a 64-bit machine running 32-vista, 2 x 512MB corsair brand sdram. i
need to upgrade my ram to at least 3GB (is 4GB preferable?), and i want
800MHz (pc2-6400). the mb has 4 memory slots and a non-flexible ram
operating
voltage of *exactly* 1.8v. corsair tells me that the only 1.8v model that
they have for me is their pc2-6400 cl5 Twin2x4096-6400C5DHX. but the
"corsair
ram guy" admonishes that if i integrate 3 or 4 modules (apparently of
*every* density) then it will automatically downclock to 667 MHz:
http://www.asktheramguy.com/forums/showthread.php?p=309414&mode=linear#post309414.

i see nothing in the extensive intel literature that would suggest such a
downclocking phenomenon, and intel tells me that it might happen with *some*
module manufacturers. no other module manufacturer has mentioned such a
downclocking. But intel's site
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/ddr2/ states - if this be relevant
- that incorrectly programmed spd's will result in downclocking an 800 to
667.

i don't want 667 - i want 800!

just wondering whether there are comments relevant to this.

 

AFAIK when Vista boots it tests all the memory and will only use all of your
memory if it is all runable at the same speed.
So if you need to have all 800MHz memory dims if you want your memory to run
at 800MHz
Vista 32 will not enable you to use 4GB of RAM only just over 3 GB.

 

The performance hit would be minimal in terms of RAM speed, and the increase
in RAM would benefit you greatly. Fitting only 3gb saves 'wasting' 750mb of
the ''fourth gb'..

--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/