You'd want low density sticks they are usually double sided

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-01-27, 01:16:

pentiumspeed wrote on 2021-01-27, 00:29:

Simple: Use BX chipset compatible 256MB SDRAM sticks. They are 16 chips type, low density.

Cheers,

how do I tell if it’s bx compatible

What do you think of the last few replies from me. Seems like I may be able to get 768?

For 440BX RAM compatibility info :
https://web.archive.org/web/20180103032407/ht … ram_bx_faq.html

If you are lucky, you might get 512MB to work (based on other people's experience), but I would be very surprised if 768MB worked on any 430TX board .

darry wrote on 2021-01-27, 02:30:

For 440BX RAM compatibility info : https://web.archive.org/web/20180103032407/ht … ram_bx_faq.html […]
Show full quote

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-01-27, 01:16:

pentiumspeed wrote on 2021-01-27, 00:29:

Simple: Use BX chipset compatible 256MB SDRAM sticks. They are 16 chips type, low density.

Cheers,

how do I tell if it’s bx compatible

What do you think of the last few replies from me. Seems like I may be able to get 768?

For 440BX RAM compatibility info :
https://web.archive.org/web/20180103032407/ht … ram_bx_faq.html

If you are lucky, you might get 512MB to work (based on other people's experience), but I would be very surprised if 768MB worked on any 430TX board .

Interesting read.

So I guess it doesn’t matter that mine is a 430tx and that article is a 440bx article? They are similar enough?

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-01-27, 03:09:

darry wrote on 2021-01-27, 02:30:

For 440BX RAM compatibility info : https://web.archive.org/web/20180103032407/ht … ram_bx_faq.html […]
Show full quote

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-01-27, 01:16:

how do I tell if it’s bx compatible

What do you think of the last few replies from me. Seems like I may be able to get 768?

For 440BX RAM compatibility info :
https://web.archive.org/web/20180103032407/ht … ram_bx_faq.html

If you are lucky, you might get 512MB to work (based on other people's experience), but I would be very surprised if 768MB worked on any 430TX board .

Interesting read.

So I guess it doesn’t matter that mine is a 430tx and that article is a 440bx article? They are similar enough?

In terms of RAM compatibility, they are similar . The 440BX does officially support 4x256MB (with registered DIMMs, though unbuffered 256MB SDRAM DIMMs do work as well in practice on most, maybe all the most popular boards with 4 DIMM slots, as long as the DIMMs have they have the proper specs). A lot of people have run 440BX boards with 1GB of RAM with 4x256MB unbuffered SDRAM DIMMs, myself included, and there is lot of info on the Internet and vogons about this .

The 430TX officially supports up to 2x128MB of RAM, but unofficially 2x256MB works on at least some motherboards according to a relatively small number of people's experience . There is unfortunately a lot less information about this on the Internet and Vogons, likely because by the time 512MB RAM was necessary/useful, the 430TX was quite obsolete (not to mention the max 64 MB cacheable RAM when using the onboard cache controller, which can be bypassed by using a CPU with integrated L2 cache).

darry wrote on 2021-01-27, 03:38:

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-01-27, 03:09:

darry wrote on 2021-01-27, 02:30:

For 440BX RAM compatibility info :
https://web.archive.org/web/20180103032407/ht … ram_bx_faq.html

If you are lucky, you might get 512MB to work (based on other people's experience), but I would be very surprised if 768MB worked on any 430TX board .

Interesting read.

So I guess it doesn’t matter that mine is a 430tx and that article is a 440bx article? They are similar enough?

In terms of RAM compatibility, they are similar . The 440BX does officially support 4x256MB (with registered DIMMs, though unbuffered 256MB SDRAM DIMMs do work as well in practice on most, maybe all the most popular boards with 4 DIMM slots, as long as the DIMMs have they have the proper specs). A lot of people have run 440BX boards with 1GB of RAM with 4x256MB unbuffered SDRAM DIMMs, myself included, and there is lot of info on the Internet and vogons about this .

The 430TX officially supports up to 2x128MB of RAM, but unofficially 2x256MB works on at least some motherboards according to a relatively small number of people's experience . There is unfortunately a lot less information about this on the Internet and Vogons, likely because by the time 512MB RAM was necessary/useful, the 430TX was quite obsolete (not to mention the max 64 MB cacheable RAM when using the onboard cache controller, which can be bypassed by using a CPU with integrated L2 cache).

Indeed. I’ve basically resolved that I will be installing windows 7 on this so 512 or 768 would be very welcome, it will definitely be easier the more ram I can cram on it 🤣.

I’m really hoping that my theory about putting 256 in each bank will work now that I know the first two simm slots and the last dimm slot are on the same bank I can just ignore those two simm slots.

I have another 256 like the one I am already using on the way, and two 128mb edo simms on the way as well.

Btw, do I have to worry about voltage? Will simm sockets just naturally get the right voltage and the dimms still will get what they need?

Also, is there such a thing as a sdram simm? Would be nice if it works if they were all sd ram.

On the tyan tomcat this is the result With 6 128mb simms installed. The chipset and manual is only supposed to support 512mb.

655360 kilobytes

I have two more slots I can fill as soon as I figure out how to repair the bad slot

There may be stability issues for now I pulled out the other two sticks as I can’t save bios settings reliably until I get a replacement dallas clock. I suspect some timings need laxed. It hung a few times.

Nice job getting that amount of ram working have you been able to boot an OS and be stable?

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2021-02-02, 04:24:

Nice job getting that amount of ram working have you been able to boot an OS and be stable?

I got ME on it with 128 but haven't done anything else on it since 512+ I think more than 512 cmay be unstable I'm gonna experiment with it more once I can get all 8 slots populated

I'm gonna focus on my other build for a while and circle back to this

as a reminder this is on a tyan tomcat not the same motherboard as OP pics

okay, now back on topic for the p55xb2

I now have 2x 256mb mt16lsdt3264ag-13ee3 pc133 cl2 sticks and with both installed it boots but only counts 256mb I also now have 4 x 128mb 60ns edo simms I tried four of those and again only 256mb

I even tried two dimms and two simms in last two slots all simms and all dimms one dimm and four simms nothing I did gave me any more or less than 256mb

so something that repoman11 did is different than what I am doing and at this point I would like to know what ram sticks he got working in his motherboard so maybe I could try them?

Okay, I got a clue as to what may be going on here. It may be that you can only go 1.5x what mfg recommends which explains repoman11’s experience. Because I got 768 stable on the tyan tomcat by using all banks except the ones closest to pci slots with all four banks it fails post even on lax settings.

So I need to figure out what 128mb module to order.

Is there a module that is basically a single sided version of what I have?

I got a 128mb stick that is the exact same as my 256 (same chips) but only one side and tried several combos including ones with it and 2x 128mb simms nothing worked to break 256mb

only combo I haven't tried are combos with 2x 64mb simms and 2x 128mb dimms

repoman11 if you could post details about the sticks you have that recognized as 384 and maybe upload your bios I many be able to try some more ideas I'm wondering if I just haven't tried the right thing or if my board is different I should be able to replicate your result even if it isn't stable like yours. 🙁

have you tried 128 dimm in bank 0 128 dimm in bank 1 and 2x64 in the last two simm slots ?

It recognizes the memory, it passes Memtest with all of the RAM installed, then gets past the Win98 splash screen and hangs (will only get to the desktop in Safe Mode). The RAM is nothing special. The BIOS is Jan's patched one freely available on his site. It comes very close to working with 384 megs of RAM installed, but it falls just short of the mark.

Maybe you are experiencing some similar kind of ram error?

What’s the arrangement of those chips? I see a sticker on line with samr chips that say 16x64
Mine are 16x8 right? (I’m still confused on how those numbers work.)

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 10:57:

What’s the arrangement of those chips? I see a sticker on line with samr chips that say 16x64
Mine are 16x8 right? (I’m still confused on how those numbers work.)

The numbers are pretty easy, the second number is the width of the bus with which the memory is accessed, and the first number is the amount of cells that can be accessed with that width of bus, ergo 16Mx64 = 128Mx8
30pin simms are only 8bit
72pin simms are 32bit
SDR and DDR, DDR2 DDR3 DDR4 are all 64 bit (I think, not sure about the ddr3&4)

weedeewee wrote on 2021-02-10, 12:05:

The numbers are pretty easy, the second number is the width of the bus with which the memory is accessed, and the first number i […]
Show full quote

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 10:57:

What’s the arrangement of those chips? I see a sticker on line with samr chips that say 16x64
Mine are 16x8 right? (I’m still confused on how those numbers work.)

The numbers are pretty easy, the second number is the width of the bus with which the memory is accessed, and the first number is the amount of cells that can be accessed with that width of bus, ergo 16Mx64 = 128Mx8
30pin simms are only 8bit
72pin simms are 32bit
SDR and DDR, DDR2 DDR3 DDR4 are all 64 bit (I think, not sure about the ddr3&4)

download/file.php?id=100720&mode=view

are these the same arrangement as repoman11s? these are my 256mb 16 chip sd dimms

I'm wondering if his is working because he may have a different chip setup
mine works as 256 only

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 16:35:

download/file.php?id=100720&mode=view

are these the same arrangement as repoman11s? these are my 256mb 16 chip sd dimms

The chips shown on the photo are SDR 4MB x 8 x4 = 16MB /chip
SDR has 64bit bus, so you'll need at least 8 to get anything = 128MB
and there's 8 on both sides if it is as you say a 256MB module
...
I gotta go and eat something.

weedeewee wrote on 2021-02-10, 17:12:

The chips shown on the photo are SDR 4MB x 8 x4 = 16MB /chip SDR has 64bit bus, so you'll need at least 8 to get anything = 128M […]
Show full quote

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 16:35:

download/file.php?id=100720&mode=view

are these the same arrangement as repoman11s? these are my 256mb 16 chip sd dimms

The chips shown on the photo are SDR 4MB x 8 x4 = 16MB /chip
SDR has 64bit bus, so you'll need at least 8 to get anything = 128MB
and there's 8 on both sides if it is as you say a 256MB module
...
I gotta go and eat something.

I see what you did there 🤣

and what are repoman11s chips?
download/file.php?id=102618&mode=view

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 17:18:

I see what you did there 🤣

and what are repoman11s chips?
download/file.php?id=102618&mode=view

I think you think that I did something wrt the amount of chips on the photo and the explanation,
but if that's the case,
you're wrong.

I'm talking about only one Chip. 4Mb x8 x4 comes from the datasheet of the chip.

as for the repoman's modules... the 128MB one has chips with the same layout as yours... and the 256MB one also, chips with same layout.
Looking at the datasheets helps.

Oh and if you want to know the difference between PCI2.0 and PCI3.0... have a blast https://blog.bluepay.com/what-is-the-differen … 2-0-and-pci-3-0
I'm finding it hard to figure out what exactly is the difference in communication protocol of the PCI bus revisions by reading that page 😁

weedeewee wrote on 2021-02-10, 17:44:

I think you think that I did something wrt the amount of chips on the photo and the explanation, but if that's the case, you'r […]
Show full quote

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 17:18:

I see what you did there 🤣

and what are repoman11s chips?
download/file.php?id=102618&mode=view

I think you think that I did something wrt the amount of chips on the photo and the explanation,
but if that's the case,
you're wrong.

I'm talking about only one Chip. 4Mb x8 x4 comes from the datasheet of the chip.

as for the repoman's modules... the 128MB one has chips with the same layout as yours... and the 256MB one also, chips with same layout.
Looking at the datasheets helps.

Oh and if you want to know the difference between PCI2.0 and PCI3.0... have a blast https://blog.bluepay.com/what-is-the-differen … 2-0-and-pci-3-0
I'm finding it hard to figure out what exactly is the difference in communication protocol of the PCI bus revisions by reading that page 😁

all the bits and bytes made you hungry. 🤣

okay so that's end of the line it sounds like? I've tried what worked for repoman11 (same chip config) and it didn't work on my board is the conclusion right?

Sphere478 wrote on 2021-02-10, 18:22:

[
all the bits and bytes made you hungry. 🤣

okay so that's end of the line it sounds like? I've tried what worked for repoman11 (same chip config) and it didn't work on my board is the conclusion right?

bits and bytes... maybe subconsciously.
Do you and repoman have the same identical board ?