wont boot with new ram fitted

terrybowst · 22 Jul 2009 at 19:39

just fitted 2 x 1GB ddr2 pc2-5300 to brothers HP desktop as only 512MB,when i
turned it on beeps 4 times pauses then beeps 4 times again with black screen.I
thought maybe PSU overloaded so tried to boot using 1 stick of new memory and hard drives/dvd etc unplugged but still beeps and wont post,put the original
memory back in and booted fine.Ran Prime95 at full load,checked 3.3v/5v/12v
using multimeter on 20 pin connector and 3.3v was (3.37v) 5v was (5.11v) and
12v was (11.70v) is it PSU or memory problem.The 1GB DDR2 sticks are HP parts
and 1.8 volt so cant see the problem,any ideas ?

SpiderX · 22 Jul 2009 at 19:45

what spec is your brothers pc?
have you tried the new ram on another pc ok?

terrybowst · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:16

Its a HP DC5100 3ghz P4,320GB HDD.The manual with it says unbuffered PC3200 400 MHz-
compliant or PC4300 533 MHZ 1.8 volt DDR2-SDRAM up to 4GB dual channel mode,also supports 1Gbit non-ECC memory.The ram he bought is (HP 1GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-5300U-555 ram memory),is this not compatable with his motherboard? Haven't tried in
another PC as dont know if memory OK and dont want to try in mine as i know will cause me endless problems if i do as always happens when the family is involved,if it can go wrong it will.

J.B · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:54

Sounds like something is incompatable. just looking at http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00298172/c00298172.pdf and there are a few requirements to meet for RAM upgrades.

My most noticable observation however is it doesnt appear to support the RAM you have bought. Only PC3200 or PC4300. Or if you prefer, RAM at 400MHz or 533MHz respectivly. Not the PC5300 (667MHz) that you have purchased.

terrybowst · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:16

I thought the PC5300 (667MHz) would be backwards compatible but just run at the slower
533MHz,would this be OK http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-096-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=697