memory advice - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2020, 02:06:50 pm
content: hi all,ive got a gigabyte GA-78LMT mb ,anyone have any idea what memory i need for it,theres so many types it seems like a minefield,in not worried about the size,just need to know what will fit/work,cheers in advance.

author: Dakkahun
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2020, 02:52:48 pm
content: You can check their memory compatibility list:https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_ga-78lmt-usb3.pdfAny memory from g-sckill, corsair, ocz, kingston with the same parameters or better should work just fine.To test compatibility and stability, you can run memtest86.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2020, 07:03:45 pm
content: will non ecc work?

author: Dakkahun
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 08:14:42 am
content: The MB works does not support ECC memory.Regards.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 06:17:49 pm
content: your english doesent make it clear so is that a yes or no?.

author: Ice-Tea
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 06:20:42 pm
content: Nothing wrong with his English. Your motherboard does not support ECC memory so non-ECC will work fine, ECC memory will probably not work at all.

author: Dakkahun
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 06:33:43 pm
content: Quote from: Dakkahun on December 18, 2020, 08:14:42 amSorry, I slipped an extra word in there. Generally, consumer grade MBs and CPUs do not support ECC memory, it's mostly used in servers and professional workstations.The Ryzen CPUs are an exception to this, but the MB must support this also. See this article:https://hardwarecanucks.com/cpu-motherboard/ecc-memory-amds-ryzen-deep-dive/

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 07:19:24 pm
content: so thats a no then,take it i need to buy non eec memory then?.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 07:24:04 pm
content: Here is what you do:go to crucial.com and use theScan Computerbutton.It will download and run and tell you how much RAM you have, how much more you can install and what type.Then...........you'll know and you can go looking for RAM anywhere you want

author: Dakkahun
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 07:29:51 pm
content: Non-ECC is the way to go, the pdf I linked earlier has memory modules which were tested by Gigabyte with you mainboard.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 07:47:00 pm
content: bit hard to do as mb is sat on my bench with no memory in it ! lol.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 08:31:23 pm
content: Quote from: m3vuv on December 18, 2020, 07:47:00 pmHa! You got me!DDR3 1333 at the top of the last page of the pdf that another poster linked earlier

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 08:35:12 pm
content: am i correct in thinking its 240 pin memory?

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 08:44:59 pm
content: will these be ok?https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4GB-2x2GB-DDR3-PC3-10600U-1333-MHZ-240-PIN-PC-RAM-DESKTOP-MEMORY-INTEL-AND-AMD/333328696138?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

author: Dakkahun
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 08:59:40 pm
content: Quote from: m3vuv on December 18, 2020, 08:44:59 pmor something like this:https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kingston-hyperx-fury-black-16gb-2x8gb-ddr3-pc3-12800c10-1600mhz-dual-channel-kit-hx316c10fbk2-16-my-167-ks.htmlif you prefer brand new.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 09:02:26 pm
content: my pockets are not that deep,ive ordered what i linked too,just hope they are compatibale?

author: Dakkahun
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 09:14:56 pm
content: Just test them with memtest86 for an extended period of time, at least two test cycles.The links to download a bootable iso can be found here:https://www.memtest.org/#downiso

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 09:32:11 pm
content: Quote from: m3vuv on December 18, 2020, 07:19:24 pmno, that's a "yes" -- to your question "will non ecc work?"

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2020, 11:31:30 pm
content: my good god,im more confused than ever now !!

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 19, 2020, 06:13:33 am
content: Quote from: m3vuv on December 18, 2020, 09:02:26 pmThat is impossible to say, because the ones you bought does not say the chip manufacturer.The QVL for that motherboard contains very common chips, and in my experience, the Gigabyte motherboards based on AMD760G/780G and SB710 chipsets were not at all picky about their memory chips. (I do believe I used a GA-MA78GM with an Athlon X2 for a few years, with various (increasing) memory configurations.)The manualsays the motherboard has four DDR3 RAM slots, for use with DDR3 1333+ (if overclocked) or DDR3 1066 MHz memory modules. You can use either two or four onesided or dualsided modules. When using only two modules, they need to be in paired slots: either DDR3_1 and DDR3_2, or in DDR3_3 and DDR3_4. They're named DDR3_4, DDR3_2, DDR3_3, DDR3_1 reading from close to the processor towards the power connector. Simply put, if you use only two modules, you leave one unused slot in between.I am a bit of a paranoid snob, so I like to use a bit of acetone or IPA to clean the contacts of new memory modules before inserting them, and being extra careful when inserting the first one, so that I know it seats right, I know how much force to expect, and so on; and if the second and further ones do not seat exactly the same way, I detach them all and investigate first why not, before re-inserting them. Once there was a piece of cardboard in the module slot. Other times it was my own error (butterfingers). It's not hard, and I guess most people do it right the first time.Oh, and make a habit of always touching the enclosure chassis before and when grabbing anything for insertion, to minimize static charge buildup (discharging to/through the chassis, if any does). In winter, I often wear woolly socks, and do get a bit of a static buildup. I don't use a wristwrap when building PCs, the fiddle-with-the-chassis habit means it's not necessary. Although, if you ever strip a chassis to its bare bones, you'll love yourself later if you take emory paper or files and remove the burrs from the stamped edges. The tiny cuts they cause otherwise are especially nasty when you forget about them, and use hand sanitizer. Ouchie.When you stick the memory in, also make sure the CPU cooler is properly attached. If it has sat on a table or in a box unused for a year or longer, I would detach the CPU cooler, and re-apply proper heatsink compound. The purpose of the compound is not to be a complete layer between the two surfaces, only to fill in any microscopic voids and cracks, maximizing the thermal contact between the two surfaces. When properly applied, the compound itself does not matter much (although yes, I did like Arctic Silver, and probably still have a tube of Arctic MX). Especially when too much was initially applied, the compund can dry up, and reduce the contact between the two surfaces. I've used both IPA and acetone to remove the old compound; do not use soap agents, as they leave a film residue, that can affect the thermal interface.Don't bother with a hard drive. Connect a display and a keyboard, and boot to BIOS. Make note of current settings, then reset to "Safe defaults" (depends a bit on the BIOS). Then, scan through the settings again, paying special attention to the boot devices and boot order (so you can boot!), and if the BIOS provides the facility, choose optimized settings for the RAM. I mean, not the ones you set by hand; but if the BIOS provides "optimized settings" or some such, it probably can query the memory modules capabilities, and uses the best set of settings those capabilities claim.Then, you boot into a memtest86+ or similar USB boot stick, and let it run for a minimum of 24 hours. If you see any failures, you need to stop, and reduce the BIOS memory settings to less optimized/more conservative values. I never edit the fields by hand; if the "safe defaults" won't work, I get a better set of memory modules. (I like Kingston, Hynix, and Adata.) If the failures are immediate, or the board only sees a fraction of the memory, usually the memory modules are not seated right.I also like to keep track of the heatsink temperature (preferably near the bottom), to see what the near-idle long-term stable temperature is. If you see a trend in any direction after one hour or so with no change in ambient temperature, there is something wrong with the heatsink mounting. I usually do this "I'm suspicious of you" testing run when the machine is splayed open on my work table over a weekend.If the board passes memtest without any errors for 48 hours, I'll trust it.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2020, 01:19:02 am
content: Well,ive just ordered 2 lots of these,hope they will work ok with my board amd fx-8350 cpu?,cheers all.

author: LeonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2020, 09:55:53 pm
content: Quote from: m3vuv on December 18, 2020, 08:44:59 pmThe "U" at the end of the module type (in your case it's "PC3-10600U") is commonly used to designate a unbuffered ECC (UDIMM) RAM stick.Desktop RAM modules normally don't have a letter at the end of the module type. The modules you bought will probably work on your motherboard. It would be a issue if you got registered/buffered ECC sticks (RDIMM, type ends in "R"). I've installed many UDIMMs on desktop class motherboards and they worked just fine.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2020, 12:03:24 am
content: Quote from: LeonR on December 22, 2020, 09:55:53 pmNo, it is specifically used to designate an unbuffered, non-ECC module. An unbuffered ECC module would be specified by an E. All those modules are very clearly non-ECC.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 25, 2020, 12:05:47 am
content: ECC modules are very obvious by having 9 RAM chips on one side instead of 8.

author: LeonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2020, 09:47:04 pm
content: Quote from: Monkeh on December 25, 2020, 12:03:24 amWelp, I stand corrected! Thanks for the cleaning up.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 07:17:14 am
content: Well,i got this going ok with 2x2gb stripps,i was using it with an asus ati radeon hd5770 graphics card,it was running fine so ordered 2 more 8gb strips of ram,after fitting them i got no video out,i then memoved the video card and set the bios to use the onboard graphics,,any idea whats going on?,ive tried lots of settings changes in the bios,regarding the video but cant seem to fix it,any idea what the bios graphics/pcie settings should be on this?,finaly when i changed it to use the onboard graphics the boot drive sequence had altered even tho i never changed that while doing the memory change,any ideas what to do,the onboard graphics dont support dx-11,cheers in advance.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2021, 08:16:37 am
content: Quote from: m3vuv on January 09, 2021, 07:17:14 amWhen you encounter problems, start from the simplest configuration, adding items one at a time to find the culprit, instead of trying random combinations in the hopes of hitting one that works.If I understood you correctly, with 2×2GB RAM and ATi Radeon HD5770, the machine worked fine.With 2×2GB+2×8GB RAM and ATi Radeon HD5770, you have no video.I would try the following configurations next, resetting BIOS settings to defaults before each boot attempt, and booting to BIOS.2×2GB RAM and ATi Radeon HD5770, to verify the original configuration still works. If not, something broke; abort.2×2GB RAM alone, to verify you can boot without the HD5770. Remember to put them in memory slots with exactly one unused slot in between.2×8GB RAM alone, to verify they work. If not, they're not compatible with this motherboard; abort. Remember to put them in memory slots with exactly one unused slot in between. (Can you read the chip markings?)2×2GB + 2×8GB RAM alone, to verify they work with each other. Note that in this motherboard, the two must be interleaved, so the four slots must be filled as 2GB, 8GB, 2GB, 8GB; or 8GB, 2GB, 8GB, 2GB. Try both ways.2×8GB RAM and ATi Radeon HD5770, to verify the two are compatible with each other. If they're not, you need to drop one.If everything worked thus far, then 2×2GB+2×8GB RAM plus ATi Radeon HD5770 should work; maybe it was a badly seated card, so retry. If it still does not work even after reseating everything, this triplet is not compatible with each other, and you need to drop one.After you find a configuration that works and suffices for you, boot into memtest (using an USB stick, for example), and run it for 48 hours, minimum, to verify the RAM is reliable. If it finds any errors, you need to change the memory configuration.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2021, 12:12:25 pm
content: well ive tried all ways mentioned,still only the onboard video works,nothing fron the card,guess its stuffed,wierd tho as it was good b4 the memory upgrade!.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2021, 12:19:05 pm
content: Quote from: m3vuv on January 10, 2021, 12:12:25 pmRight; I've had that happen, too. I don't have an explanation, but I suspect it is a hardware issue, something like a cracked ceramic cap or broken trace in the card. It could be related to the memory upgrade – not necessarily in the electric sense, but because you bumped the card slightly when installing, or something – or it could be a pure coincidence. It might have nothing to do with the hardware change, and simply decided to go b0rk this same bootup.Us humans, we're pattern detectors, and we often detect patterns even when there is none (because in our evolutionary history, that sort of reactions has kept us alive and procreating)

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2021, 12:23:24 pm
content: well said,how true,my conclusion also,im 53 now with poor eye sight,if i was younger i would have a go at fixing it,but think its not worth the hassle tbh!