# M4A77TD won't post with 2 memory sticks in Dual Channel??



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Hi All

As per above, i'm using 2 x KVR1333D3N9 Kingston DDR3 2gb ea @ 1333Mhz, however whenever i match the colour slots on the board the PC refuses to POST. But when they are on seperate slots they work?? According to CPU-Z they only operating in Single Channel 

Please help me, as i plan on purchasing another 4GB end of this month, and want to know weather I'm doing something wrong (BIOS settings) or is it a common RAM problem? 
All the components are less than a week old.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Sir_Real (Oct 11, 2010)

Ive never seen any bios settings on the mobo's ive had that will stop ram running in dual mode.
It usually just a case of which ram slots you use. With what you have said i'm temped to say you have a faulty mobo. If you think you've tried everything & had no luck then its prob time to get it put back in the box & returned for replacement or refund.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

I've tried putting the Ram in every slot, at first nothing worked, then 1 mem chip did, then i tried that 1 in all the slots, it posted. then tried the other and it also worked, then tried together, and nothing. then tried them in seperate slots (leave a space between eachota) and it posted. <--


----------



## heky (Oct 11, 2010)

Manually set the right timings, speed and voltage for your ram. Turn off, put ram in the correct slots for dual channel, turn back on. It should work.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Okies - gonna try that when i get home - btw without pushing my luck, but does anyone know exactly where to change what in the bios - i'd like to print this page out @ work then take it home with me - Please and Thank you


----------



## Sir_Real (Oct 11, 2010)

What bios version is your mobo. Updating the bios might fix your prob 

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=GRrtD7enpMkaVWV1


----------



## claylomax (Oct 11, 2010)

Are those sticks on the motherboard's QLV?


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Yes claylomax - I checked b4 i purchased them  - did alot of reading prior to parting with my hard earned cash lol


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Sir_Real said:


> What bios version is your mobo. Updating the bios might fix your prob
> 
> http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=GRrtD7enpMkaVWV1



how would i go abt flashing do i unpack the zip and put .ROM onto Flash Disk - and use EZ Flash??


----------



## Sir_Real (Oct 11, 2010)

I'd just return it for a refund. Flashing the bios can be a right game


----------



## heky (Oct 11, 2010)

Returning things is not the answer. You will never learn anything if you just return all you hardware that is giving you problems. Research your mobo and your ram on the net and you will find a working solution.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Sir_Real said:


> I'd just return it for a refund. Flashing the bios can be a right game



Be a right game? sorry i'm lost? 

Would love to return it, unfortunately that'll involve me taking a day off work to get there 
 - they don't work weekends... and I already took a day off lastweek to pick it up 
 - the sad life of working class LOL

well lets see what version the bios is - lets hope flashing and doing the settings rite fix my problem - then i'll be back at GTA IV


----------



## Sir_Real (Oct 11, 2010)

Well if your up for flashing the bios then read this
http://support.asus.com/technicaldocuments/technicaldocuments_content.aspx?no=541&SLanguage=en-us

Problem being it might not solve your prob. There could be a fault with the board


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

If board is faulty, how come all the slots work, but not together in dual channel? and the mem is fine aswel - Previous searches came to a similar conclusion that Heky came to - so I'm going on a lil faith here... 

lets hope I'm not in that very small 0.1% that has a special-kinda-keep-you-up-all-night kinda problem... like i usually end of having


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Just btw - i'm new to this Forum, and posting in general and i must say i'm so impressed!! usually i'll just search and hope someone out there experienced something similar to what i'm stuck with and go with that!

Thanks guys for all your effort/quik replies! Can't wait to go home now and fiddle with my new toy!!


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 11, 2010)

Ok updated new Bios - still nothing... refuses to see ram, but in seperate channels = boot; single stick = boot; dual channel = nothing 

I tried setting the BIOS Ram Settings... but i only have 5settings I know, the other 15 or so I have no idea what to put in, so it is set to auto


----------



## Sir_Real (Oct 11, 2010)

Time to give up & pack it back in the box  Theres obveusly a fault with that board. Get a replacement.


----------



## heky (Oct 12, 2010)

Set the voltage manually. It will post.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 12, 2010)

I like Heky's response - POSITIVE ATTITUDE!!

okies how do i set the voltages - i know its 1.5v - pls forgive me, i'm abit overwhelmed with the amount of settings this BIOS has... its 2/3pages worth of settings just for RAM... without asking to much can someone give me a how to guide... or guidelines on how to continue/do this

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## scaminatrix (Oct 12, 2010)

I think Sir_Real's right, the BIOS update would have reset the bios.
If it works in single channel and not in dual channel after a bios update/reset I think it's RMA time.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 12, 2010)

ok guys heres a quick image of what my bios looks like, ideas on what i should change to get the settings rite?

NB - this isn't my actual settings, but some1 else's screen shot.

Thx!


----------



## heky (Oct 12, 2010)

Can you also post the specifications of the memory.(or maybe a link to the exact memory you have)

I think for ddr3 memory your latencies are too low. It should be more like 6-6-6-24, not 5-5-5-10 as you have now. Try and we shall see.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 12, 2010)

Sorry Heky, as said above, that is just a screen shot of what my bios looks like, not my settings at all - here is the link to my ram:

http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KVR1333D3N9_2G.pdf


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 12, 2010)

There should be a voltage setting in your bios called Memory overvoltage (auto).

Try setting this manuly to 1.50000 volts.

The timings should be 9/9/9/24 i think, If your bios has the same words then it will be.

CAS latency = 9
RAS to CAS = 9
RAS Precharge = 9
tRAS = 24     << try setting all these manuly to.

Just looked at that pic of yours, where it says 5/5/5/10 manuly set to 9/9/9/24


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 12, 2010)

sweet thanks animal - will try in a few hrs wen i'm bak at my pc!!!


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 12, 2010)

ok i tried and failed hopelessly  i set it best i could, but with no avail... i guess it's back to the supplier tomorrow - wish me luck...


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 12, 2010)

was that pic taken using ram slot 1 and 3? or the slots that are supose to be the dual channel slots, sorry can't think of another way to explain it lol.

If you did use 1 and 3 then maybe try slot 1 and 2. I have known some boards to use slot 1 and 2 rather than 1 and 3 for dual channel.

If that fails then it does look like the board might need to go back.
I'm also all out of ideas now.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 12, 2010)

Thats 1 + 3, it's the only way the damn thing will POST. 1 alone also works, but 1 + 2 or 3 + 4. NOTHING... a whole of hair pulling black screen nothingness... I guess it's back to the supplier... BTW are there real differences in Dual Channel/Single Channel?


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 12, 2010)

I think it makes a lot of diffrence depending what program is running, If memory serves me right its also double bandwidth? been a while since i checked up on it all.

Some info i just found.

Dual-channel technology was created to address the issue of bottlenecks. Increased processor speed and performance requires other, less prominent components to keep pace. In the case of dual channel design, the intended target is the memory controller, which regulates data flow between the CPU and system memory (RAM). The memory controller determines the types and speeds of RAM as well as the maximum size of each individual memory module and the overall memory capacity of the system. However, when the memory is unable to keep up with the processor, a bottleneck occurs, leaving the CPU with nothing to process. Under the single-channel architecture, any CPU with a bus speed greater than the memory speed would be susceptible to this bottleneck effect.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 13, 2010)

Considering I'm running HT3.0, this should be a great help to my system. I'm organizing with supplier today so that I can have it viewed.


----------



## mastrdrver (Oct 13, 2010)

Have you tried slots 2 + 4?

Dual slot almost always uses the two slots further away from the cpu when just using 2 dimms. I've never had problems but I know I've seen others mention that Asus boards can be picky sometimes with ram and not boot when the first set of dual channel slots are not used (i.e. 1 + 3 instead of 2 + 4).

If that doesn't work disconnect everything from the board so that only:

1) board has power
2) cpu
3) heatsink and fan for cpu with fan not connected to board but to psu
4) memory in dual channel slots

If that doesn't at least post then your board is probably bad and would need to be returned or rma.


----------



## heky (Oct 13, 2010)

Try setting the command rate to 2t instead of 1t. In bios it might say 1n, set it to 2n.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 13, 2010)

tried both heky - 1t and 2t... even auto - but nothing


----------



## heky (Oct 13, 2010)

Do you have a chance to try some other ram, to rule out ram issues. Just to avoid sending a working motherboard back.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 13, 2010)

I'm lucky in the sense i purchased board, chip and ram all from the same supplier. I spoke to their techie, and he said to bring the machine in, and if it is within 7days (which is today OMG) he'll replace what ever needs to be replaced, and will set the board up while i wait!


----------



## Completely Bonkers (Oct 13, 2010)

Lucky - and good service - take up their offer.

I have also had many issues with mainboard compatibility with dual channel RAM. I believe that is one of the reasons Kingston has SO MANY variations of like-speed, same-size RAM sticks; all trying to be optimised (compatible) for a particular mainboard and chipset.


----------



## Mussels (Oct 13, 2010)

quite often when this happens these days, its a bad CPU.

the memory controller is on the CPU, so swapping that fixes the problem.


----------



## Completely Bonkers (Oct 13, 2010)

Interesting. Good spot.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 13, 2010)

never looked at it that way - 10 points Mussels!!


----------



## heky (Oct 13, 2010)

Please repot back when you get it working, just so we can all know what the problem was, and learn something new from it.


----------



## de.das.dude (Oct 13, 2010)

it might be the board. my asus is 2months old and i am sick of its issues.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 14, 2010)

Definately will, took the PC in yesterday afternoon, and they tried out a few other Ram Chips (2GB Kingston Kit even) and still refused to post in Dual Channel. I asked them if it could be the CPU as Mussels mention, and they said could never be (AMD Fans - gotta luv em) and also went on to say that they've never really had any problems with Kingston RAM.

Good news Bad news...

With the above said, apparently they've been having recent problems with Asus as a mobo brand in general. Apparently they are BATCH issues, which brings me to the good news bad news story. Bad news is that they didn't want to replace my mobo with the same on the spot stating that I would just run into the same problem (they suspect their entire stock from Asus is wack, also apparently not uncommon) - Good news is that they phoned Asus, who was so accommodating, they guaranteed that they will not only replace my mobo when they recieve it from my supplier this morning, they are going to upgrade me. Awaiting on their call to tell me what options I have to actually Upgrade!

The news gets better - my supplier has even promised me to deliver to my doorstep TODAY as soon as they pick up from Asus.

I'm in South Africa and we aren't known for being Techonologically advanced, however if there is anyone on this forum from here, Frontosa IT is where i purchased my eq from. They unfortunately wouldn't sell over the counter to anyone. BUT you can do an account application and then purchase! Excellent service and pretty much Wholesale Prices!! 

I will post as soon as I get the call on my "upgrade"!!!!!


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 14, 2010)

good to hear mate, i always thought my mobo was dodgy i have tryed 3 lots of ram DDR2 1066mhz my board is supose to take upto 1333mhz overclocked and it just wont boot when set full speed, It could be down to my old core 2 duo but i still think my mobo is faulty.

The shop i got mine from looked at it and said there was no problems but refused to do anymore. Good to see the shop you went to have good service.


----------



## heky (Oct 14, 2010)

@ animal007uk
Your core 2 duo has nothing to do with memory. The memory controler is in the northbridge of the motherboard and not in the processor, like it is the case with 965BlackEditions AMD Phenom II.

So it is either the board that is giving you problems or the settings you set it at.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 14, 2010)

It looks like Asus has taken a turn for the worse - kinda sad because their boards have always been great... from previous experience.

 - still awaiting on the supplier to inform me of my FREE UPGRADE


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 14, 2010)

heky said:


> @ animal007uk
> Your core 2 duo has nothing to do with memory. The memory controler is in the northbridge of the motherboard and not in the processor, like it is the case with 965BlackEditions AMD Phenom II.
> 
> So it is either the board that is giving you problems or the settings you set it at.



Yes i know the memory controler is not on the cpu like it is with new cpu's, But when the shop tells you they have tested the mobo and it works fine, And when you have changed the ram 3 times, new graphics card hardrives and PSU, it only leave the mobo and cpu.

As for my settings, they were set exactly how they should have been.

2.1 volts / 5/5/5/15 accodring to sticker on ram, tryed 5/6/6/18 even tryed 6/6/6/24.

Gave gigabyte loads of shit they said they can't work out why my ram wont run at 1066mhz lol.

ram is corsair xms2 DDR2 1066mhz also tryed the ocz gold first of all but that ram was faulty, this is my second lot of corsair.
Anyway this is not my thread so ill leave it at this.

sorry just one last thing, pc will run fine with cpu @ 2800 and ram @800mhz it also boots up fine with cpu @3200 or 3400mhz and ram is then over 940mhz but if i mess and just force ram faster the pc wont boot, its screwed but it works so im happy .


----------



## heky (Oct 14, 2010)

Have you tried up-ing the northbridge voltage? And what about the BIOS version, have you upgraded to the last one?


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 14, 2010)

GREAT NEWS MY PEEPS!!

Supplier just phoned... I'm getting bumped up to an ASUS M4A87TD - EVO!!
Howz that for an upgrade an a half 

Delivery truck has apparently already left... things are looking up


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 14, 2010)

heky said:


> Have you tried up-ing the northbridge voltage? And what about the BIOS version, have you upgraded to the last one?



yes tryed the NB voltage, My bios version is F9. The latest one is F10b-(beta), And if i try to use that one the pc wont even go past post screen, takes about an 30 mins to get into bios.

My mobo is a gigabyte EP45-DS3 revison 1.



965BlackEdition said:


> GREAT NEWS MY PEEPS!!
> 
> Supplier just phoned... I'm getting bumped up to an ASUS M4A87TD - EVO!!
> Howz that for an upgrade an a half
> ...



Nice one mate, I hope it all works for you now.


----------



## heky (Oct 14, 2010)

965BlackEdition said:


> GREAT NEWS MY PEEPS!!
> 
> Supplier just phoned... I'm getting bumped up to an ASUS M4A87TD - EVO!!
> Howz that for an upgrade an a half
> ...



Nice one man, hope you have better luck with this one.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 15, 2010)

ARGHH!!

I'm not sure who to blame, but I think this is Asus's Stuff up. The new board is doing exactly the SAME THING! And this board comes from Asus, and was guaranteed to work. It's doing the exact same thing again. It even has this MemOK! BS that just flashes a red light and does NOTHING... More so is that they send me a box with out the CD or Manual... 

I'm begining to think Mussels was right    new CPU 

Oh well this time I told em they had better send the driver to pick up the components and have a new set delivered to me ASAP. Waiting on their call back...

I'm thinking I should return the whole lot [mobo, chip, ram] and request they replace...

No GTA IV for 3days... I'm having withdrawal symptoms LOL


----------



## animal007uk (Oct 15, 2010)

If you have to take it all back again i would ask them to try a diffrent CPU as the mobo is doing the same thing as before, You might have to explain that the memory controler is on the CPU andf its the ram that won't work right so can they test a diffrent CPU in ther mobo.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 15, 2010)

yup i'm going there now, they gonna try new cpu and new ram again  i got a feeling its the CPU - and if it is they dnt have stock n nor does the supplier... so i suppose i'm gonna have 2 do a weekend without a pc... WTF


----------



## heky (Oct 15, 2010)

Hm...it really must be the processor then. There really is no other option. The memory controller on the chip is broke.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 15, 2010)

You got it right Heky and Mussels  sadly it is the processor... they tried another 965 and it posted in dual channel 

So they going to send me a new processor as soon as they have stock... then i'll be back in business...

Only upside here is that my board got upgraded for free - tee hee hee... oh well i'm keeping mum abt that


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 18, 2010)

well called them today, they still don't have stock of the processor  they said hopefully tomorrow... atleast they will be delivering to my door step again for free!!

no pc for a few days now.... and if u check my other threads... u can see i'm going crazy...


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 20, 2010)

Great news, my CPU is the way  will be posting temp reductions this evening! YAY!


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 20, 2010)

Ok if anyone is still reading this, FRONTOSA LIED, they still haven't delivered my CPU claiming it's the delivery companies fault for not coming to me. Another day and still no PC


----------



## heky (Oct 20, 2010)

Dont you just hate it when that happens. Makes you rip someones heart out and eat it for dinner. hehe, lol


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 21, 2010)

You hit the nail on the head Heky LOL - oh well I phoned them just now, (9am) and everything "seems" to be on the road... lets see!


----------



## heky (Oct 21, 2010)

I hope you do get it today.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 21, 2010)

ok well it's here now FINALLY  - tink i mite duck abit early from the office 2 try this baby out - wish me luck!!!

if all goes well expect a post from me tonyt!


----------



## heky (Oct 21, 2010)

Good luck!


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 22, 2010)

well all did go "well" lasnyt - pc is working gr8 - unfortunately i had 2 reinstall winwoes due to new mobo - argh... didn't get much chance to play with it - but i'm happy with it! looking forward to purchasing a new HSF and starting oc'ing... Ideas on a really good HSF for oc'ing? apparently the std 1 is crap?


----------



## heky (Oct 22, 2010)

Noctua NH-D14, the best air cooler money can get. The only step up is water-cooling. Have fun oc-ing.


----------



## 965BlackEdition (Oct 22, 2010)

Cooler Master Hyper N620 / Zalman CNPS9900A LED Blue... which is better/ value for money... the zalman is more expensive... but i like the design of the cooler master


----------

