Low Memory Bandwidth Problem (HELP)

[MTL]

I have been noticing a few problems with the memory I installed a few weeks ago.

I have:

939 Athlon64 3200+
MSI K8N Diamond Mobo
2X 512 MB PC3200 Kingston ValueRAM @ 2.5-3-3-7 2T

Here are the readouts from SIS Sandra 2007:
RAM Bandwidth Int Buff'd iSSE2 : 2233 MB/s
RAM Bandwidth Float Buff'd iSSE2 : 2235 MB/s

Here is my PCMark 2004 Score:
3591

Both these readings are WAY too low for this kind of system compared to others benchmarked.

How can I rectify this!?!?!?!

Here are the rest of the Sandra diagnostics:

Int Buff'd iSSE2 (Integer STREAM) Results Breakdown
Assignment : 2195MB/s
Scaling : 2193MB/s
Addition : 2273MB/s
Triad : 2273MB/s
Data Item Size : 16 byte(s)
Buffering Used : Yes
Offset Displacement Used : Yes
Bandwidth Efficiency : 84% (estimated)

Float Buff'd iSSE2 (Float STREAM) Results Breakdown
Assignment : 2197MB/s
Scaling : 2195MB/s
Addition : 2275MB/s
Triad : 2273MB/s
Data Item Size : 16 byte(s)
Buffering Used : Yes
Offset Displacement Used : Yes
Bandwidth Efficiency : 84% (estimated)

Performance Test Status
Run ID : XXXXX
Memory Used by Test : 512MB
NUMA Support : No
SMP Test : No
Total Test Threads : 1
Multi-Core Test : No
SMT Test : No
Dynamic MP/MT Load Balance : No
Processor Affinity : P0C0T0
System Timer : 3.6MHz
Page Size : 4kB
Use Large Memory Pages : No

Chipset 1
Model : Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Athlon 64 / Opteron HyperTransport Technology Configuration
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 1005MHz (2010MHz data rate)
In/Out Width : 16-bit / 16-bit
Maximum Bus Bandwidth : 8040MB/s (estimated)

Logical/Chipset 1 Memory Banks
Bank 0 : 256MB DDR-SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7 2CMD
Bank 1 : 256MB DDR-SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7 2CMD
Bank 2 : 256MB DDR-SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7 2CMD
Bank 3 : 256MB DDR-SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7 2CMD
Channels : 1
Bank Interleave : 4-way
Speed : 2x 167MHz (334MHz data rate)
Width : 64-bit
Memory Controller in Processor : Yes
Cores per Memory Controller : 1 Unit(s)
Maximum Memory Bus Bandwidth : 2672MB/s (estimated)


PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!

 

[Jimmy 2004]

I have the same RAM as you at slightly slower settings and get 2880 and 2878? Would those be more the scores you would expect? Try checking that your RAM is set to 200MHz (400MHz DDR).

 

[Ketxxx]

That looks totally wrong to me, check to make sure you have inserted the modules into the right DIMM slots to enable dual channel.

 

[trog100]

i get about 5000 in sandra with my memory running a slow 173 at cas 3 and 1T.. (my slow windows/browsing speeds)

yours should be double what it is.. manually set the 2T to 1T.. and do as ket says..

trog

 

[Jimmy 2004]

i get about 5000 in sandra with my memory running a slow 173 at cas 3 and 1T.. (my slow windows/browsing speeds)

yours should be double what it is.. manually set the 2T to 1T.. and do as ket says..

trog

Does that mean that mine should be way quicker than what it is as well? My motherboard isn't dual channel.

 

[MTL]

i get about 5000 in sandra with my memory running a slow 173 at cas 3 and 1T.. (my slow windows/browsing speeds)

yours should be double what it is.. manually set the 2T to 1T.. and do as ket says..

trog

Am I able to set the ValueRAM to 1T? Or does it involve overclocking the ram?

 

[MTL]

I have the same RAM as you at slightly slower settings and get 2880 and 2878? Would those be more the scores you would expect? Try checking that your RAM is set to 200MHz (400MHz DDR).

According to the data above it says:

Speed : 2x 167MHz (334MHz data rate)

Should I manually set the ram to 2X200 in the bios or will that put too much stress on the ram?

 

[MTL]

That looks totally wrong to me, check to make sure you have inserted the modules into the right DIMM slots to enable dual channel.

The modules are set into channels A-A or both green slots on the mobo. I'm 99% sure I didn't mess that up....

 

[Jimmy 2004]

Are you overclocking the rest of the system? If not, it should be completely safe to set 1T and 400MHz. Your ram is PC3200 so it is designed to run at 400DDR, so set it to 2x200.

 

[MTL]

The only thing that is overclocked is the graphics card. In addition, I installed heat spreaders on the RAM. I was under the impression that I needed better timings on the ram to move to 1T....or is that false?

 

[MTL]

Changing the setting to 1T didn't allow my computer to boot. Suggestions?

 

[Ketxxx]

up vdimm to 2.8v. also check your manual about dual channel. as confusing as it seems, not all manufacturers match DIMM slot colours for dual channel. just over 2GB\s is screaming its in single channel, dual channel on a 3200+ A64 should see you in a region of 4GB - 4.5GB bandwidth.

 

[MTL]

Here is the Mobo with all the info on where to place the DIMMs.

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo4_Platinum&class=mb

I placed them in the 2 green slots.

According to your reading of the info under the picture, is my placement correct?

 

[MTL]

up vdimm to 2.8v. also check your manual about dual channel. as confusing as it seems, not all manufacturers match DIMM slot colours for dual channel. just over 2GB\s is screaming its in single channel, dual channel on a 3200+ A64 should see you in a region of 4GB - 4.5GB bandwidth.

What will upping the vdimm accomplish?

If you want I can take a picture of my memory config screen in my BIOS.

 

[Jimmy 2004]

What will upping the vdimm accomplish?

If you want I can take a picture of my memory config screen in my BIOS.

Upping the voltage gives it more power meaning it can work at higher speeds so you can set it to 1T. Also I go back on what I said earlier - your ram might not be stable at 400MHz if your timings are 2.5-3-3-7. This ram is designed to work at 400MHz 3-4-4-8 I believe, so it may be best to leave it at 333MHz.

And to get dual channel I think you do need to put on in the green and one in the purple next to it! That's what that site says anyway.

 

[MTL]

Upping the voltage gives it more power meaning it can work at higher speeds so you can set it to 1T. Also I go back on what I said earlier - your ram might not be stable at 400MHz if your timings are 2.5-3-3-7. This ram is designed to work at 400MHz 3-4-4-8 I believe, so it may be best to leave it at 333MHz.

And to get dual channel I think you do need to put on in the green and one in the purple next to it! That's what that site says anyway.

I thought installation went A-A as in the chart. CAn anyone confirm that I should have installed it Green-Purple instead of Green-Green???

Is it best for me to downclock the memory then so I can clock it at 400Mhz?

 

[Jimmy 2004]

Actually the stuff on that site seems to conradict itself... it says to do it in the combinations in the table which clearly shows green and purple or all four slots full but later it says fill the green slots first... no sure anymore. Worth giving it a try though I would think, the worst that would happen is it would refuse to boot with them installed like that. I've attached the table that I'd go by and it shows they should work.

 

[MTL]

Well my PCMark went from about 3500 to 3900 now.

The only prolem is now Sandra won't work....WHEN I NEED IT THE MOST. LOL. Just my luck. I click on it, get the hourglass and nada.

 

[MTL]

Upping the voltage gives it more power meaning it can work at higher speeds so you can set it to 1T. Also I go back on what I said earlier - your ram might not be stable at 400MHz if your timings are 2.5-3-3-7. This ram is designed to work at 400MHz 3-4-4-8 I believe, so it may be best to leave it at 333MHz.

And to get dual channel I think you do need to put on in the green and one in the purple next to it! That's what that site says anyway.

So, should I underclock it to 3-4-4-8 to get 400Mhz or increase the VDIMM so I can run 1T timings at 2.5-3-3-7 @333MHz???

 

[Jimmy 2004]

It's best to set defaults and slowly increase from there if you want to overclock... my memory can run ~400MHz with timings of 2.5-3-3-8 1T at 2.8V so you could try setting that as we both have pretty much the same memory.

 

[MTL]

UPDATE:

SiSoftware Sandra

Benchmark Results
RAM Bandwidth Int Buff'd iSSE2 : 4612 MB/s
RAM Bandwidth Float Buff'd iSSE2 : 4611 MB/s
Results Interpretation : Higher index values are better.

Int Buff'd iSSE2 (Integer STREAM) Results Breakdown
Assignment : 4512MB/s
Scaling : 4505MB/s
Addition : 4720MB/s
Triad : 4712MB/s
Data Item Size : 16 byte(s)
Buffering Used : Yes
Offset Displacement Used : Yes
Bandwidth Efficiency : 72% (estimated)

Float Buff'd iSSE2 (Float STREAM) Results Breakdown
Assignment : 4511MB/s
Scaling : 4504MB/s
Addition : 4721MB/s
Triad : 4711MB/s
Data Item Size : 16 byte(s)
Buffering Used : Yes
Offset Displacement Used : Yes
Bandwidth Efficiency : 72% (estimated)


Chipset 1
Model : Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Athlon 64 / Opteron HyperTransport Technology Configuration
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 1005MHz (2010MHz data rate)
In/Out Width : 16-bit / 16-bit
Maximum Bus Bandwidth : 8040MB/s (estimated)

Logical/Chipset 1 Memory Banks
Bank 0 : 512MB DDR-SDRAM 3.0-3-3-8 2CMD
Bank 1 : 512MB DDR-SDRAM 3.0-3-3-8 2CMD
Channels : 1
Bank Interleave : 2-way
Speed : 2x 201MHz (402MHz data rate)
Width : 128-bit
Memory Controller in Processor : Yes
Cores per Memory Controller : 1 Unit(s)
Maximum Memory Bus Bandwidth : 6432MB/s (estimated)

NOW ITS WORKING!!!!!

Here was the problem:

MSI Neo4 mobos use a different memory pairing color index than other boards. The list which I went by (the one in the mobo book) is actually a reprint of the NEO2 board memory layout for DDR. In this case the memory should have been paired Green-Purple instead of the regular Green-Green.

Damn mobo makers, why can't they put these things in PLAIN ENGLISH!!! "Put one stick in Green and another in Purple for DDR" is all they need to say!!!

 

[MTL]

It's best to set defaults and slowly increase from there if you want to overclock... my memory can run ~400MHz with timings of 2.5-3-3-8 1T at 2.8V so you could try setting that as we both have pretty much the same memory.

So I should change my timings of 2.5-3-3-7 to 2.5-3-3-8, change the vdimm to 2.8 amd then select 1T timing? Is this right?

 

[Jimmy 2004]

So I should change my timings of 2.5-3-3-7 to 2.5-3-3-8, change the vdimm to 2.8 amd then select 1T timing? Is this right?

I reckon that should work at 400MHz... if not you might need to losen them a bit but see how you go... good to see that your memory is working faster now!

 

[MTL]

Thanks for your help. She's working like a champ now. Even 3dmark03 score has gone up a full 600 points!!

Do you think I can use the 2.5-3-3-7 timings with the vdimm set at 2.8 and still achieve 1T command rate?

 

[ataraxia]

on a amd64 system you find a very small difference between 1T and 2T.

edit-you were pleased with a 600 point increase. so changing from 2T to 1T will prolly do about 100-200 points in 03.