Registered DRAM DIMMS can not be mixed ...or do I need to update BIOS

Laura Oliver

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Jun 20, 2012
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We have had a dell power edge 1300-500 server with Windows 2000 for at least 12 years. We have operated just fine with 1 stick of 256 RAM, but recently I decided to add more RAM.



The RAM stick had the following information on its lable:

d32m72s4r8v36T100.d

1B52R329E22-A6F

004 XA0661

0100-222622R



I tried to order the RAM from Dell but DELL said I would have to go elsewhere, so I went to an online memory store and gave the online chat man the above numbers, and he told me to order (3) "32x72-100MHz PC100, 168p DIMM, 3.3v, Sync, ECC, Registered" part mumber 162ms-031-D 256mb 168 pin

I added the 3 new rams sticks along side my old ram stick and when I turned the server back on I got the following message Alert, unbufferred and registered DRAM DIMMS can not be mixed. and when I checked the properites of my computer it still said only 261mb.

So I took my old ram stick out and left in the 3 new sticks..... and the dern computer wouldnt even turn on.

So I went back to the online chat man and told him I thought I ordered the wrong thing,but he said no that what I had gotten was correct and that the message was wrong. and that I just need to update my BIOS.

I do not know what to think!

1) Why did I get the message Alert, unbufferred and registered DRAM DIMMS can not be mixed if I need to update the BIOS? Why didnt I get a message that said I needed to update my BIOS?

2) Is it not possible that the error message is correct and my 3 new sticks of ram are not compatiabile with my old stick? (except that the server wouldnt even turn on if I left out my old stick and just inserted the 3 new sticks)

3) Did I buyt the correct ram sticks?

4) If I need a BIOS update, which one do I download? Its seems they are all for Windows 2003 and I have 2000.



Any and all help appreciated,.

Laura
 
1) A lot of servers require ECC or registered ram and won't work with unbuffered
2) No, they are 2 different types, one is error correcting and the others are not.
3) No, you should have gotten ECC ram.
4) You would have to get the latest bios for your motherboard. Being 12 yrs old that may be very hard to find and if Dell told you to go elsewhere already you might have a very tough time finding stuff.
 

Laura Oliver

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Jun 20, 2012
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5) Is my old ram stick ( d32m72s4r8v36T100.d ....1B52R329E22-A6F ..... 004 XA0661 .... 0100-222622R) registered? non registerered? buffered or unbuffered?

6) Is the new rams stick ( "32x72-100MHz PC100, 168p DIMM, 3.3v, Sync, ECC, Registered" part mumber 162ms-031-D 256mb 168 pin) registered? non registerered? buffered or unbuffered?
 

Laura Oliver

Honorable
Jun 20, 2012
15
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10,510
I apolgize if I am doing something wrong.
I have tried to google and find this, but I can't.
Is it not okay for me to ask the same question on diffferent sites? If not I apologise. I just want to make sure before I send the 3 new sticks back for a refund. The online chat guy is confident the 3 new sticks are compatible with my older stick.
 



System Memory

System memory has a minimum of 64 MB of 72-bit unbuffered memory. The system memory capacity can be expanded up to 1 GB by using combinations of 64-, 128-, and/or 256-MB unbuffered or registered SDRAM DIMMs. Maximum capacity using unbuffered SDRAM DIMMs is 512 MB. Maximum capacity using registered SDRAM DIMMs is 1 GB.
note.gif (521 bytes) NOTE: DIMMs must be rated to run at 100 MHz.

The system board has four, 168-pin DIMM sockets. The DIMMs do not have to be inserted in pairs. The socket population guidelines are as follows:

Populate the DIMM sockets in order from DIMM_A (right) to DIMM_D (left).
The largest-capacity DIMM should be in socket DIMM_A, with smaller-capacity DIMMs installed in decreasing sized toward socket DIMM_D.
Unbuffered and registered SDRAM DIMMs cannot be mixed in the system. Remove any 64- or 128-MB unbuffered DIMMs before installing 256-MB registered DIMMs.
DIMMs support the ECC feature, which detects memory errors and corrects single-bit memory errors. The ECC feature is built into the memory controller on the system board.

Figure 6, DIMM Sockets, shows an isolated view of the DIMM sockets on the system board (see the system board illustration).

Figure 6. DIMM Sockets

dimms.gif (12615 bytes)

For more detailed information about DIMM installation guidelines and samples of DIMM configurations, see "Installing System Board Options" in the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.

For information on removing and replacing DIMMs, refer to DIMM Removal and Installation.
 

Laura Oliver

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Jun 20, 2012
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The Online chat guy where I bought the ram keeps assuring me it is the correct ram, and that the only reason I am getting the error is that I need to do a bios update and everything will be fine.
 

Laura Oliver

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Jun 20, 2012
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"Unbuffered and registered SDRAM DIMMs cannot be mixed in the system. Remove any 64- or 128-MB unbuffered DIMMs before installing 256-MB registered DIMMs."


Doesn;t the fact that I currently have only a single stick of 256 mean it that my old sick can't be unbuffered?

Doesn't the fact that I currently have only a single stick of 256 mean it is definittly registered

Is registered the same as buffered?
Is non registered the same as unbuffered?
 

Laura Oliver

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Jun 20, 2012
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think my original ram stick has to be registered RAM, because the manual implies theres no such thing as a single 256 unbuffered stick.

from the manual ..... "Unbuffered and registered SDRAM DIMMs cannot be mixed in the system. Remove any 64- or 128-MB unbuffered DIMMs before installing 256-MB registered DIMMs."

 


What's the difference between buffered and unbuffered DIMMs?

High density DIMMs have lots of chips on them and therefore possess a higher capacitive load on the address and control signals in comparison to lower density DIMMs. Some designers use redrive buffers on the DIMM to boost the signals to reduce system loading when compared to the same high density module without buffers. But the buffers introduce a small delay into the electrical signal, so adding buffers to a standard density module would have the effect of slowing down the signal, compared to the same low density module without buffers.

If you look at the chips you should see an extra chip on the buffered(ECC) chip compared to the unbuffered chips.