is my ram dead or do i have the settings wrong

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I'm running though problems on my new build and the only one left is i cant boot with 4GB of ram (over two sticks) installed.

now when I first installed vista, before everything when wrong, i did have 4GB installed at it booted twice fine and registered the ram as there.

on second install i had to do the one stick workaround and install the 4GB hotfix. now when i try it with the two sticks, i get a post beep but then all I get is a blank screen, no ASUS logo or post information.

Tried removing the good stick and installing the other in the same slot, post beep but no ASUS logo or post information. just fined it odd as i have had the dud ram stick working.

so I'm wondering if my settings are a bit off, I found that without locking down the ram volts and timings i cant boot stable, but when i set them to the setting on the sticker its rock solid.

I am using Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5DHX version 4.1 with timings of 5-5-5-18 and at 1.8volts which is what the sticker says. but 1.8v seams a bit low but i know ram is very sensitive to overvolt so I don't want to change it blindly. i have also tried upping north bridge voltage but with no luck.

is it an RAM job or should I fiddle some more, I don't have a method of testing the ram.
 
I think it's the default settings in BIOS, in particular the RAM voltage is defaulted too low. Similar thing happened to mine when the BIOS revert to default settings (when overclocks failed..etc) sometimes it won't post until several tries later but if I just leave 1 stick on the board it will post then everything's fine with 4 sticks again once I've set it up properly in the BIOS.

So everything works when you manually set it to 5-5-5-18 1.8V? 1.8 is very low for DDR2 so if that still doesn't work try 2V on RAM and also up Northbridge voltage one notch.
 
I think it's the default settings in BIOS, in particular the RAM voltage is defaulted too low. Similar thing happened to mine when the BIOS revert to default settings (when overclocks failed..etc) sometimes it won't post until several tries later but if I just leave 1 stick on the board it will post then everything's fine with 4 sticks again once I've set it up properly in the BIOS.

So everything works when you manually set it to 5-5-5-18 1.8V? 1.8 is very low for DDR2 so if that still doesn't work try 2V on RAM and also up Northbridge voltage one notch.

I have set everything manually on the ram, but when i use the "other" stick of ram, if its on its own or with the good stick I don't get a full post, it just hangs, and when i pull the bad stick out and restart it boot straight up but says overclocking has Failed and I am forced to enter the BIOS
 
have got the doggy stick of ram to boot into vista with north bridge set at 1.55 and the ram set to 1.95volts.

but when i entered my password, the system reset and I cant get back to the login screen. I keep getting a BSOD. is 2V safe as this ram is meant to run at 1.8volts
 
Is this what you have?

So you have 4 sticks and one of them is dodgy? Do you have any overclock on the CPU? I'd say 2-2.1V is generally fine with DDR2, maybe a bit higher but won't go too much above that without decent cooling.

No i have the 2 stick version, i.e. 2X2GB modules.

this is the link: http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX.pdf

I'm still running at stock, and will till the end of the month to let the arctic silver 5 bed in.

i'm just concerned that i'm over volting by quite a bit and i down want to void the warranty on it. the other stick is fine at the 1.8V. the bad one isnt.

so thats why i contemplating the RMA root, i doubt it a motherboard fault as other is fine, gets me a vista score of 5.1 on memory by its self.
 
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If it doesn't run as advertised at 1.8V then you ought to be able to RMA.

But tbh there is no way for them to find out how much voltage you put it through (I think!).
 
If it doesn't run as advertised at 1.8V then you ought to be able to RMA.

But tbh there is no way for them to find out how much voltage you put it through (I think!).

Can i RMA one stick?? as the other is fine, i take it i shouldn't mention the voltage changes i have made to try and get it to work.
 
I've always thought you can only RMA the whole kit but apparently it is possible to RMA just one stick. As far as they're concerned the stick went faulty when it was used at 1.8V.
 
I've always thought you can only RMA the whole kit but apparently it is possible to RMA just one stick. As far as they're concerned the stick went faulty when it was used at 1.8V.

after work i will memtest the good stick just to check its ok, as for the bad one, i cant even post properly with it in, so there is no way i can check it
 
little bit of a update. just to see what you all think.

contacted the e-shop, i got the ram form, and thay require i RMA both stick of ram, which means PC will be out of action for a week. i am waiting on Corsair to hear back from them.

I decided that today I would try and get the dead stick stable, I took it up to 2.1V which is about as far as I'm willing to go with it. amazingly it all sprang to life booted into windows, so I thought grate.

until i ran prime, it died after 4mins.

me thinks its completely shot.
 
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