PC limited to 2GB memory

[post2sa]

I was given an old Acer M6610G which I thought an upgrade to my even older XP pc which Ive used now for (older) games.

This Acer came with 4GB memory and win7 64 bit. When runing there are no issues but when trying to put in the graphics card from my other pc, a GEForce GTX 950 it just would not even get to Post. I tried each of the 2 memory cards in combinations of the 4 slots, still nothing. Then with either one 2GB card it came to life, booted ran and I can play games all be it limited to the same 2GB I have on my XP pc.

I looked at Acer website and apparently the most updated BIOS is installed.

I ask here if there are any solutions to get more memory working. The local Acer supplier said it may be a limitation of the pc as it was designed for office use and not gaming.

Operating System: Win7 64bit SP1
CPU: Intel Core I3-2130 CPU @3.4GHz
Ram: 4GB (2GB)
Motherboard: Veriton M6610G (CPU 1)
Graphics: GeForce GTX 950
Keyboard: Lenovo (USB)
Mouse: Lenovo (USB)

 

[brispuss]

Insufficient power to the system?

The GTX 950 requires a 6 pin auxiliary power supply from the PSU. Make sure that this 6 pin connector is inserted properly into the video card.

If still having issues, the PSU may not be supplying enough power due to limitation of design, or due to age, or due to a fault within the PSU. Could then try another known working PSU, preferably with higher power output compared to the existing PSU.

 

[post2sa]

I have swapped the PSU from other pc, its a 550w unit, no change.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Did you connect the auxillary power?

Sure sounds like a power supply issue to me if the GPU card has the sup power cable connected. Maybe you are not populating the modules when they are both installed, according to the population rules for the motherboard slots as outlined by the motherboard instruction manual? Does it have only two memory slots, or are there four?

Also possible BOTH power supplies are inadequate or just old and weak.

Might also want to check and see if there is a newer BIOS version available for that motherboard.

 

[brispuss]

Maximum power consumption of the computer would be around 230 Watts with the GTX 950 video card installed.

The Veriton M6610G should have come with a 250 W or a 300 W PSU. This PSU should, in theory, be sufficient to power the system, but if this PSU is faulty or has aged, then insufficient power would be the cause of the issues. However, the 550 W PSU tried should have provided more than enough power for the system, unless this PSU is (also) faulty and/or has aged.

If it is certain that the 550 W PSU is working OK (tested in other computer), then the reason for ongoing issues with this Veriton M6610G based system might be due to a motherboard fault and/or due to motherboard aging.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Or it may also be due to the fact that this older system does not support graphics cards which were designed to be used with UEFI firmware environments. We've seen a great number of the 9xx and 1xxx series graphics cards that have proven to be unsupported by legacy BIOS yet worked perfectly fine when installed in systems using UEFI bios. Especially if the card model does not have an option for changing from legacy to UEFI or reverse, much as even my old R9 280 Dual X has.

When that card was released there were still a great number of older legacy bios motherboards in use. Several years have passed since then and I suspect that most card manufacturers are no longer attempting to support both legacy and UEFI type motherboard bios in the firmware of the cards being released, nor are motherboard manufacturers attempting to keep these older legacy systems up to date with firmware that would allow the use of these newer generation cards that use GPU and memory architectures that did not exist at the time they were still supported.

It IS possible though, that a newer bios version for your motherboard, if one is even available, might correct this problem if in fact this is even what is causing the issue. No guarantee though that there is even an updated newer bios for that motherboard since it is long past the point of being supported by the manufacturer.

 

[post2sa]

Having checked PSU as asked earlier I think I go along with the last post and concede that the system is too old and limited.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It probably is, but I'd still check to see if there is a bios update for that board that would resolve the problem. It costs you nothing to do so.

 

[post2sa]

Nothing since 2011/08/30

Version: P01.A4 Vendor: Acer
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/ID/content/support-product/3552;-;

 

[The Paladin]

1. your service manual is located at https://www.manualslib.com/manual/445283/Acer-Veriton-M6618g.html
2. specifications seems like any other 2nd gen system with a Q67 Chipset
2a does it use a Bios or a UEFI (graphical) Bios ?
3. have you tried any other video cards in your system?

 

[Darkbreeze]

2. specifications seems like any other 2nd gen system with a Q67 Chipset

Not really. The mere fact that it is an OEM motherboard means that it will usually, almost always, lack as much support for hardware upgrades as an aftermarket board using the same chipset. OEM boards were generally intended to only work with the hardware supplied, OR, with replacement hardware from the same generation. Support for hardware from subsequent generations is something that these OEM manufacturers sometimes choose to offer when there is enough of an uproar but at some point they usually completely stop supporting them within say a year after the end of life as determined by THEM.

Hardware that adheres to a new specification almost never works on or with older hardware unless the manufacturer has specifically reworked the legacy bios in order for it to do so and they rarely spend the money/resources to do that unless there is a very large portion of their customer base that requires it. There ARE however people out there that take it upon themselves to rewrite custom bioses for legacy systems so that it will be compatible with newer hardware so it's sometimes worth looking around in the few sites dedicated to these customizations.

Personally, I think if the hardware is that old, it's probably past the point of really being worth the effort, but there are some people I guess that for whatever reason, be it financial or lack of available hardware where they live, that continue to need support for some of the older hardware. Usually though they are limited to using whatever was still compatible the last time there was a bios release for that hardware. Anything new enough to have a UEFI "bios" can generally expect to be able to use just about anything that is currently or recently being manufactured.

 

[post2sa]

1. your service manual is located at https://www.manualslib.com/manual/445283/Acer-Veriton-M6618g.html
2. specifications seems like any other 2nd gen system with a Q67 Chipset
2a does it use a Bios or a UEFI (graphical) Bios ?
3. have you tried any other video cards in your system?

thanks for link. Page 23 -30 of that show BIOS as I also see it.
No other card available to try.

 

[The Paladin]

okay then your motherboard is running Bios not UEFI Bios, likely best you can run on that is a GTX750ti.