Installing some RAM into an i440BX mb- need some help

R

randycat99

Veteran
I know it's probably a little different for just any i440bx motherboard depending on maker and firmware. However, maybe you will recognize my situation- so I installed this 512 MB module, but all I get when I start the machine is a long beep that repeats. Does that pretty much mean the computer doesn't recognize the new card because it is either not supported in firmware and/or the memory card is potentially bad? Is there a certain kind of beep that would further distinguish the former from the latter, or this is pretty much the end of the road as far as my old machine and that memory card?

-the memory card was bought new at Fry's

-the age of the firmware is from 1999, I believe (and I'm seemingly too cheap to buy a firmware upgrade from one of those internet sites)
 
What type of i440bx is it, do you have the specific motherboard model#/manufacturer? Every mobo has a specific set of "beep codes", and you can diagnose what is wrong from them.
 
Usually a sign that the memory test failed.

How many modules are you using? If your answer is 2 try moving one to the first DIMM slot and the second module to the third DIMM slot so there is a space between them. First DIMM slot being the one closest to the processor. If thats how its already setup try moving both modules to the first and second DIMM slots so they're next to eachother. If that still doesnt work then try only booting on the new module.

If you only have that one stick installed try reseating it into the first DIMM, if it still doesnt work you may need a bios update or there could be a ram compatability issue in which case you're SOL. 512mb modules werent exactly common back in 1999 so my guess would be it needs a simple yet annoying bios update to use it. Thats assuming you have compatable PC-133 or PC-100 ram.
 
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Very descriptive, Sugarcoat! I was really lazy and just swapped whatever in the 3rd slot for the new card. There are 128 MB cards in the first 2 slots. It never occurred to me pull everything and just start with the new card in the first slot, but it now seems that is what I should have done to really keep the guessing field level.

I did attempt to reseat and the 2nd time I started it, it didn't make any beeps at all and just sat their stalled. I figured I was going to bust something if I continued like this, so I aborted my little project, at that point.

Do you think I was premature and the 512 MB could have actually worked, or do you think it is just more likely my firmware just isn't going to support a "gigantic" 512 MB card?

I guess, ultimately, do you think a 256 MB card is a better bet for me to try? I sure hope 128 MB isn't the limit, but I wouldn't be surprised, either.
 
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some quick digging around revealed that two models, a Soyo model and an Asus model using that chipset, had a maximum memory support capacity of 256mb for a single DIMM, so thats problably the issue.

both those models did support everything from 8MB (lol) to 256mb modules so that would problably work for ya if you can return that 512mb.




You can also try a bios flash if you had hours and hours to burn. You'd have to start by downloading something like CPUZ on that computer to indentify the model then you'd have to cross your fingers that the company still has support on it. Many remove boards that old, even from discontinued product support, so theres a chance you'd be hunting for a third party site that indexes older bios which can take a little time. Even then its not a guaranty it will fix the issue. Personally i dont think its worth the hassel but thats me.
 
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Yes, I figured as much. I returned the card earlier today. I will give the 256 MB a try.


Thank you, everybody, for your help!
 
You may also have to install memory on that board in PAIRS, so make sure you have 2 dimms to use.
 
I've heard of that, but the fact that this darn thing only has 3 physical slots makes this a strange requirement. ;) I guess your suggestion would apply in the case if 512 MB dimm could be recognized, in which case I would need to fill 2 slots of them and then leave the 3rd empty?
 
440BX supports upto 4 double-sided dimms.
at time when the chipset was created, that gave total of upto 512MB ram
My guess is that 512MB dimm won't work - that means 64MB per chip
 
Stupid question, could it be that you're using DDR-RAM instead of the old SD-RAM? Never heard of 512MB SD-RAM modules.
 
yes, 512MB sdram sticks do exist.
no, you don't install sdram in pairs, DIMM are 64bits just as the FSB.

440BX doesn't support more than 128MB per bank I think, so you have to have a double-bank 256MB stick (note that bank is'nt necessarily the same thing as face, so that's confusing..)
not only 512MB sticks won't work, but half the 256MB sticks work, and hald don't!
a 256MB stick with eight chips (single sided) won't work or at best will be seen as 128MB. a stick with 16 chips (double-sided) might or might not work, but there are odds it works..
 
zsouthboy said:
Yeah the old BX can't support 512 meg sticks. It'll either not work, or only see 256MB of it.
Click to expand...

What he said!

I've still get me old Abit BF6 churning along here (burst caps and all!) with a Tualeron 1200 @ 1400. I have it loaded with 3 beautiful sticks of Crucial CL2 PC133 256MB. That's the biggest RAM size a chipset short of i815 will work with I believe.
 
Blazkowicz said:
yes, 512MB sdram sticks do exist.
no, you don't install sdram in pairs, DIMM are 64bits just as the FSB.

440BX doesn't support more than 128MB per bank I think, so you have to have a double-bank 256MB stick (note that bank is'nt necessarily the same thing as face, so that's confusing..)
Click to expand...


Oooh, that sounds pretty much like a dead end for me. I guess the 128 MB sticks I got in there now are pretty much as good as it will get... :( Oh well, at least it isn't my primary machine, but I had in mind putting it to some more work. More RAM would have been nice. All this, so I could finally run my old Win95 partition (don't ask) in VPC for PC! :eek: Maybe this is shouting to me that it is time for one of those sweet little Intel-inside Mac Mini's...
 
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randycat99 said:
Oooh, that sounds pretty much like a dead end for me. I guess the 128 MB sticks I got in there now are pretty much as good as it will get... :( Oh well, at least it isn't my primary machine, but I had in mind putting it to some more work. More RAM would have been nice. All this, so I could finally run my old Win95 partition (don't ask) in VPC for PC! :eek: Maybe this is shouting to me that it is time for one of those sweet little Intel-inside Mac Mini's...
Click to expand...
The slots for ram is called DIMM slots and each have 2 banks. so a dubble sided dimm has 128 meg one each side so 128 meg for each bank. What you need is a DIMM that is 32X64. Its should have 8 memory chips on each side for a total of 16 chips per DIMM.
 
440BX doesn't support double-bank 512mb sticks? Well that's funny, because we had two 440BX based systems in at TAFE running 1gb comprised of two double-sided 512mb pc-133 sticks. And it worked perfectly, so long as the two sticks were in the two last slots, and not taking up the first one (which would only accept a single-sided stick of ram, regardless of size).

Perhaps it's certain revisions that have the limitation?
 
More accurately I think is to say 440BX has a RAM chip density limit. I'm sure u can run 512s but most 512s use chips that are too modern for the chipset. 440BX only supports up to 128mbit chips. So, do the math on your DIMMs and their chip count and resulting density. Some 256mb sticks wont even work. i810 also has this restriction. i815 does not.

I think you'd need a 32 chip 512MB DIMM. :) My Crucial 256s are 16 chip.
 
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Thank you all for this great info! The explanation of chip density puts it all in perspective now why some dimms work and some don't.

So is there good concensus that a 512 MB dimm is indeed a possibility, as long as it is built up from at least 16+ chips? Is this a hard variety to find? Is pricing and low density availability possibly better on the 256 dimm side?
 
randycat99 said:
Thank you all for this great info! The explanation of chip density puts it all in perspective now why some dimms work and some don't.

So is there good concensus that a 512 MB dimm is indeed a possibility, as long as it is built up from at least 16+ chips? Is this a hard variety to find? Is pricing and low density availability possibly better on the 256 dimm side?
Click to expand...

I have never been able to use 512 meg dimms in a 440BX. The most I have been able to use is 256meg dimms that are 32X64 (16 chips on the dimm). How many dimm slots do your motherboard have 3 or 4?
 
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