Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

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Richard Giliberti

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I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
a hardware combination that would fit my needs?
 
Re: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

Other than the memory speed what is not as you think it
should be? If you're using the 32-bit win XP it cannot read
the full 4GB, you need Win x64 for that.


Richard Giliberti wrote:
> I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
> KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
> the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
> to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
> a hardware combination that would fit my needs?
 
Re: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

You could certainly find a motherboard and CPU combination that supports
that RAM - there were hundreds, if not thousands, made. None of them would
be a current model -- the OEMs have moved on to DDR2 and even DDR3 in some
cases. An AMD64 bit processor with a 937 socket and a mobo that supports it,
or a 754 socket and mobo that supports it, would work just fine with that
RAM. Of course, it doesn't matter WHAT mobo/CPU combination you choose - if
you're running 32-bit Windows you won't get the full 4 GB value out of it.
The limitation is that Windows uses a 32-bit flat memory address space,
which is limited to a maximum of 4 GB of memory address space. Some of the
memory address space has to be reserved for use by graphics cards, network
cards, and other peripherals and built in components of the motherboard, so
you'd likely not see more than ~3 GB of your RAM.

Now, you could run Windows XP x64 Edition, and if your new mobo supported
it, you'd be able to remap memory in BIOS and see the full 4 GB of RAM. But
you'd want to be VERY sure there were drivers available for your other
hardware, and that your applications would all run in XP x64. And when you
were all done, you'd still only have a system that was about 2 years behind
the current technology. All to recycle 4 DIMMs of memory at a time when
memory prices have dropped significantly and seem to be continuing to go
down.

Honestly, I think you'd be far better served for running multiple VMs to
look at starting from scratch. You could easily build a system today that
supported a dual or quad core processor and held 4-8 GB of DDR2 RAM for not
much different than you'd spend looking for a mobo to recycle your current
RAM. You'd still have to make the switch to 64-bit Windows (Vista or XP) to
take full advantage of 4GB or more of memory - that won't change. But in
return you'd have a far more responsive and satisfactory solution.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/xperts64
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel


"Richard Giliberti" <Richard Giliberti@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:D5A6AF28-AA91-4C44-8999-E8294CA211F9@microsoft.com...
>I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a
> Soyo
> KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there
> is
> the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a
> workstation
> to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience
> with
> a hardware combination that would fit my needs?
 
Re: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

On Jan 3, 7:36 am, Richard Giliberti <Richard
Gilibe...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
> KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
> the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
> to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
> a hardware combination that would fit my needs?

Gigabyte socket 939 nforce4 mobos. There is a secret memory remap in
the bios. Either control-f1 or alt-f1. Just google 4G limit on this
newsgroup since I have posted this information a few times. I've built
two PCs out of
http://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=1868
but this mobo is hard to find. However, a friend found one of the SLI
vesions and just build a system. The mobo was maybe $70.
 
Re: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

On Jan 3, 11:53 am, m...@sushi.com wrote:
> On Jan 3, 7:36 am, Richard Giliberti <Richard
>
> Gilibe...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> > I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> > XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
> > KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> > motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> > rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> > that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> > rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
> > the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
> > to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
> > a hardware combination that would fit my needs?
>
> Gigabyte socket 939 nforce4 mobos. There is a secret memory remap in
> the bios. Either control-f1 or alt-f1. Just google 4G limit on this
> newsgroup since I have posted this information a few times. I've built
> two PCs out ofhttp://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?Prod...
> but this mobo is hard to find. However, a friend found one of the SLI
> vesions and just build a system. The mobo was maybe $70.

I booted the PC. You enter control-f1 at the first bios screen to
activate the advanced options. The next step is to go to "advanced
chipset features", then "DRAM configuration", then "H/W MEM Remap".
 
RE: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

Thank you all for your replies!! The situation has been rectified.
There are no more NForce 4 boards for sale with the requisite CMOS option.
It definitely was not easy to find a chipset that was still available with
the 32-bit memory hole remap. The only one left was the RD580 Xpress 3200.
I am purchasing a DFI LanParty UT CFX 3200-DR/G Motherboard Socket 939 ATX
ATI CrossFire Chipset and Processor AMD Athlon™ 64 Model 4000+ OPN Tray
ADA4000DKA5CF. I can not get the full DDR400 speed due to my memory being
double sided and/or dual ranked. I will be able to make use of the full 4
GIG due to the memory remapping feature in the BIOS, however, there is no
indication in the manual of whether it would be preferable to use software or
hardware remapping. The issues of drivers for XP64/Vista64 & newer
components, although comparably priced, is not important for my needs. I am
not discarding my present 32-bit XP Pro computer with it's myriad peripherals.

"Richard Giliberti" wrote:

> I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
> KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
> the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
> to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
> a hardware combination that would fit my needs?
 
Re: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

On Jan 12, 8:22 pm, Richard Giliberti
<RichardGilibe...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> Thank you all for your replies!! The situation has been rectified.
> There are no more NForce 4 boards for sale with the requisite CMOS option.
> It definitely was not easy to find a chipset that was still available with
> the 32-bit memory hole remap. The only one left was the RD580 Xpress 3200.
> I am purchasing a DFI LanParty UT CFX 3200-DR/G Motherboard Socket 939 ATX
> ATI CrossFire Chipset and Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Model 4000+ OPN Tray
> ADA4000DKA5CF. I can not get the full DDR400 speed due to my memory being
> double sided and/or dual ranked. I will be able to make use of the full 4
> GIG due to the memory remapping feature in the BIOS, however, there is no
> indication in the manual of whether it would be preferable to use software or
> hardware remapping. The issues of drivers for XP64/Vista64 & newer
> components, although comparably priced, is not important for my needs. I am
> not discarding my present 32-bit XP Pro computer with it's myriad peripherals.
>
> "Richard Giliberti" wrote:
> > I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> > XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
> > KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> > motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> > rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> > that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> > rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
> > the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
> > to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
> > a hardware combination that would fit my needs?

A friend bought a gigabyte Nforce4 board just last month. He got the
full 4G.
 
Re: Motherboard/Chipset to support 4x1 GB DDR400 RAM

I am not denying that your friend was able to find the MB with the 4 GB
needed. I just can not find any advertisements currently that sell one whose
availability is in stock. It would definitely be cheaper than the DFI @
$150. If you know of a link or the retailer who sold his, please do respond
with that information.

"miso@sushi.com" wrote:

> On Jan 12, 8:22 pm, Richard Giliberti
> <RichardGilibe...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> > Thank you all for your replies!! The situation has been rectified.
> > There are no more NForce 4 boards for sale with the requisite CMOS option.
> > It definitely was not easy to find a chipset that was still available with
> > the 32-bit memory hole remap. The only one left was the RD580 Xpress 3200.
> > I am purchasing a DFI LanParty UT CFX 3200-DR/G Motherboard Socket 939 ATX
> > ATI CrossFire Chipset and Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Model 4000+ OPN Tray
> > ADA4000DKA5CF. I can not get the full DDR400 speed due to my memory being
> > double sided and/or dual ranked. I will be able to make use of the full 4
> > GIG due to the memory remapping feature in the BIOS, however, there is no
> > indication in the manual of whether it would be preferable to use software or
> > hardware remapping. The issues of drivers for XP64/Vista64 & newer
> > components, although comparably priced, is not important for my needs. I am
> > not discarding my present 32-bit XP Pro computer with it's myriad peripherals.
> >
> > "Richard Giliberti" wrote:
> > > I have 2 TwinX2048-3200C2 Matched memory pairs from Corsair with identical
> > > XMS3202v1.1 versions. I was misinformed with my initial purchase of a Soyo
> > > KT880 Dragon2 V2.0 motherboard. I am now seeking a 64-bit
> > > motherboard/chipset combination that supports the full 4GB of RAM at the
> > > rated DDR400. After thoroughly reaearching the matter, I have discovered
> > > that AMD processors with their embedded memory controller do not support 4
> > > rows of DIMM's at DDR400. I am unable to definitively discover if there is
> > > the same limitation with Intel's 915 chipset. I need this for a workstation
> > > to run multiple VM's for testing. Does anyone have hands-on experience with
> > > a hardware combination that would fit my needs?
>
> A friend bought a gigabyte Nforce4 board just last month. He got the
> full 4G.
>
 
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