Incompatible Memory

[DivideByZero14]

(This deals with the same machine as this topic.)

I have an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 machine, built out of parts obtained for Christmas. The videocard is the PNY NVIDIA GeForce 7900GS, the motherboard is an ASUS P5B, and the memory is two sticks of 1GB OCZ Gold DDR2 800.

I just got the board back from an RMA that was to fix a problem I had after flashing the BIOS. Rebuilding it (out of case) I had the same problem. A customer support call narrowed it down to the memory. Since it's not on their "qualified vendors list," it apparently isn't compatible, even though it worked before the BIOS update.

It is too late for me to get a refund from the place I purchased it from, so is that RAM (and the investment it represents) simply unusable? Did I inadvertantly install some sort of firmware that allows ASUS to limit my RAM choices? Must I now shell out for more RAM on the "qualified vendors list"?

[newbuilder14]

If you bought it from Newegg, contact their Customer Support and they will issue you an RMA. OCZ does have some problems with the P965 chipset.

[glc]

Newegg will charge you a 15% restocking fee if you send it back for a refund, even if you purchase a different item. It's not their responsibility to ensure compatibility.

[jfk]

Call Newegg. As glc says, they "can" charge you 15%. I had a similar issue once and they gave me a "one time courtesy" of no charge. It would be worth the phone call.

[DivideByZero14]

Thanks, I'm dealing with Newegg as we speak.

Does anyone know of any RAM compatible with the ASUS P5B (socket LGA775, Intel P965 Express chipset)? I was aiming at 2 GB of DDR2 800MHz, but I'm not particular about the timings. I'm going to be using it for a little gaming (if it will be able to run Half-Life 2: Episode Two, I'm peachy), Photoshopping, and a little of everthing else. My budget is somewhere in the $125 range for both gigs.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[flanzig1]

Corsair Value Select DDR2 667 is the basic standard. A 1 gig kit is $107.99 at Newegg/2gig kit is $207.99

[glc]

If you want DDR2-800, the Corsair XMS2 CL5 works very well. A 2 gig kit is $254 out the door with a $40 mailin rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

[newbuilder14]

Originally Posted by glc Newegg will charge you a 15% restocking fee if you send it back for a refund, even if you purchase a different item. It's not their responsibility to ensure compatibility.

That is probably true for most people, but I know I got a hold of a nice representative who refunded me in full for two sticks of Corsair memory (I think one was bad, this was for a server) without even charging me a restocking fee. They are truly remarkable. Not to mention, they covered the shipping back to them as well (Well, they gave me $10 and it was actually $10.xx but who cares!).

[kasm]

I think the issue is the the OCZ requires more voltage to initiate (2.1v) but the default your Mobo is set at is 1.8v. You need to get into the BIOS to manually up the voltage. Read the customer reviews on New egg for the 2GB kits from OCZ (gold and platinum). There are suggestions on getting it working such as only putting one module in or putting it in a specific slot.