RAM issue? (BSOD) Please help...

[jdformanek]

I'm having an issue with a build I just put together. I upgraded an existing set up a friend had given me. Here's what I know...

AMD Thunderbird (?) CPU 1.4 Ghz
Shuttle AK31v2 Mobo

I just added:
GeForce fx5200 card (cheap)
160 GB Western Digital HD
Dell Ultrasharp 17in FP LCD
1 GB (2x 512mb) Corsair Value-Select PC2100 RAM

The machine had what I thought to be 2 256MB Apacer PC2100 sticks that were running fine. However, when I got everything installed and was running Neverwinter Nights I kept getting the BSOD with a physical memory dump.

I've sinced cleaned the registry, tested the RAM with the XP ramtest deal, checked the CPU (it's running at around 59 degrees) and ran everything else i could think of.

This morning, however, I ran PCWizard and it showed the old Apacer RAM as PC2300 (it does not say this on the stick)! The manual for the mobo says it supports PC1600 and PC2100, but the system was running fine before the upgrades.



Would the mix-match of the RAM be causing the BSOD? The computer runs fine for a while and just dumps out randomly, but especially when I'm playing NWN. Some people say mixing is fine, but I've seen others that say it's not.

What else could the issue be, I wonder? Are there any other dignostics I could run to find out what the issue could be?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Iniamyen]

Could heat be doing this? You say it's at 59 degrees; is this idle or under load? The fact that it happens while playing a game might mean heat is an issue.

Also, did you reformat/reinstall when you put the new hardware in?

[jdformanek]

58-59 is after it crashed. I went back in and checked.

The drive was formatted and xp was reinstalled after I put it all back together.

[Tin]

59C is about normal for that processor. T-birds are known to run very hot. have you been to www.memtest86.org and downloaded their RAM testing utility?

[jdformanek]

No... I used some win xp mem test deal, which really didn't tell me much.

[Tin]

memtest runs from a command prompt as soon as you boot the PC. youll know right away if youre getting any errors or not. download it, its free.

[jdformanek]

Ran it... no errors.

Here's an expanded system information list.

System Summary
Mainboard : Unspecified VT8366-8233
Chipset : VIA KT266/333
Processor : AMD Athlon @ 1402 MHz
Physical Memory : 1280 MB (4 x 512 DDR-SDRAM PC2100 @ 133 MHz)
Video Card : Nvidia Corp GeForce FX 5200 [NV34.3]
Hard Disk : WDC WD1600JB-00GVC0 (160 GB)
DVD-Rom Recorder : _NEC DVD_RW ND-3540A CDR, CDR-W, DVD-R (48x ) (48x )
CD-Rom Drive : HL-DT-ST GCE-8320B
Monitor Type : Dell Computer DELL 1704FPV 17 inchs
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 2

Mainboard
Manufacturer : Gateway, Inc.
General Information
Product : Unspecified
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Unique ID : FFFFFFFF-FFFFFFFF-FFFFFFFF-FFFFFFFF
Start mode : Power Switch
OEM Information
Manufacturer : Gateway, Inc.
Model : AWRDACPI
Mainboard : Unspecified
General Information
Product : VT8366-8233
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Support MP : No
Chassis Information
Manufacturer : Unspecified
Type : Desktop
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Asset : Unspecified
Sensor Information
Monitoring Chip : Winbond W83697HF
Slots Information
Slot PCI : Available (32-bit) 5.0v
Slot PCI : Available (32-bit) 5.0v
Slot PCI : Available (32-bit) 5.0v
Slot PCI : Available (32-bit) 5.0v
Slot AGP : Available (32-bit) 5.0v
External Connectors
Serial 16450 Compatible : DB-9 male
Serial 16450 Compatible : DB-9 male
Parallel ECP/EPP : DB25 female
Keyboard : PS/2
Mouse : PS/2
Internal Connectors
PRIMARY IDE : On Board IDE
SECONDARY IDE : On Board IDE
FDD : On Board Floppy
COM1 : 9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)
COM2 : 9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)
LPT1 : DB25 female
Keyboard :
PS/2 Mouse : PS/2
USB :
Bios : Award Software International, Inc.
General Information
Manufacturer : Award Software International, Inc.
Version : 6.00 PG
Date : 12 May 2003
Address : 0xE000 on 256 KB
DMI Version : 2.2
Characteristics
Flashable : Yes
Socketed : Yes
Functionnality
APM : Yes
ACPI : Yes
ESCD : Yes
PnP : Yes
PCI : Yes
ISA : Yes
AGP : Yes
USB : Yes
PCMCIA : No
Smart Battery : No
Boot Information
Selectable Boot : Yes
CD-ROM Boot : Yes
PC Card (PCMCIA) Boot : No
I20 Boot : No
LS-120 Boot : Yes
1394 Boot : No
ATAPI ZIP Boot : Yes
Chipset : VIA KT266/333
General Information
NorthBridge : VIA KT266/333
SouthBridge : VT8233 PCI to ISA Bridge
NorthBridge Information
Architecture : Northbridge
Manufacturer : VIA (VIA Technologies Inc)
Revision : 0
FSB Frequency : 133.5 MHz
Bus Speed : 267 MHz (DDR)
Memory Bus Speed : 133.5 MHz
Device Capabilities
Latency Timer : 8 clocks
I/O Access : No
Memory Access : Yes
Bus Master Capable : Yes
Special Cycle Recognition : No
Memory Write & Invalidate : No
VGA Palette Snoop : No
Parity Error Response : No
Cycle Wait : No
System Error Line : No
Fast Back-to-Back : No
Detects Parity Errors : No
User Defined Format : No
PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : No
New Capability List : Yes
PCI Support : AGP
PCI Support : Power Management Interface
Physical Memory : 1280 MB DDR-SDRAM
General Information
A0 (RAS 1) : 256 (Single Bank) -
A1 (RAS 2) : 256 (Single Bank) -
A2 (RAS 3) : 256 (Single Bank) -
A3 (RAS 4) : 512 (Single Bank) -
Memory Controller Information
Memory Controller : Standard, EDO
Number of connectors : 4
Max. Module Size : 32 MB
Max. Memory Size : 128 MB
Supported Speed : 70ns, 60ns
Supported Voltages : 5v
Error Detection Method : No
Error Correction Capability : Unspecified
Current/Supported Interleave : 4-way/1-way
Chipset Information
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2100
Frequency : 133 MHz
FSB/RAM Multiplier : 1/1x
ECC Diagnostic : No
Interleave : 0-way
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2.5 clocks
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks
Information SPD EEPROM (A0)
Manufacturer : Corsair
Part Number : VS512MB266
Serial Number : Unspecified
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2100 (133 MHz)
Size : 512 MB (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64-bit
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5v
Supported Frequencies : 133 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2.5 clocks @133 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @133 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @133 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks @133 MHz
Information SPD EEPROM (A1)
Manufacturer : Corsair
Part Number : VS512MB266
Serial Number : Unspecified
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2100 (133 MHz)
Size : 512 MB (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64-bit
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5v
Supported Frequencies : 133 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2.5 clocks @133 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @133 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @133 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks @133 MHz
Information SPD EEPROM (A2)
Manufacturer : Apacer Technology
Part Number : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2300 (142 MHz)
Size : 256 MB (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64-bit
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Normal (15.625 µs), Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5v
Supported Frequencies : 133 MHz, 142 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2 clocks @133 MHz, 2.5 clocks @142 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @133 MHz, 3 clocks @142 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @133 MHz, 3 clocks @142 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks @133 MHz, 7 clocks @142 MHz
Information SPD EEPROM (A3)
Manufacturer : Apacer Technology
Part Number : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2300 (142 MHz)
Size : 256 MB (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64-bit
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Normal (15.625 µs), Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5v
Supported Frequencies : 133 MHz, 142 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2 clocks @133 MHz, 2.5 clocks @142 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @133 MHz, 3 clocks @142 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @133 MHz, 3 clocks @142 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks @133 MHz, 7 clocks @142 MHz
ISA Bus : Yes
Bus Information
Type : ISA
Device : VT8233 PCI to ISA Bridge
Revision : 00
Number of ISA Connectors : 0
Frequency : 8 MHz
Multiplier : 1/4x
DMA Speed : 4 MHz
Multiplier : 1/2x
Device Capabilities
I/O Access : Yes
Memory Access : Yes
Bus Master Capable : Yes
Special Cycle Recognition : No
Memory Write & Invalidate : No
VGA Palette Snoop : No
Parity Error Response : No
Cycle Wait : Yes
System Error Line : No
Fast Back-to-Back : No
Detects Parity Errors : No
User Defined Format : No
PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : No
New Capability List : Yes
PCI Support : Power Management Interface
PCI Bus : Yes
General Information
Number of PCI Bus : 2
Number of PCI Connectors : 4
Frequency : 33 MHz
Multiplier : 1/4x
General Features
Support Mechanism 1 : Yes
Support Mechanism 2 : No
Bus Information #0
Device : VT8366/A,VT8367 Apollo KT266/A,KT333 CPU to PCI Bridge
Device : VT8366/A,VT8367 Apollo KT266/A,KT333 PCI to AGP Bridge
Device : VT8233 PCI to ISA Bridge
Device : VT82xxxx EIDE Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Device : VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Device : VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Device : VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Device : VT8233/A AC'97 Enhanced Audio Controller
Bus Information #1
Device : GeForce FX 5200 [NV34.3]
AGP Bus : Yes
Bus Information
Device : VT8366/A,VT8367 Apollo KT266/A,KT333 PCI to AGP Bridge
Number of AGP connectors : 1
AGP enabled : Yes
Version : 2.0
Side Band supported : Yes
Side Band enabled : Yes
Transfert Rate supported : 1x, 2x, 4x
Transfert Rate : 4x (264 MHz)
Aperture Size : 64 MB
Bus Information
Device : GeForce FX 5200 [NV34.3]
Device Capabilities
I/O Access : Yes
Memory Access : Yes
Bus Master Capable : Yes
Special Cycle Recognition : No
Memory Write & Invalidate : No
VGA Palette Snoop : No
Parity Error Response : No
Cycle Wait : No
System Error Line : No
Fast Back-to-Back : No
Detects Parity Errors : No
User Defined Format : No
PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : Yes
New Capability List : Yes
PCI Support : Power Management Interface
USB Bus : Yes
Device Information
Device : VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Version : 1.0
Interface : UHCI
Frequency : 48 MHz
Device Information
Device : VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Version : 1.0
Interface : UHCI
Frequency : 48 MHz
Device Information
Device : VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Version : 1.0
Interface : UHCI
Frequency : 48 MHz
SMBus/i2c Bus : Yes
General Information
Device : VT8233 PCI to ISA Bridge
Revision : 0
Frequency : 16 KHz
Address : 0x5000
Device Capabilities
I/O Access : Yes
Memory Access : Yes
Bus Master Capable : Yes
Special Cycle Recognition : No
Memory Write & Invalidate : No
VGA Palette Snoop : No
Parity Error Response : No
Cycle Wait : Yes
System Error Line : No
Fast Back-to-Back : No
Detects Parity Errors : No
User Defined Format : No
PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : No
New Capability List : Yes
PCI Support : Power Management Interface
Bus HyperTransport : No
Bus CardBus : No
Bus FireWire : No

Processor
Processor : AMD Athlon
General Information
Internal Specification : AMD Athlon(tm) processor
Codename : Thunderbird
Revision : A9
Technology : 0.18µ
CPU ID : 6.4.4
CPU IDEx : 7.4.4
Features
VME - Virtual Mode Ext. : Yes
DE - Debugging Extension : Yes
PSE - Page Size Extension : Yes
TSC - Time Stamp Counter : Yes
MSR - Model Specific Registers : Yes
PAE - Physical Address Extension : Yes
MCE - Machine Check Exception : Yes
APIC - Local APIC Built-in : No
SEP - Fast System Call : Yes
MTRR - Memory Type Range Reg. : Yes
PGE - Page Global Enable : Yes
MCA - Machine Check Architecture : Yes
PAT - Page Attribute Table : Yes
PSE36 - 36-bit Page Size Extension : Yes
PSN - Unique Serial Number : No
DS - Debug Trace & EMON Store : No
ACPI - Software Clock Control : No
SS - Self Snoop : No
TM - Thermal Monitor : No
HTT - Hyper-Threading : No
SBF - Signal Break on FERR : No
MON - Monitor/Mwait : No
DSCPL - CPL qualified Debug Store : No
TM2 - Thermal Monitor 2 : No
CID - Context ID : No
EST - Enhanced SpeedStep Technology : No
NX Bit - No-execute Page Protection : No
VMX - Vanderpool Technology : No
Miscellaneous
FPU - Co-processor Built-in : Yes
CX8 - CMPXCHG8B : Yes
CX16 - CMPXCHG16B : No
CMOV - Conditionnal Move Inst. : Yes
CLF - Cache Line Flush : No
FXSR - Fast Float Save & Restore : Yes
DAZ - Denormals Are Zero : No
MMX Technology : Yes
SSE Technology : No
SSE2 Technology : No
SSE3 Technology : No
X86-64 Technology : No
AMD MMX Technology : Yes
3DNow! Technology : Yes
Extended 3DNow! Technology : Yes
SMP - MP Capability : No
Power Status
Voltage Control : No
Frequency Control : No
Thermal Sensor Built-in : No
Mainboard Upgradebility
Socket/Slot : Socket A
Upgrade interface : ZIF Socket
Supported Speed : 1500 MHz (or more)
Supported Voltage : 1.7V
Frequency : 1402 MHz
General Information
Real Frequency : 1401.74 MHz
Multiplier : 10.5x
Front Side Bus Information
FSB Frequency : 133.5 MHz
Bus Speed : 267 MHz (DDR)
Initial Frequencies
Frequency : 1400 MHz
FSB Frequency : 133 MHz
Control Clock Frequency
Type : None
Processor Performance Information
Throttle Mode AC : None
Throttle Mode DC : Adaptive
Current Configuration : None
Throttle : 1401 MHz
CPU Throttle Temperature : 70°C
CPU Shutdown Temperature : 75°C
Processor Power Management Information
Processor Throttling : Yes
Throttle Range : 50% - 100%
Active Power Scheme : Home/Office Desk
Support : Socket A
Cache L1 : 128 KB
General Information
Type : Synchronous
Write Mode : Write-Back
Place : On Chip
Cache Information
Data Cache : 64 KB (2-way, 64 bytes line size)
Code Cache : 64 KB (2-way, 64 bytes line size)
Cache L2 : 256 KB
General Information
Type : Synchronous
Write Mode : Write-Back
Place : On Chip
Multiplier : 1/1x (1401.7 MHz)
Cache Information
Associativity : 16-way
Line Size : 64 bytes
Bus : 64-bit
Prefetch Logic : No
Voltage : 1.780 V
Processor Temperature : 54.5 °C
FPU Coprocessor : Present
General Information
Integrated : Yes
Model : Compatible Intel
Processor activity : : 0%





Odd... this computer has nothing to do with Gateway.

[jdformanek]

Also.... now I seem to be short 256MB ram.

[glc]

Important information about your system
Supports 6 banks up to 3 GB DRAMs for Unbuffered DDR SDRAM modules.

You are trying to use four double banked modules. That's 8 banks, not supported. One of your modules has to go. I'd toss both 256mb sticks and get one 512 that matches the other 2 if you want 1.5 gigs.

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...2%2Ex&tabid=AM

[jdformanek]

Yeah... in case you couldn't tell, I'm new at this. Trying to teach yourself this stuff is a daunting task.

Anyhow, I pulled the PC2300 sticks (labeled PC2100) and was able to run NWN for about an hour without crashing. Getting some weird pauses when running some applications yet, but no BSOD. I'm just going to take your advice and get another Corsair 512 to match the existing ones.

Hopefully this solves it. Thank you so much.

[jdformanek]

What does this mean?

"Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh"