IT7-MAX2: no way to see memory over 512M in 1G RAM boards

I've just bought a RAM of 1G KVR266X64C25/1G to add to my MB IT7-MAX2 that
is perfectly the same kind as the two 512M (KVR266X64C25/512) already
installed.
No way to see the banks over 512 M in the 1G board: I totally see 1536M of
RAM

Does any one know if this happened in the past to anyone else or how to
correct this kind of problems?
Thanks
Luca

On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:31:15 +0000, code001 wrote:

> I've just bought a RAM of 1G KVR266X64C25/1G to add to my MB IT7-MAX2 that
> is perfectly the same kind as the two 512M (KVR266X64C25/512) already
> installed.
> No way to see the banks over 512 M in the 1G board: I totally see 1536M of
> RAM
>
> Does any one know if this happened in the past to anyone else or how to
> correct this kind of problems?

Check your manual. It's possibly it's limited to 512M dimms. And yes,
there have always been limits of ram sizes since the beginning and there
always will be a limit. The limits are imposed by the CPU address bus and
the memory controller (in the chipset in your case).

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I've previously checked all those, and the manual reports 1G as maxi size
for a DIMM and 2G as maxi installable RAM, requirements I've respected.
I can try to see if the newest release of BIOS can help, but is quite
difficult to me now, because I access the machine threough remote desktop
and ther are no keyboard nor monitor!!!
Thanks


"Wes Newell" <> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:HEyRg.1133$fl2.1087@trnddc02...
> On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:31:15 +0000, code001 wrote:
>
>> I've just bought a RAM of 1G KVR266X64C25/1G to add to my MB IT7-MAX2
>> that
>> is perfectly the same kind as the two 512M (KVR266X64C25/512) already
>> installed.
>> No way to see the banks over 512 M in the 1G board: I totally see 1536M
>> of
>> RAM
>>
>> Does any one know if this happened in the past to anyone else or how to
>> correct this kind of problems?
>
> Check your manual. It's possibly it's limited to 512M dimms. And yes,
> there have always been limits of ram sizes since the beginning and there
> always will be a limit. The limits are imposed by the CPU address bus and
> the memory controller (in the chipset in your case).
>
> --
> Want the ultimate in free OTA SD/HDTV Recorder? http://mythtv.org
> http://mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html Usenet alt.video.ptv.mythtv
> My server http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php
> HD Tivo S3 compared http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/mythtivo.htm
>

"code001" <code001.tiscalinet@it> wrote in message...
> I've previously checked all those, and the manual reports 1G as
> maxi size for a DIMM and 2G as maxi installable RAM, requirements I've
> respected.

The only way to get 2 gigabytes of installed memory on this board is with a
pair of 1GB DIMMs.

As Wes has already mentioned, your problem is related to the 845 series
chipsets' memory controller and that they are only able to access four banks
of memory (one bank = one side of a DIMM). This in practice meant that
"proper" Intel-branded 845 motherboards were only equipped with a pair of
DIMM sockets. Two sockets equals four banks.

Abit and other manufacturers chose to provide a little more flexibility in
their designs by providing three DIMM sockets, but in practice what this
means is that if you do use all three slots, only one side of two of the
sticks will be readable by the motherboard. Great if you have a couple of
single-sided DIMMs, not so good if you have double-sided memory.

What has happened in your case is that the motherboard is seeing both sides
of your 1gig DIMM, and one side each of your (obviously double-sided) 512's.
Thus 1024 +256 +256 = 1536.

If you took one of the 512's out you would still see the total installed
memory listed as 1536MB, because again you would have a total of four memory
channels being read. If you really need a couple of gigs, you'll need to
junk your pair of 512's and get another giga-DIMM.

> I can try to see if the newest release of BIOS can help

It won't. What you're seeing is a hardware limitation, and there's nothing
any BIOS release can do to alleviate it.

> but is quite difficult to me now, because I access the machine threough
> remote desktop and ther are no keyboard nor monitor!!!

To be blunt with you that's not our problem! It's a moot point anyway given
what is said above, but if you really needed hardware access you could just
hook a monitor and keyboard up. Alternatively you can always flash the BIOS
remotely using Flashmenu. Not 100% certain whether it'll work via RD but no
reason to think it won't provided you have the appropriate user privileges.
--


Richard Hopkins
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
(replace nospam with pipex in reply address)

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