SPDTool: Read, Edit and Flash your Memory's SPD

[PaulieG]

Anyone know how I would use SPDTool to force a 1T command rate on my Ballistix Tracer pc8500? There is no option in the bios on my DS3 board to do it...

 

[Frogger]

updated to 0.61

ThankS

 

[Liquid3D]

Wanted healthy Serial dumps from 1GB kit of MUshkin XP8500, Crucial Ballistix PC2-1000 (non tracer).

I have these kits and they were damaged whil running under the now infamous BIOS 903 written for the Asus M2n32-SLI. This BIOS was supposed to "Enhance Memory Performance" and un-officially support the Opteron. I flashed for Opteron support and while the Opteron worked I was noticing random re-boots and shut-downs for sometime. They were so random I just couldnt trouble-shoot them. I was about to return the Opteron when a stick of Mushkin XP8500 fried.

EDIT: I will begin to dump some memory SPD's o enrich the database. By the way where are the ibnstructions for use, in the software? I read them somewhere...

Link to M2N32-SLI download page. Refresh this page then click on BIOS History at the top of the page, 903 was removed (for obvious reasons) but remains in history.

 

[theLost]

Hello!
What's about supporting Windows Vista x64?

Sorry, if this quistion was already asked.

 

[W1zzard]

Hello!
What's about supporting Windows Vista x64?

Sorry, if this quistion was already asked.

vista x64 needs a code signing license which is like 800 bucks for 2 years .. i will buy one soon to be used for all the tools i develop

 

[theLost]

vista x64 needs a code signing license which is like 800 bucks for 2 years .. i will buy one soon to be used for all the tools i develop

Thank you for the answer... We'll wait

 

[Frogger]

vista x64 needs a code signing license which is like 800 bucks for 2 years .. i will buy one soon to be used for all the tools i develop

the best news I'v read today !!

 

[Ketxxx]

Wanted healthy Serial dumps from 1GB kit of MUshkin XP8500, Crucial Ballistix PC2-1000 (non tracer).

I have these kits and they were damaged whil running under the now infamous BIOS 903 written for the Asus M2n32-SLI. This BIOS was supposed to "Enhance Memory Performance" and un-officially support the Opteron. I flashed for Opteron support and while the Opteron worked I was noticing random re-boots and shut-downs for sometime. They were so random I just couldnt trouble-shoot them. I was about to return the Opteron when a stick of Mushkin XP8500 fried.

EDIT: I will begin to dump some memory SPD's o enrich the database. By the way where are the ibnstructions for use, in the software? I read them somewhere...

Link to M2N32-SLI download page. Refresh this page then click on BIOS History at the top of the page, 903 was removed (for obvious reasons) but remains in history.

I can dump the SPD data from my XP8000 kit if you want.

ed- looking at spdtool 0.61 quickly it appears as tho EPP profiles can be added even on modules that dont origionally support EPP. That right w1z?

 

[W1zzard]

looking at spdtool 0.61 quickly it appears as tho EPP profiles can be added even on modules that dont origionally support EPP. That right w1z?

yep

 

[Ketxxx]

Ahh I thought so. Just thought better get it clarified for the newbs I havent looked at spdtool much, but is there options to make certain modules more "friendly" for mobo chipsets that are more picky? Like being able to change TRRD etc timings on boards that dont have the options built into their BIOS.

 

[Liquid3D]

I don't think my memory is fiaxable. This is a question I would realy like to ask Wizzard.

I have the Asus M2N32-SLI Socket-AM2 motherboard. When this board first came out I ordered a Opteron 1218 for it, it wasn't supported so I sent it back.

6-months later I was dyig to ry an AM2 Opteron for myself so I ordered the DFI 590 since out of 95% of all nForce chipset boards only the DFI (as usual) supported Opierons. This tie I got a 1210. I live on the East Coast andNewegg shipped the Opteron from that wharehous so it gt here first. In the days I was waiting I learned that Asus released their BIOS 903 which did unofficialy support Opteon and "Enhanced Memory Perfomance" I tried the chip in my Asus and booted to 320FSB without Vcore and even on 4X HT (which really means nothing). When the Lanarty arrived and I tried the 1210 in it, it would boot to 280FSB with HT at 2X and I had to up Vcore to get it. So I sold the DFI.

At that point I was estatic. Then I noticed my M2N32-SLI system with the Optie 1210 would randomly shut-down and randomly re-boot for no reason. I trouble-shot the system for almost two months switching out hardware. Re-installing OS. Finally reviews had to be done so I bega testing memory.

Here's the result. While every kit of memory did very good in the reviews and I got through them with a very few "shut-downs" EVERY single kit of memory which was tested in the M2N32-SLI with BIOS 903 is now damaged,. They work enough to drive you mad, but there's no doubt they were damged.

I learned of this when two things happened simuaneosly. Muhkin sent me a kit of XP500 almost three months AGO!!! One of the sticks was fried while in the M2N2-SLI and the peson I sent a kit of Crucial Ballistix to sent them back two days later claiming they not only wouldn't pass mem-test they damaged one of his mobo's whch had to be RMA'd.

I finally figured out it was the 903 BIOS after eliminating every other variable. When I went to Asus site I discovered BIOS 903 was removed from their list just two weeks after it's posting by BIOS 1001.

My question is sort of rhetorical. It's prima facie the damage wa done by BIOS 903, but for a damaged kit of memory to go on and damage other boards? It happened so I guess this is rhetorical too, but why?

My thought is either overvlting, or somehow a error in the BIOS code corrupted the SPD? Is this possible and can I fix the sticks damaged?

I've been told by everyone to write Asus and AMD and the memiory akers. Mushkin is aware of this but it's moot if 903 has been removed. I did a search on Google for "Asus M2N32-SLI BIOS 903" or just BIOS 903" and hundreds and hundreds of hits came up where people flashed to IOS 903 and they ALL had some sort of problem most severe, most invlving BSOD such as in memory dumps.

 

[Ketxxx]

Memory will rarely fail if its operating within voltage specification, however it is possible for SPD data to be corrupted on memory sticks either through prolonged use (years), or multiple, rather bad, failed overclock attempts. Which is when usually the sticks are RMA'd and the manufacturer reprograms the SPD data, followed by soak testing to ensure the modules are fine. Its also important to note that no mainboard is the same, some boards will require a little extra voltage within voltage specification to run stable, and some boards a little less voltage. Usually this variable voltage range between boards is within and around +\- 5%.

 

[Liquid3D]

Thank you it's nice to get some kind of acknowledgement.

Yes at this point I realize most of the questions I asked of Wizzard are more rhetorical then not and while I could of used his experience I can troubleshoot. These kits were failry new running no more then a few months for the Crucial, and just a week for the Mushkin and as a "Purist" overclocker I avoid rasing voltages at all costs. I don't that overclocking I call that overvolting and it's prsents more probles tyhen it's worth. My method takes advanatge of manufacturig processes such as binning. In other words when a processor core is built the least expensive model based off that core should have the same frequency ceiling the yop of the line model does. The only difference being somtimes cache or otgher features are disabled in the budget models, but essntially a core is fabricated and during packang gin the only thing seperating a $800 CPU from a $200 CPU is the locked multipler, and possibly a small diffrenec in Vcore with the higher end model requiring just a smidgen more juice.

Anyhoo there was something in the BIOS 903 which was obviously in error and damaged the sticks. It's really not too far of an inductive leap to then see how these modules with corrupted SPD data could go onto damage another board's MCH or DIMM's.

I do eel for the people who have no idea why their PC is acting up though. A quick purusal through any of the posts found by the followin search parameters: BIOS 903 reveal alot. I did try to post at a few of the forums.

 

[Ketxxx]

Everything reacts differently. Nothing is created absolutely equal unfortunately. Binning processes in particular are actually rather accurate. A good example would be to use 2 A64 3200+ CPUs I owned, and a 3500+. Both 3200+ CPUs would not go past 2.6GHz with absolute stability, where my 3500+ cranked out a max of 3GHz, with 2.9GHz being its absolute stable max. The point in question here is lower end CPUs will not have the same potential as mid to high end CPUs, the cores may be (or essentially be) the same, but their stamped as lower grade for a reason - the cores just arent as high a quality.

As a general note, from al manner of modules I tested G.Skill modules proved to be very vulnerable. Lifetime warranty is nice, but not so nice if you have to RMA the modules every 3-5 months, which I had to do twice. Some manufacturers I found to have exceptional robustness in their products were Crucial, Mushkin and Twinmos.

 

[W1zzard]

for the newbs

spdtool is not for newbs

 

[Ketxxx]

True, but we both know despite warnings newbs will still try it so may as well give them as much info reading as possible in hopes they do actually read the whole thread.

 

[Kasparz]

Any chance to get this working with laptop SODIMM's?

 

[Liquid3D]

Anyone know how I would use SPDTool to force a 1T command rate on my Ballistix Tracer pc8500? There is no option in the bios on my DS3 board to do it...

The 965 chipset doesn't support a 1T Command rate, perhaps Memset may have the option?
Memset 3.2

 

[Manuel]

SPD Tool incompatible with 1GB memsticks.

Downloaded spdtool 0.61 and successfully changed timings on several 512MB SODIMM's (Kingston, PROMOS/Vitelic, Hynix etc...).

BUT, this tool refuses to work with 1GB SODIMM's (tried with PROMOS and Hynix modules).

Sure it can read the timings and you can edit them, but after fixing the checksum and trying to write ANY new values it fails... ex.: Verify failed, index 0X09 is 0X60, should be 0X50 and Index 0X3F is 0X39, should be 0X29. (this is when changing SDRAM Cycle time at Maximum Supported CAS Latency)

Otherwise this is a very cool utility and would be a fantastic one if it worked with 1GB SODIMM's.

So yeah, at this point it works really well with 512MB SODIMM's...

Manuel

 

[|sWORDs|]

Downloaded spdtool 0.61 and successfully changed timings on several 512MB SODIMM's (Kingston, PROMOS/Vitelic, Hynix etc...).

BUT, this tool refuses to work with 1GB SODIMM's (tried with PROMOS and Hynix modules).

Sure it can read the timings and you can edit them, but after fixing the checksum and trying to write ANY new values it fails... ex.: Verify failed, index 0X09 is 0X60, should be 0X50 and Index 0X3F is 0X39, should be 0X29. (this is when changing SDRAM Cycle time at Maximum Supported CAS Latency)

Otherwise this is a very cool utility and would be a fantastic one if it worked with 1GB SODIMM's.

So yeah, at this point it works really well with 512MB SODIMM's...

Manuel

I've used it on several 1GB dimm's (GEiL and OCZ) without any problem.

 

[Manuel]

I've used it on several 1GB dimm's (GEiL and OCZ) without any problem.

|sWORDs|

Are these DDR or DDR-2 modules? Mine are DDR ones.

Laptop used IBM T41 with i855PM chipset.

Some other spec from Everest:

CPU Properties:
Core Voltage 1.484 V
CPU Alias Banias
CPU Stepping B1
CPU Type Mobile Intel Pentium M
CPUID CPU Name Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1700MHz
CPUID Revision 00000695h
Engineering Sample No

CPU Speed:
CPU Clock 1694.4 MHz (original: 1700 MHz)
CPU FSB 99.7 MHz (original: 100 MHz)
CPU Multiplier 17.0x
DRAM:FSB Ratio 5:3
Memory Bus 166.1 MHz

CPU Cache:
L1 Code Cache 32 KB
L1 Data Cache 32 KB
L2 Cache 1 MB (On-Die, ATC, Full-Speed)

Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID <DMI>
Motherboard Name IBM ThinkPad T41

Chipset Properties:
Memory Timings 1.5-3-3-7 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
Motherboard Chipset Intel Odem i855PM

Those memory timings were set with Memset 3.2

Weird, nothing is running when trying to change the timings with spdtool 0.61 - dual boot XP Pro SP2 system - one for work and one for messing around - ...

 

[|sWORDs|]

Ddr2

 

[W1zzard]

Downloaded spdtool 0.61 and successfully changed timings on several 512MB SODIMM's (Kingston, PROMOS/Vitelic, Hynix etc...).

BUT, this tool refuses to work with 1GB SODIMM's (tried with PROMOS and Hynix modules).

Sure it can read the timings and you can edit them, but after fixing the checksum and trying to write ANY new values it fails... ex.: Verify failed, index 0X09 is 0X60, should be 0X50 and Index 0X3F is 0X39, should be 0X29. (this is when changing SDRAM Cycle time at Maximum Supported CAS Latency)

Otherwise this is a very cool utility and would be a fantastic one if it worked with 1GB SODIMM's.

So yeah, at this point it works really well with 512MB SODIMM's...

Manuel

your spd is probably write protected

 

[Manuel]

your spd is probably write protected

W1zzard,


This would really suck! How can I find out? A particular bit at pos 0x??

If you want I could send you a dump to examine...

Regards and

 

[Ketxxx]

WP is likely to be used on cheaper modules.. its only when you go more expensive you also (usually) buy the privilledge of non WP sticks. Kind of like when you buy an FX chip over a "normal" Athlon.