How to get the MVP3G5 to run with more than 384 MB?!

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moondog
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How to get the MVP3G5 to run with more than 384 MB?!

Post by moondog »

Hello together, I was reading from time to time through this forum as I´m still hanging on my K6-collection. As I lately set up my MVP3G5 again as surf-machine for our daughter I wondered how to get the board to work with more than 384 MB RAM. I tried a few RAMs with 256 MB and even 512 MB capacity and always only 128 MB per slot appeared. Also the manual says that 384 MB is the max capacity. So somewhere in here I stumbled over the quote that the board could use up to 768 MB RAM.

So it would be nice if someone could give me hints how to do this.

Thanx in advance,

Eric
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RE: How to get the MVP3G5 to run with more than 384 MB?!

Post by Jim »

You have to use double sided SDRAM. I am not sure of the exact specification, but usually if the RAM is double sided it will see and use all of it.
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Stedman5040
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High density vs low density

Post by Stedman5040 »

Eric,

To enable 256mb sticks to work you need to use low density ram modules. High density sticks will only register as 128mb. As Jim states above usually double sided 256mb rams will be low density, but this is not always the case. Try to find CL2 sticks if possible as you can speed up the memory settings. I have a G2 and a GM board and can testify that 3x256mb does work no problems.

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Post by moondog »

Hello together,

thanx for your tips, just a last question: what about the organisation of the memory chips on the ram sticks? The point is that I didn´t found as low density declared sticks over here in Germany on Ebay so far and I wont give away too much money just for fun... Even though I would have use for wrong sticks (for the old machines of our neighbours) it would be nice to get the right ones at the first try ;)

Thanx,

Eric
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Post by Jim »

Not being an expert on the technical details of RAM, the best I can do for you Eric, is post an attached file, (if it is small enough to attach here), which gives the FULL SPECIFICATIONS of a type of RAM that I have found to work well. NOTE : If buying Hynix RAM, be sure to get stuff where the part number ends with a "K" rather than an "H". That is their "CL2" RAM as opposed to their "CL3" RAM. Also, I have found that using their "Low Power" RAM enables you to use aggressive timing setting that the normal power RAM can't handle; (assuming that you run the "Low Power" RAM at "Normal Power").

K, I tried, but the attachment was too big. PM me an email address, and I'll send you the file. (257K PDF file).
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Stedman5040
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hynix ram on ebay uk

Post by Stedman5040 »

Moondog,

Try this ebay listing 120637654482. these are cl2 low density hynix pc133 sdrams. Cost about 6 euros each. They are normal power but they will work real good at very aggressive memory timings. he has over ten of them to sell.

Stedman
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Stedman5040
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crucial

Post by Stedman5040 »

Moondog

The crucial 256mb cl2 low density ram has the following code

CT32M64S4D7E

They will work good as well.

ebay listing 380303358986

Stedman :wink:
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Post by moondog »

Hello again, i´m still alive... ;)

on Ebay I stumbled over an interesting bundle, apart from a Socket370 Board it contained 3 pieces Apacer 256 MB unbuffered double sided CL2 rams. I have put them into my board and it really counts the full memory. But there is something wrong with it, as it needs some time then to go on with the system boot and finally hangs up at the XP welcome screen... I tried to lower to FSB to 100 Mhz again and I tried with only 2 modules, always the same problem, the machine wont start up... Do you have any ideas what changes I could try in the bios? I tried both timings so far, enabled and disabled bank interleaving too... moah...

It wouln´t be a real problem if they wouldn´t run in the end, as I can use the modules for the machines of our neighbours and I got some goodies with this bundle as well (a P3 1000 for my old notebook, an elsa gladiac511 for my socket 7 system, raid and sata controllers) and as I paid just 6 euros for all the stuff it really isn´t a financial disaster... but I want to try out every possibility in the end, as it would make the deal perfect ;)

Thanx in advance,

Eric
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Post by Stedman5040 »

Eric,

I have some apacer sdram and it is fast. The stuff I have though is high density single sided 256 modules. However in my Socket 370 board they do 180fsb at cl3 and 170 at cl2. The board I have also has the 1/5 divider to keep the pci bus in check.

Have you tried each ram stick individually in the board to see if it firwes up at 256mb and have you updated to the latest bios for the board?

regards,

Tony.
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Post by moondog »

Hi Tony,

I tried the sticks one by one and found out, that the problem came from the Grafix card, I had build it in as well... as I switched back to my Rage Fury the machine was able to boot right at the first try, with 768 MB, cool :)

Now it runs with the Elsa Gladiac too but I had to install the drivers without the gfx card at first, happily the old detonator xp I used doesn´t need the right gfx build in to be installed completely.

I tried still some overclocking but the system doesn´t like the 124 Mhz FSB, it doesn´t matter what voltage and multiplier I use... too bad. So far I didn´t matched it to top the 616 Mhz but with 786 MB its a fast machine anyway, at least for a socket 7 one... going to catch a better grafix card now ;)

Greetings and thanx,

Eric
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Post by Stedman5040 »

Glad to here you got it working. If you don't want to push the fsb too much then you can use the 103fsb setting to get 618MHz. It will run as steady as a rock at that.

Stedman :wink:
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Post by Jim »

It may, or may not help; but I found with Superpuppy 3, (DFI K6BV3+/66 - Via Chipset), that when using a higher end AGP card, I had to put in and hookup my monitor to a PCI Video card to get it to boot, then once it had booted, pull the monitor cable off of the PCI card and stick it on the AGP card. Once the Windows drivers were loaded the problem went away.
Superpuppy 3
K6-3+ 450 ACZ (6x100)
DFI K6BV3+/66 Rev B2 (2 Meg) w/ 2x28mm Chipset Fans
2x256 Meg PC 133 Hynix SDRAM
1x 20G Maxtor (7200)
2x 80G Maxtor (7200) Ducted w/ 2x486 Fans Mount
52/24/52/16 LG CDR/RW/DVD
8/4/3/12/24/16/32 LG Super Multi
ATI 9000 aiw Radeon AGP
SB Audigy 1 MP3 Sound
CMD 649 IDE Controller
NEC USB 2 Card
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