4GB RAM equals Video Crashes

Help!!

I just upgraded my X205 SL1 to 4GN Ram (2x2GB, OCZ, 5-5-5-15, 5300 667MHZ). Since I have done this, Everything runs well except for my Graphics card, which is constantly crashing. Crashes in COD, MOH, etc. and even when just on the desktop. I tried installing/un/re the video drivers and also the 169 drivers, but no joy. The Memtest with windows is showing everything to be ok with the ram, and with the exception of this, the system is stable. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Matt

 

That's your problem, don't use the Windows memtest since I believe it can only test memory that's not in use. Download the memtest iso (or use a Linux CD if you happen to have one on hand since it includes memtest) and burn it to a CD. Be sure to check each of your sticks individually.

If that doesn't work, it could be that the RAM is incompatible with your laptop (odd but occasionally happens) in which case you should see if you can exchange for a different brand of RAM.

 

Well,
My initial memtest was with the one located on the Vista CD (Runs off as a bootable disk). However, just to rule things out, I ran the memtest bootable and it did not find any errors.

Any other suggestions?

 

Did you try just one stick and booting up?

 

notyou: Yeah, but Nerd Hours are not normal hours.... Normal rules don't apply! lol.

If you've got a 64bit CPU then you can trick Vista into using all 4GB. Might solve your problem, I've solved a 4GB non-booting problem with it.

Obtained from: http://www.conceptex.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12

Direct Quote:

Got 4GB RAM on Vista 32bit?
Got 4GB RAM on Vista, but only 3.5GB showing?

Put short, this is because you are using a 32bit OS and cannot be worked around without installing a 64bit OS (64bit Vista, for example).

We all know that's a lot of effort.

However, I have recently discovered and tested a work around which enables a 32bit version of Vista to recognise the full 4GB RAM (providing there are no other hardware limitations).

Here's the details:

What we are about to do is enable Page Address Extension. This is a workaround for the limitations of the Address in 32bit Vista.
The workaround works with AMD and Intel 64bit Processors (so if you don't have a 64bit Processor, stop now) to add an extra memory address space above what is usually available to Vista.

There's one potential drawback.

The workaround pulls a bit more of a workload from Vista, so rarely on some systems, it may slow them down. Don't worry about this though, it's easy to revert.

Enabling PAE Mode in Vista 32bit:

Open a command prompt with Administrative Privileges.
To do this, click the Start button then type cmd but don't hit enter. Right click on the cmd that appears in the search and click Run as Administrator.

When the command prompt opens, type
bcdedit /set pae forceenable
and hit Enter.

Restart your computer.

Vista should now see and be able to ultise all 4GB of memory.

--------------------

If your system slows down, do the same as above but type
BCDedit /set PAE forcedisable
Instead. Don't forget to reboot after.

Enjoy !

 

Update....


Well, I'm unable to figure out exacty what's wrong. I can't find any memory tests that will return errors with the RAM. This leads me to think that the problem lies on the software side of things....maybe a DirectX problem? To Rule things out, I did a clean install of Vista, but no help there. I contacted OCZ support, and here's the answer I got: We'll see if this fixes the problem. Just wondering, has anyone else used OCZ RAM, or had a similar problem?



Comment: Hello Matt,

Try testing your laptop with only one module (1x 2GB) to see if you still have video cards with 2GB of memory.

Although I've never heard of a problem with video cards as you describe, there may be an issue with 4GB of memory and 32-bit Windows.

As you may know, 32-bit versions of Windows cannot utilize 4GB of memory. Due to some driver conflicts, Windows must allocate some its resources for peripherals - video cards being one of the biggest. You will find that Windows only reports 2.5 to 3.5GB of memory.
Windows is not using the memory for the video card as in integrated video, but is instead allocating resources that could have been used to utilize all of your memory. I suspect that this could be causing the conflict.

 

Update:


Well, I'm able to run 3GB without problems. The problem is not with the RAM. Is there anyone else here that is running 4GB RAM with success on a 32bit system? I think that the problem is definitely with the video card, as everything else was running well until I hit the Graphic-intensive stuff.

 

Sorry, I think that it is unlikely that your problem is being caused by your Video Card.

I also don't think its a problem or fault as such.

I encounter your problem quite often as a technician - most of the time it's just the motherboard/chipset not designed with 4GB & Vista in mind (put simply).

I'd imagine you encounter the crashes when using video intensive programs & games as they are the most demanding applications you run. With 4GB, Vista tries to emulate more memory addresses, and intensive applications put a strain on. All it takes is for a couple of emulated addresses to go wrong or delayed and you will crash.

Stick with 3GB =)

 

There is a Windows Vista (sysport.sys) update 32bit that helps against crashes when Vista detects certain hardware configurations. I know it's for the OS but it might help with the crashes. Check to see if it's installed on your system.

 

Update:


OK, I finally was able to get the 4GB to work with some of my games (COH is my benchmark right now). However, I had to upgrade the driver to 177.41, and is only works in non-sli mode. as soon as I put it in SLI, I get the blue screen of death. Vista is seeing the problem as definitely video related.

 

x205 sli3, 4Gb ram, running in SLI mode, no issues. Vista 32 Ultimate. using 177.35 drivers from laptopvideo2go.com

What is the error code in the bluescreen? What does the eventlogs tell you?

 

Oh, and what BIOS version is your lappy on? I'm using 2.50