New memory!

[newbgoo]

Hello! I'm looking for help testing some new gaming memory.

Here's the rig:
Dell 720H2C, Dell MoBo (680i chipset)
Intel C2D 9850 OC'd at 3.667MHz
Dual NVidia 8800 GT's w/512 per card
Dell 2408 Widescreen Hi def monitor
Application drive: SATA 160G WD Raptor @ 10K RpM
Storage Drive: SATA 500G WD @7200 RpM
Windows Vista Home Premium 64 Bit


The machine came with 4G Corsair Dominator @ 800 MHz / 1.8volts, with an OC profile for 1066 Mhz / 2.2volts. Unfortunately, the 1066 profile soon produced memory errors... After a bit of internet reading, I noticed a consistent complaint specific to the 680i chipset:

The 680i MoBo is known to have issues supplying consistent 2.2 volts when there are 4 DIMMs installed.

A bit of research recently brought this product to light:
G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1100 (PC2 8800) Quad Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8800CL5Q-8GBPI
http://newgskill.web-bi.net/bbs/view.php?id=g_ddr2&no=124

As the EPP seemed to be exactly what I needed (1066 / 1.9volts), I bought and installed them. I chose the EPP profile from the BIOS and booted up.
So far (2 hours of browsing and light gaming) everything appears stable. As I am a gamer, and don't want to crash in the middle of an event, I'd like to do some stress testing. So here's the questions:

*?*Why did this memory upgrade lower my Windows score? The old memory scored 5.8, the new "upgrade" scored 5.3!

*?*Is there a simple tool out there that I can run to stress the memory a bit to see how it reacts? I'd prefer a tool that utilizes whole system to produce more real world situations.... or am I off base with that comment. As my username implies, I'm a bit of a newb when it comes to OC'ing... I have CPUZ running for CPU temps and NTune for the GPU fans. Other than that, nada.

*?*Does anyone have pos or neg feedback on the memory product? I've never dealt with anything but manufacturer memory.

Thanks in advance for any tools/insights/commentary the community may have.

 

[Mondoman]

Just so you don't feel bad, know that the 680i-based MBs were in general a big disaster with a lot of bugs, some never resolved. A couple of basic tools to test your system's stability are:
1) memtest86+, available free as a bootable CD image. Burn it, then boot from it and let it run O/N to make sure there aren't any major memory issues.
2) Orthos (or similar Prime95-based stress testing program). Runs under Windows - if you select the "blend" mode it will stress both CPU and lots of memory. Monitor your CPU and system temps carefully while this is running, as it will expose problems with your cooling and you don't want to overheat your system. I just run CoreTemp at the same time. Run Orthos for a number of hours or overnight.

Sounds like you've got a speedy system - enjoy it!

 

[newbgoo]

Thank you, Mondo... I really appreciate the information! I am wondering if there is a list of 680i issues posted anywhere?

After I posted, I did dig up memtest86, burn an iso and run it. As predicted, the stock setting (800 MHz) ran fine for 3 hours. The EPP (1066 MHz) had 1085 errors in the first 45 minutes. It's the same performance I saw with the 4 1G Corsair sticks @ 2.2Volts. ARGH!