Laptop won't boot up with new 6400 RAM

I just got my bew 6400 Samsung SODIMMs (2x1GB) for my Compaq v6065ea (Tl-52, nForce 410/430, Gf 6150). It originally came with 5300 but Everest said the system supports 6400 as well.

Nevertheless, even if it would not, laptop should boot up in 5300 mode, no?
But it doesn't.
I upgraded the bios, I tried friend's Toshiba (Ati, TL-60) and some Core Duo (HP 430). None of those laptops would boot up with neither 1 nor 2 sticks.

Is it normal?

 

Possibly DOA?

 

6400 should indeed downclock to 5300 ram. Did you check with manufacturer itsself if the upgrade was possible? Other people with the same notebook had problems -did they even do the upgrade?-...

 

Manufacturer don't care about informing customers on upgrades of discontinued products, e.g.: HP says this laptop takes max 2GB RAM, while loads of people use it and its sister model Hp Pavilion dv6xxx with 4GB.

So just to be clear:
6400 will boot up in a 5300 laptop and if it doesn't it means it's DOA?

 

^

Downward compatibility is up to each manufacturer but as far as your Samsungs are concerned the DDR-800 (PC-6400) will run to DDR-667 (PC-5300).

One bad module will give you problems so try one alone and then the other alone or pair each one separately with a known good module if your system needs two full banks (which I doubt).

 

I have a HP DV1000 and upgraded to a PC 6400 from a PC4200. And it works fine.

And for some reason, its running at a faster frequency than the PC4200.

 

Noterev,
I tried all combinations and whenever the new module is inserted, the computer won't boot up.
I tried to insert one of them during stand-by and then return to windows. System does not see the memory but CPU-Z does. However, it only gives basic info (type and freqency). It does not display manufacturer's info nor any further specifics.


grasshopper,
what processor, chipset and working memory frequency do you have?

 

T7200
i945GM
333mhz although the pc-6400 run at 800 i believe.

the pc4200 ran at 266mhz

 

No.
Downward compatibility is not upto manufacturer, they manufacturer has to apply by the standards (in this case JEDEC), so it must have several profiles below it's highest clock @ standard voltage.
So all modules is backward compatible. In this case it seems it's DOA.

Wait a second... what am i looking at here?


And if CPU-Z does see the memory it means that your BIOS won't handle more than the system shows you.

For example i have 2x2GB in my notebook, CPU-Z shows me it all. But BIOS won't allow me to use/show more than 3GB.
It seems that your system won't handle the sticks size if it shows you the stick in CPU-Z? Though i wouldn't know what size of the original sticks where.

You believe? Can't you double check that?
Though it isn't impossible, some notebooks changes the FSB:'DRAM ratio so it will use higher clock on the ram if they can do it. I also have the 945-chipset though my ram only runs at 533Mhz and not 800Mhz with 2x2GB PC2-6400 sticks. Though it should be running at 667MHz synced with the CPU FSB, but it doesn't for me. As it uses different FSB: DRAM ratio by std

 

I think his system handles 2gb ram max and that's what he has.

As far as downward compatibility, the following tables suggest that some modules will not handle speeds down to D5 533mbps and CC 400mbps. Don't they?

 

Michel.K and Noterev,

My system does handle 4GB RAM but it is irrelevant in this topic as what I was trying to run was 2x1GB 6400.

Michel.K,
Perhaps I was not clear enough - system does not show the memory because it is mounted AFTER system already started.
1. I boot up with my old 1GB Hynix 5300.
2. Once in Windows, I go into standby, unscrew the mem cover, place one of the 6400s in one remaining mem slot.
3. Resume from standby. Windows does not see the ram, but CPU-Z sees it. However, "sees" may be a bit of an overstatement as all it shows is 50% of information it give about my working 5300 stick.

For the standby-inserted 6400 CPU-Z shows:
- size
- bandwidth
- timings

It does not show:
-the manufacturer
-part & serial no
-production week

 

I have a dv9000 with the same chipset as yours running 2.5gb of ram and one stick is a 6400 stick ( which is also the 2gb stick ) no problems at all

 

2 sticks DOA? That's bad luck....

 

I think installing the memory while the system is in standby is a really bad idea.
when the system is in standby, the operating system is saved to the memory, which means the memory is still getting power. Installing memory like this, when the memory is getting power will most likely fry your memory. Memory cards are not hotswapable.
Your system has a Bios limitation of 2Gb of memory, even though the chipset will support 4gb of memory. That being said, that is why your system will not boot with the memoy installed from the getgo.

K-TRON

 

Agreed on the hot-swap issue. Still, if it is DOA I risked nothing.

I appreciate your input but I would appreciate it even more if you read my posts more thoroughly.

 

If the timingtable is CL4 for that memory at 533Mhz, the MB of the notebook can always adjust the timing to cl5 at 533Mhz, aslong as the settings are approved for 1.8v (and that's all DDR2 memory according to the JEDEC standard).
So.. It should in any way be downclockable and bootable aslong as the memory isn't DOA (as it seems like in this case).



impactor: Well, hot-swapping the modules are not OK to do. Even to try if it works, as it's dead hope, you'll kill the stick if it's not completely dead, so in any way the stick will die and not work even if you're testing that. So it won't do you any good anyways.

 

No, your laptop does not support 4Gb of memory.

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Presario%20V6065EA

My friend has the same laptop, and it only supports 2Gb of memory.
If the Bios does not recognise the 4gb of memory, it does not support 4gb of memory. The chipset can support 4gb, but the Bios is limited to 2gb of memory

K-TRON

 

Well, Crucial advisor is not really reliable. I am sure they don't test laptops themselves - they just take info from manufacturers.
Here is just one of many examples where Crucial repeats HP's inacurate information:
Crucial's info: http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Pavilion dv2225nr
Reality: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3432273

Anyway, we will see whether it works or not as my OCZ 2x2GB 6400 is coming any day now.

 

You are supposed to install memory when the system is OFF! Do not install or remove memory when it is in standby. You risk frying your memory and your motherboard in your laptop. NOT GOOD!

 

Impactor

In the old days us techies would use an antistatic wrist strap, to avoid a small current from frying ram or processor chips

Please take note of K-TRON and pacman’s posts on the danger of damaging the ram chips ,when in standby.

You don’t need problems with your new OCZ chips

 

Yeah, I know the danger. Thank you all for concerns. I wrongly stated "stand by" while what I did is used "Hibernate" where the current is non-existent.

Anyway, let's get back to the subject of this thread:

4GB (2x 2GB 6400) works with Compaq V6065ea

Few days ago I got the ram and it booted up beautifully. XP 32 sees only 2.78GB but w2k8 x64 sees it all (like Sauron's eye).
I didn't even need to update my bios. Mine is 3 revisions old as I hacked it to accept non-HP WiFi cards.

So, all those wanting to upgrade, don't always trust info from manufacturer or even Crucial.

Now, something new developed.
I tested it with memtest86+ and the funny thing is that it runs at 401Mhz. However, CPUZ in both XP32 and 2k8-64 shows it working at 320Mhz.

Any thoughts on that subject?

 

I think you just got sticks that where DOA before.


Doesn't memtest86+ just specify what the sticks are specced at, as it is PC2-6400 (400Mhz/800Mhz DDR)?
CPU-Z should be right, but you never know, have you checked the speed of the sticks in any other application?

 

Well, you are probably right BUT why does it show 401MHz and not plain 400?
All the info given on the testing screen suggests that it's running at this speed.

I tried Everest in XP and it says 321Mhz (why not 333MHz???). I also did some benchmarks and scores are lower then when I tested friend's noname 2x1GB.

 

OMG I'm PWND, what is DOA ?

 

Dead on arrival

 

I've noticed that cpuz throws out different results depending on load.

 

Because mobile cpu downclocks at low load. Still, 321MHz is on maximum load.