800MHz RAM recognized as 667MHz

[rsilves]

Hi. I have a P5W DH Deluxe MoBo with 3GB of RAM (3 x1GB Kingston 800MHz).

When the system starts, the BIOS says it's 667MHz and Mac also recognizes it as 667.

 

Anything I can do about that?

 

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[rohizzle121]

change your system clocks in your BIOS...

[Squeaky369]

The 800MHz is if your RAM is running in Dual Channel mode. Make sure you have your RAM sticks in the Dual Channel slots on the board. Usually they are blue, or yellow and stand out. If they aren't colored, check your MB manual to see if your board supports dual channel.

 

If it does; and your sticks are in the correct slots, check your BIOS settings and make sure Dual Channel Mode is enabled.

[rsilves]

My 2 RAMs are in the orange slots (manual says to put them there to have Dual Channel). Didn't find a setting in the BIOS about that.

When I startup it says "Dual Channel Assymetric", I think that it is because there are 2GB in Dual Channel and 1GB alone. But the manual says that it supports that (2 DC and 1 alone).

 

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[Squeaky369]

I assume that the sticks you have in your Dual Channel slots are paired, and you bought them together.

 

So try this. Shut off your computer and take out the single stick that's alone... Power up and see if it says 800MHz. I've only ever used Dual Channel, I've never had 3 or 1 sticks (2 DC 1 Alone); so your BIOS might be clocking down to the one stick, because if your sticks are running at different speeds, you'll get ALOT of problems...

 

Try that and let me know what happens.

[rsilves]

I did what you told me and took a pic of each type of memory I have. The ones I bought when building the computer, those of the bigger stick, have the same model number. The one I bought later has the smaller stick. I was told that the N5 / N6 is related to latency.

 

I assume that the sticks you have in your Dual Channel slots are paired, and you bought them together.

This is true. They are in slots A1 and B1 (orange ones, as users manual says).

 

So try this. Shut off your computer and take out the single stick that's alone... Power up and see if it says 800MHz.

Tried different settings:

2x N5 Sticks paired. (appear as Dual Channel Interleaved)

1x N5 Stick.

1x N6 Stick.

I had 2x N5 Sticks paired and 1x N6 alone. (appear as Dual Channel Assymetric).

 

All of them show the same thing. Mac always recognizes them as 667MHz.

 

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[Superhai]

If you are not able to find bios settings for your memory then you will not be able to change the memory speed. But I find that odd for an ASUS desktop board...

[rsilves]

If you are not able to find bios settings for your memory then you will not be able to change the memory speed. But I find that odd for an ASUS desktop board...

 

I checked again, and again, and found it.

It was under "AI Overclocking" (I had a strange feeling about overclocking, thought that that option would be used only if I want to force my processor to work faster). Memory frequence was at Automatic, and I put 800MHz.

 

It says PC6400 now in the system while it loads, but Mac still recognizes it as 667MHz.

 

Getting stranger, isn't it?

 

I'll try both options later with XBench and see what it says.

 

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[rsilves]

These are the results of the memory test with XBench:

 

DC = Dual Channel

OC = "Overclocking"

(result - config)

136 - 1GB Auto

151 - 1GB " 800MHz

 

172 - 2GB Dual Channel Auto

176 - 2GB DC OC667

179 - 2GB DC OC800

 

139 - 3GB DC Auto

139 - 3GB DC OC667

150 - 3GB DC OC800

 

What do you think of the 3GB being slower than the 2GB?

Should I buy another stick to complete both DC?

 

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[Superhai]

I don't know, but I wouldn't thrust Xbench anyway.

[rsilves]

Called ASUS support, they told me to do what I had done.

And they told me that the fact that 3GB works slower than 2GB is normal, because Dual Channel works better if you use only 1 dual channel (2x1GB), or 2 DC (2x1GB and 2x512MB or 2x1GB) (Dual Channel Interleaved), but not one working as DC and the other "normal" (Dual Channel Asymmetric).

 

I'll buy 1GB more and tell you if it worked..

 

Thanks,

Rodrigo