RAM HELP. voltages and now strange cpu problem

[my_computer]

Hi. i recently had a problem with my computer and the man who repaired it gave me 1gb of ram to keep me going until i got my previous ram replaced. I checked the bios and it said it was running at 1.80 v. when I received my previous ram (geil 2gb), it said on the pack it needed 2.1v. so tonight thinking maybe i'm not getting the most out of my geil 2gb ram, i decided to check the 1gb that the man had given me, to see if it said the voltage on it in the way that the geil does. i didn't see anything but the sticker said

DDR2-512 pc5 300 667MHZ 206639

I put the ram back in and my computer wouldn't start up. i removed the ram and tried just using my geil ram. it started up but i got the message


CPU is unworkable or has been changed. please recheck cpu softmenu.

i turned off the computer and put back the ram that the man had given me. this time i switched on and it was working but i am still receiving this cpu message.

so my questions..
1) is it possible to have my 1 gb that the man gave me which is currently running at 1.8v. whilst having my 2gb geil ram running at 2.1v ?
2) why has this cpu message appeared and what do i need to do to fix it?

my cpu is the Intel core 2 quad q6600 @240GHz

looking forward to hearing all your wisdom

edit: I'm googling and seeing that loading default bios settings can help. and something to do with cmos that i don't understand.
I'm also reading that my lower voltage ram may be slowing down my other stuff. and the different ram cannot be set with separate voltages. but i'm not really sure about this either. I'll wait for someone with brains before i go messing.

 

[Tetras]

You can only set one input voltage for the memory, that will be applied to all sticks.

The default voltage for DDR2 memory is 1.8 volt and non-performance memory (like the 667 Mhz stick you were given) will work fine with this (it is supposed to).

Performance memory (usually 800 Mhz and up) may require higher voltages, like you discovered with the GEIL.

Running the 1GB 667 Mhz stick with 2.1 volts when it is intended to run at 1.8 volts is a BAD idea (overvolting can damage components!).

2) why has this cpu message appeared and what do i need to do to fix it?

It could be that by changing your system you keep resetting the BIOS settings. By loading BIOS defaults you might make it happy again.

The CMOS is a chip that stores the BIOS settings, if you clear that then it resets the settings to defaults.

 

[my_computer]

i think i'll leave the ram alone then and maybe get another 2gb of geil rather than do anything silly. in the morning when i startup i'll reset to defaults in bios. the repair man wont have set anything strangely will he?
also would it be better having 3gb at 1.8v or 2gb at 2.1v?
and...thanks for your help

 

[Tetras]

repair man wont have set anything strangely will he?

Doubt it but you'd have to ask him that

also would it be better having 3gb at 1.8v or 2gb at 2.1v?

That is an extremely complicated question

It is complicated because:
You have YOUR requirements.
You have performance concerns.
and
You have the technical requirements.

YOUR requirements:
Do you *need* 3GB of RAM? Are you using programs that make use of that much memory?

Performance concerns:
What sticks are you using? 2x1GB and 1x1GB? 1x1GB and 1x2GB? Does your system support dual channel memory (probably does)? Is the GEIL 800 or 667 Mhz?

Technical requirements:
Do you have 3GB of RAM that is able to run at 1.8 volts? If you are using performance memory requiring 2.1v at 1.8v it might be unstable.

 

[my_computer]

i dont think i really need 3gb i play some games and thats about it. i suppose crysis is most demanding and it was running fine with 2gb
i'm using 2x 1gb of geil and 2x 512 from the repair man
i've been running games fine with my 3gb running at 1.8v
so no i dont really have any problems. i'll probably just leave things how they are until i get another 2gb of geil (even though i dont need it... its cheap and i would like to have all my ram running correctly)

 

[Tetras]

The RAM is probably all running at 667 Mhz, so even though it is performance memory designed for higher speeds, at 667 it can run fine at 1.8 volt.

I'd leave it as is, if you are happy. 3GB is plenty for a bit of gaming