Quick Memory-Pairing question... well maybe not

Dmitry S · 25-08-2008, 08:46 AM

Alrighty, so heres the deal, my motherboard [an MSI board, model: MS-7235] has 4 DIMM slots - right now i have a pair of 2GB DDR2 667s' but I also have a pair of 1GB DDR 667 mhz sticks. Now i really feel stupid asking this question, but should I be able to use both pairs, since they would be matching for a total of 6GB?

What I know:

- I can use either a single stick or a matching pair either 2x or 4x identical sticks, no 3xs
- Both sets are clocked identically, and support the range of timings I use
- I also know i can use a maximum of 2 GB per DIMM [it will carry 4x 2GB for a max of 8GB] and yes, I am using an x64 OS
- I have a P965 [G965 works also, same thing] memory controller, rev. A3
- I have no manual, and I'm having trouble finding my board info on the MSI website

If anybody has any information, or a good resource to take a look at, please let me know. There is a strong chance that I'll figure this out in the next 12 hours anyway through trial and error, and I know that some boards will do this, just its 4 in the morning and i can't wake my girlfriend up, so all of this trial and error jabber will have to wait untill tomorrow evening. If anybody has any information for me, it would be nice to look at and know before I shut down my PC and take the 40-45 minute journey of dismantling my case and state-of-the-art independant cardboard cooling ducts within...

Thanks!

donkey42 · 25-08-2008, 09:55 AM

strange, on MSI site it says your mobo is only compatible with upto 4GB

is this your mobo

BTW: what OS are you using ?

Dmitry S · 25-08-2008, 07:38 PM

Yes, that is my board, and thanks for the reply. They do indeed say that the board supports up to 4 GB on the website, but the box itself says 8GB. After using SiSoftware's Sandra for a bit, I determined that the limit for my board was 8GB. Crucial's web application also stated that 8 was my limit. The problem is that the MSI website has limited, if not inaccurate information about my mainboard, and I can't find my manual anywhere. Also, I doubt it would have been helpful anyways, its full of spelling and grammar errors to mention the least.

Check out that second line you posted under "main memory." I think they meant to put "Supports up to 8GB 533/667 memory size (with DDR2 800, memory up to 4GB only)" As for "supports Dual Channel DDR2 533/667/800 and up[?]" I have no idea about. My manual said 800 was the max, so i'm not sure what they mean about "and up"

As for what OS I'm using, that would be Windows Vista Ultimate x64

All I really want to do is experiment with moving the page file to memory, and I can't do much with just 4 Gigs of RAM eh?

Oh well though, I'll just give it a try anyways and see if my system boots. If not, no big deal.

25-08-2008, 08:46 AM	#1 (permalink) Top
Dmitry S Geek Trainee Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 12 Times Helpful: 2 My Mood: Grumpy Status: Offline	Quick Memory-Pairing question... well maybe not Alrighty, so heres the deal, my motherboard [an MSI board, model: MS-7235] has 4 DIMM slots - right now i have a pair of 2GB DDR2 667s' but I also have a pair of 1GB DDR 667 mhz sticks. Now i really feel stupid asking this question, but should I be able to use both pairs, since they would be matching for a total of 6GB? What I know: - I can use either a single stick or a matching pair either 2x or 4x identical sticks, no 3xs - Both sets are clocked identically, and support the range of timings I use - I also know i can use a maximum of 2 GB per DIMM [it will carry 4x 2GB for a max of 8GB] and yes, I am using an x64 OS - I have a P965 [G965 works also, same thing] memory controller, rev. A3 - I have no manual, and I'm having trouble finding my board info on the MSI website If anybody has any information, or a good resource to take a look at, please let me know. There is a strong chance that I'll figure this out in the next 12 hours anyway through trial and error, and I know that some boards will do this, just its 4 in the morning and i can't wake my girlfriend up, so all of this trial and error jabber will have to wait untill tomorrow evening. If anybody has any information for me, it would be nice to look at and know before I shut down my PC and take the 40-45 minute journey of dismantling my case and state-of-the-art independant cardboard cooling ducts within... Thanks!

25-08-2008, 09:55 AM	#2 (permalink) Top
donkey42 Paranoid Geeky Geek Join Date: Mar 2006 Age: 34 Male Posts: 5,826 Times Helpful: 309 My Mood: Paranoid Status: Offline My Computer	strange, on MSI site it says your mobo is only compatible with upto 4GB is this your mobo BTW: what OS are you using ? __________________ GRUB manual \| Google Linux \| Distrowatch \| Linux Chix \| Kubuntu \| My Mini City Last edited by donkey42; 25-08-2008 at 09:56 AM. Reason: edit

25-08-2008, 07:38 PM	#3 (permalink) Top
Dmitry S Geek Trainee Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 12 Times Helpful: 2 My Mood: Grumpy Status: Offline	Yes, that is my board, and thanks for the reply. They do indeed say that the board supports up to 4 GB on the website, but the box itself says 8GB. After using SiSoftware's Sandra for a bit, I determined that the limit for my board was 8GB. Crucial's web application also stated that 8 was my limit. The problem is that the MSI website has limited, if not inaccurate information about my mainboard, and I can't find my manual anywhere. Also, I doubt it would have been helpful anyways, its full of spelling and grammar errors to mention the least. Check out that second line you posted under "main memory." I think they meant to put "Supports up to 8GB* 533/667 memory size (with DDR2 800, memory up to 4GB only)" As for "supports Dual Channel DDR2 533/667/800 and up[?]" I have no idea about. My manual said 800 was the max, so i'm not sure what they mean about "and up" As for what OS I'm using, that would be Windows Vista Ultimate x64 All I really want to do is experiment with moving the page file to memory, and I can't do much with just 4 Gigs of RAM eh? Oh well though, I'll just give it a try anyways and see if my system boots. If not, no big deal. Last edited by Dmitry S; 25-08-2008 at 07:46 PM. Reason: Add information*

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