I recently purchased a 1gb stick of ddr400 (non-ecc) dual channel ram. i have a dell 8300 with 2x256mb single channel ram sticks. i tried to replace the 2x256mb sticks(ddr400) with the 1gb stick in DiMM 1, this resulted in beeping of the pc and it not booting. I also tryed the 2 256mb in DiMM 1 and DiMM 3 with the 1gb stick in DiMM 2. Whichever way i try it my pc refuses to read the 1gb stick. Im running windows xp. do i need to purchase a second 1gb stick for DiMM 4?
thanks in advance this has been bugging me for quite some time!
You shouldn't need to use pairs, a pair would perform better as it would give you dual channel but its not a requirement.
I think you're also confused on dual channel. For dual channel operation you need two identical sticks of memory, a single piece of memory cannot be dual channel.
Have you tried just the 1Gb stick?
Maybe its faulty or incompatible with your system.
i did try to put the 1gb stick in on its own and the pc just beeped and wouldnt boot. I am wondering how it could be a compatibility issue as both the old and new sticks are pc3200 ddr400 non ecc non parity.
The IC's (integrated circuits) are probably different between the two brands of ram. These are the small black chips. Some IC's work well with some chipsets(motherboard chip) while others don't. This is why many motherboard manufacturers have a list of compatible ram that is tested to work with their motherboards.
i checked online with a compatibility ram checker for my pc (dell dimension 8300) and it recommended the exact samsung ram that i purchased. It mentioned that i needed to install in matching pairs for my machine. Would this explain why when i inserted the 1gb stick of ram on its own the computer didnt recognize it? do i need to purchase another 1gb stick of ram for the pc to recognize it?
i have little knowledge in computer hardware
thanks again
If you install just a single piece of the original 256MB memory, does the computer work? If so then it does not need to be installed in pairs.
Not all PC3200 is the same, each company uses different methods of making IC's and the modules. Samsung also produces may types of chips. That doesn't even take into account the the memory could just be faulty.
i did try to put the 1gb stick in on its own and the pc just beeped and wouldnt boot. I am wondering how it could be a compatibility issue as both the old and new sticks are pc3200 ddr400 non ecc non parity.
Most important part of the match is density. My guess is your new ram is double sided with chips and the other two are single sided and that is why they do not work...even if I am wrong on single and double, the density has to be the issue. BTW Samsung is not an original ram maker and I would bet that every stick is different...I never saw a configurator at their site and I thought that was the reason as there could be no real guaranty.
Your exactly right, thanks alot . I got some help from a manufacturer finally and your correct. I had no idea about low and high density untill now. From now on i wont buy samsung after ur advice. thanks again
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