Old PC says it can take 2Gb of memory, but only sees 1Gb

[StoneAgeMan]

In Brief: I have an old PC (2006), that says it can support up to 2Gb of memory, but only had 512Mb installed. I put two 1Gb modules in but the POST only "sees" two 512 Mb. I have Flashed the BIOS to the latest version. Have I missed something?

Details:
PC is a shop-bought, low-spec model from PCWorld (UK retail chain), in 2006. The make is a brand exclusive to that chain.
Ei Systems 204
Intel Celeron D 356 (3.33GHz)
512 MB DDR2 memory
80 GB Hard drive storage
Unicrome Pro 3D/2D Graphics & Video integrated
Windows XP SP2 (now SP3)

Motherboard is a Foxconn P4M800P7MB which says in the manual;

Quote:
System Memory
· Two 240-pin DIMM slots
· Supports DDR2 533/400 memory
· Supports 128 Mb/256 Mb/512 Mb/1 Gb technology up to 2GB

The memory modules that I bought were Kingston ValueRam KVR533D2N4/1G, 1Gb PC2 - 4200 CL4 240-pin DIMM, see the specs page here (pdf).

[Kymmy]

Only thing that would cause that error is a mix-up between high density and low density ram

In other words the motherboard can only read 512Mb of memory per side, the kingston ram is single sided (high density).. what you need is low density 1GB dimms that have 512Mb per side (they are double sided)

[Delta Whiskey]

Weird. Have you booted into Windows and checked how much RAM it reports, I wonder if the BIOS is just showing the wrong info. Also have you tried one stick of RAM to see if that show up correctly in the BIOS.

[StoneAgeMan]

Thanks for the responses.

Kymmy: I'm not sure how to locate a product that matches what you describe (low-density). I followed the product info on Kingston page, by selecting the motherboard and seeing what it offered to match it. Kingston no longer support that motherboard, but will show information about it as below;

Part Number Description
KVR400D2N3/256 256MB 400MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL3 DIMM
KVR400D2N3/512 512MB 400MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL3 DIMM
KVR400D2N3/1G 1GB 400MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL3 DIMM
KVR533D2N4/256 256MB 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM
KVR533D2N4/512 512MB 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM
KVR533D2N4/1G 1GB 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM

Kingston also says, under "Upgrade Path";

Virtually any configuration up to 2GB can be reached using Kingston's 256, 512MB, and 1GB modules or kits.

Delta Whiskey:
Once Windows is loaded, the system properties shows

Celeron(R) D CPU 3.33 GHz
3.32GHz, 960 MB of RAM

It shows 960 because I have an integrated graphics that uses part of the installed RAM (instead of an independent graphics card that would have its own memory).

I also ran BelArc Advisor and the RAM scanning tool from Crucial.com, which both "saw" two 512MB modules instead of two 1GB.

When I first bought the RAM, I only bought one stick, and planned to use the existing 512MB stick. When this came up as two 512MB, I thought it was because the two sticks were from different manufacturers. So I bought another 1GB so I could have both the same.

[Delta Whiskey]

Thinking back, I remember encountering this problem with an old PC Chips motherboard. It turned out that even though they said it would work with 256Mb sticks of RAM they'd not actually tested it out because they were only just becoming available. So when the 256Mb sticks became the norm people found a hardware fault with the motherboard which meant it wasn't able to read above 128Mb. Is there anything on the website where you got the BIOS upgrade from that might indicate that there is a problem with 1Gb sticks. Also it might be worth flashing the BIOS again just in case it wasn't installed properly first time around.

[StoneAgeMan]

I couldn't find any reference to a "known problem". It was one of the things I worried about. It has got so that I'm developing false memories of conversations with the salesman when I bought the PC... but I'm fairly sure that he didn't really tell me "this won't work if you try and upgrade it, that's why we're flogging it off cheap"... or did he.

[Matth]

If it's the original Foxconn motherboard (and not some wierd OEM variant), then updating the BIOS might help. NB. There are several versions anyway, with some extra letters

I thought that heads had been banged together over standards compliance, after the various debacles that plagued PC-66/100/133 and DDR1, but then, maybe not.

[StoneAgeMan]

I couldn't see any description of what those extra letters meant. I downloaded two manuals, but couldn't see anything that looked different.

I appreciate all the suggestions. I had begun to wonder if I'd missed out something obvious.

[Lord Nikon]

check crucial's website, their memory advisor should help you determine what will / won't work

[StoneAgeMan]

I did. It is mentioned in the earlir posts.

Crucial do not know of my PC by the make and Model number. They also do not know it by the Motherboard model number. It will analyse what it CAN see, and makes recommendations as above. I bought the memory modules that Crucial recommended - although I used other sources to validate that choice first.

---------- Post added at 09:31 ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 ----------

Oops, sorry.. I wasn't reading properly. I have raised this in another forum and forgot to mention my Crucial.com results here;

I checked with CrucialScan and the online resources of the Computer manufacturer, the Motherboard manufacturer and the Memory manufacturer. That doesn't mean I got it right though. .

Crucial.com System scan says

Our System Scanner couldn't make a complete match, but we can still help you find the right memory upgrade.

Then prompts to enter the manufacturer, Product Line and Model.

Further down the page it says;

The following is a list of what our scan was able to detect:
System Manufacturer: P4M80P
System Model: AWRDACPI
Motherboard Manufacturer: Foxconn
Motherboard Model: P4M800P7MB

Then it describes my system as:

Maximum Memory Capacity: 1048576 MB
Currently Installed Memory: 1024 MB
Available Memory Slots: N.A.
Total Memory Slots: 2
Dual Channel Support: N.A.
CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
CPU Family: Intel(R) Celeron(R) D CPU 3.33GHz Model 6, Stepping 4
CPU Speed: 3319 MHz

Interestingly it shows two 512MB modules installed, DDR PC2-5200. Which is odd, as they are both 1GB PC2-4200.



If I follow the Crucial search function, when I enter the Manufacturer, etc. it takes me on a little journey. "Ei System" as manufacturer gets models 203 and 205, but not 204. "Foxconn" as manufacturer gets a list of motherboards, but not my one. So in this case, Crucial was slightly less than useful.

Checks that I made on the Foxconn site, and the Kingston site, were more... authoritative?... but brought me to this same place.

Kingston showed the following memory modules as being suitable for that motherboard;

Part Number Description
KVR400D2N3/256 256MB 400MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL3 DIMM
KVR400D2N3/512 512MB 400MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL3 DIMM
KVR400D2N3/1G 1GB 400MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL3 DIMM
KVR533D2N4/256 256MB 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM
KVR533D2N4/512 512MB 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM
KVR533D2N4/1G 1GB 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM

[StoneAgeMan]

An update for the curious.
I received another memory module from Kingston (via Amazon.co.uk), which is labelled as the same product, yet it has all different SDRAM packages on the board and the board itself is a different size (height). When I saw it I thought my prayers would be answered for sure. All the websites suggest that the type of memory I bought is the correct type, maybe just the slim version is more densely packed and the motherboard can't read it... well, sadly, the Mobo couldn't read this one at all. On its own in slot 1, or slot 2, the PC wouldn't boot. Also wouldn't boot if the wide card was in one slot and the slim card was in another.

After getting some input from the forums, which has helped me to better understand what is goin on, I have now raised fault reports on the websites for Foxconn and Kingston. I'll let you know how that goes.