Can't change CAS Latency with Memset!!

chaynes85

chaynes85

chaynes85

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Can't change CAS Latency?

Hi all,

this is my first post and I'm quite new to this sort of stuff so sorry if my question sounds stupid!

My machine spec;

Machine : Dell Dimension 9100
Mainboard : Dell 0X8582
Chipset : Intel i945P
Processor : Intel Pentium 4 640 @ 3200 MHz
Memory : GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz
Video Card : Nvidia GeForce 6800

I have just bought the 2GB Geil kit and need to set it at the correct settings of 4-4-4-12.

The problem is that I cannot change this in the Dell BIOS as it is very limited.

I have downloaded Memset and I managed to change the settings to 5-4-4-12,
but the CAS Latency won't budge from 5 to 4! Does anyone know a reason for this?
Are there any other freeware apps that I could use to alter the timings etc?

My other question is that my fsb/dram ratio is 3:5, therefore the CPU is the bottleneck?
(Correct me if I'm wrong) What is the best way to alter my settings to give me a 1:1 ratio??

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

Chris.
 
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3:5 ratio means your RAM is runing at DDR2 667 while your fsb is 200Mhz, which is faster than the 1:1 ratio.

It happened to me when I tried altering CAS with A64 tweaker in my old rig, the machine just reset itself, I guess some settings just need to be configured in BIOS.

If your BIOS doen't have the voltage option for RAM then it's very likely that it's not running at the recommended 2.1V, in which case it's best to have loose timings anyway to ensure stability.
 
Thanks a lot for the reply Steve 258,

There was an option in the BIOS that allows you to change wether memory changes can occur or not. But it was set to allow me to make changes.

The strange thing is that Memset allowed me to change the other three settings but not the CAS?

So a few more questions:

1. Is there anyway of checking/changing my Voltage without going into the BIOS?

2. Can you change the BIOS of a Motherboard?

3. Are there any other programs apart from Memset that can be used to alter CAS timings?

4. What would I have to change to get a ratio of 1:1?


Cheers,

Chris
 
You CANNOT change the memory voltage or timings via the 9100 bios, nor can you change the memory ratio's, and there is no bios you can flash to allow you to do that. Also all memory on Dells boots at 1.95volts not 1.85volts jedec standard.

Don't listen to people who have not used this system. The bios is crippled on purpose. Unforunately you cannot use ntune either (as it's not an nvidia board). Best you can hope for is what you did already with memset.

Regarding memory speed, the 9100 only officially supports 667mhz max anyway, so you will not get the benefits of the extra memory speed as it will only run at 667mhz (regardless of whether the spd is programmed to use 667mhz or not by default which a lot of 800mhz memory is). You are stuck with what you have I'm afraid. To be honest, running faster then 667mhz (5300), even if you could would give you almost no gains anyway, as your cpu is stuck at 266mhz (quad pumped to 1066mhz) {unless you have found a way to overclock it}, and running memory out of synch at 800mhz (400mhz) would only serve you if the memory was accessing devices directly (gpu, disk i/o). In 99% of cases, the cpu bandwidth at 266mhz restricts how much use you can make of the extra memory speed. That is why 5300 (667mhz/2) memory is a better match for the fsb (1066mhz/4) on the cpu.

Your only hope is to find memory that boots with tight timings at 667mhz speed. The factory 667mhz stuff boots at 5,5,5,15, the 533mhz factory stuff boots at 4,4,4,12. All at 1.95v. Perhaps the Crucial 5300C3 memory has it's spd programmed to be 4,4,4,12 or better at 667mhz. You would have to ask someone to tell you the default spd timings at 333mhz in CPU-Z. It will definitely work at default 1.95v regardless of what is in the spd.

I do know the Crucial is the only memory out there that does boot at it's rated speed on a Dell though. I had Crucial DDR2 6400C4 800mhz in my XPS and it booted at 800mhz, while the Geil I had before always booted at 667mhz and there was squat I cold do about it.

Sorry not to be of any help really but the only Dells that are any way overclockable are the XPS series.
 
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Thankyou for your reply Flanno. I'm glad you've cleared that up. I just wanted an answer either way to save me from scouring through more sites!

Do you think buying this RAM was a waste then?

I was running 2 x 512Mb PC2-3200 before I bought the Geil set.

I did do some research before buying the set and knew that PC2 6400 was compatible with my motherboard which is why I bought it, but now I'm a bit unsure??


Thanks again,

Chris.
 
That geil you bought is one of the best value for money kits money can buy, so no it's not a waste of money, remember you will be able to use this in the future as well if you decide to upgrade later.

It will still work perfectly on mobo that only supports DDR2 667.
 
OK, thanks for the reassurance Steve,

but considering the Geil RAM is not running at a 1:1 ratio, could this be running slower or the same as the original 1Gig RAM, therefore pointless?

I know I can use it for future upgrades but should I put my original RAM back in and keep hold of the Geil for something more appropriate in the future?, or leave it in?

Could I run the 2x512 PC2-3200 alongside the 2x1Gig PC2-6400, and then have 3Gig running at the lower speed of PC2-3200?? (I know you aren't supposed to mix and match in most cases)

Thanks for your patience everyone.

Thanks a lot

Chris
 
The geil will still be faster. Hold onto it and leave it in the system.
It should run at 667mhz (333mhz).

If you put in your 3200 , all your memory will run at 400mhz (200mhz)
and be slower then your CPU's fsb - which I assume is 266mhz.
 
You are moving from 1Gb to 2Gb - that alone is worth it IMO.

I think there is misunderstanding here:

Some common ratios:
1:1 - 200Mhz:200Mhz (DDR2 400 PC2 3200)
4:5 - 200Mhz:250Mhz (DDR2 500 PC2 4000)
2:3 - 200Mhz:300Mhz (DDR2 600 PC2 4800)
3:5 - 200Mhz:333Mhz (DDR2 667 PC2 5300)
1:2 - 200Mhz:400Mhz (DDR2 800 PC2 6400)

So even if your Geil kit is only running at DDR2 667 it's still faster than your original DDR2 400 kit.
 
Thanks Flanno,

In an earlier post from Steve, he said that my fsb is 200mHz? I think he worked it out from my fsb/dram ratio of 3:5

So if it is a 200mHz fsb, should I stick the old RAM back in along side it and run it all at 400mHz (200mHz)?

I take it its's better to have your RAM run faster than the FSB than the other way around?

Thanks,

Chris
 
Sorry Steve, wrote my reply before you wrote yours. That ratio guide helped and confirmed my fsb IS 200mHz so thanks for that, but the same question applies, is it better to better to have your RAM run faster than the FSB than the other way around?

So would it be worth running all 3Gig at the same speed (400Mhz/200Mhz)

Or stick with the Geil 2Gig running at 667mhz/333mhz

Thanks a lot for your help

Chris
 
Running RAM faster than FSB has better performance IMO.

You can try mixing all 4 sticks but there is a big chance they won't work well together. Even if it works you most likely need to run them at low speed with high latencies for better compatibility, besides it's not like 2Gb is not enough. Therefore IMO running all 4 sticks at greatly reduced speed just for the sake of that extra gig is hardly worth it.
 
steve258 said:
Running RAM faster than FSB has better performance IMO.
Click to expand...

Only if you are doing a lot of reading from memory directly (run out of gpu memory, disk i/o) which doesn't go over the front side bus or if the cpu is overclocked past the 266fsb to a speed close to the memory's speed, otherwise it's wasted memory bandwidth that you will never use and it cannot improve system performance. The core2duo's are severely fsb limited at stock settings and a system not overclocked and running at default 266fsb will perform better overall with ddr667mhz (or 533mhz) memory then ddr800mhz memory in my experience.
 
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