Intel D946GZIS and OCZ 2x2GB PC-6400 800MHZ RAM

[kemayou]

Hello,


I have a D946GZIS motherboard and I want to do a RAM upgrade. I've spotted a 4GB Kit from OCZ and I want to make sure it's compatible before I buy it. I have looked at the spec sheet and the compatibility page (http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d946gzis/sb/CS-026621.htm) for the board but I want to double check with an expert here just to make sure.

Here are the memory spec:

800MHz DDR2
CL 5-5-5-18
(CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
Unbuffered
1.8 Volts
240 Pin DIMM

source: http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr2_pc2_6400_vista_performance_gold_4gb_dual_channel

My Specs:
motherboard -> Intel D946GZIS
Processor -> Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86 MHZ
RAM -> Unmatched DDR2 1x1GB Crucial PC-5300 667MHZ & 1x512MB random PC-4200 533 MHZ


It seems that 800MHZ RAM is not necessarely recommended for that board. However, I would still like to know if that set of OCZ I mentionned could work on my board. The reason why I'm insisting on this is because I'm really getting a good deal for them and it would be ashame to let them go.


I browsed a little bit to get as much information as I could and found the Crucial Memory Configuration Tool and the results for my board indicate that 800MHZ is compatible. (please note that I'm only interested with 4GB kits). Same thing goes for the Corsair Memory Configurator although I'm less confident with those results since they also seem to indicate that 2.1V and 1066MHZ RAM kits are compatible.


The Crucial Mem Config Tool also has a FAQ on which I foung this:

Q: What memory goes into my computer, and will a faster speed be backward-compatible?
A: DDR2 memory with support for DDR2 PC2-6400,DDR2 PC2-5300,DDR2 PC2-8500 speeds.

If that holds true, it would mean that 800MHZ can work on the board, it'll just be underclocked to a compatible speed, perhaps 667MHZ?

Now I know that if I want to be on the safe side, I just need to get a kit that matches exactly what is on the intel recommended list but like I said at the begenning, I have a really good deal on the the OCZ kit, and I want to make sure it will absolutely not work with the board.

 

[roonj]

Well your manufacturer says 667mhz or 533mhz, there are two total slots and it does support 2meg modules for a total of 4 megs ram. The default voltage of your board for ram is probobly is too low for running the modules you want at their required voltage but, If you can fix memory speed at 667 in bios it will probobly be ok as they require less voltage at lower speeds. It's also possible a bios upgrade allowed a higher speed of ram, but this isn't know from reading the manual.
Looks like a safe bet- go for it, by the way why are they selling you the ram?

 

[kemayou]

Thank you for your answer.

I'm actually getting them from a guy I know, he has this set lying around and he's letting them go for 50$ (Canadian $) I shopped around a little to compare the prices and it seems like a pretty good deal to me, considering the fact that I was not able to find any decent 4GB kit for less than a 100$. Maybe I didn't shop hard enough? forgive my lack of skills in that area

 

[kemayou]

Well just to let people know, I got the kit and installed it on my PC. Absolutely no problems were encountered and my PC is running fine. Checked the RAM speed: it runs at 667MHZ.