Need Geek Support

Poststructural Pub
1

Help!

I’m trying to upgrade memory in an HP Pavilion 7960, which is earmarked to become my home-studio digital-audio-workstation. It currently has 256M (4 X 64) of PC600 RDRAM.

I want to upgrade it to 640 by replacing two of the 64s with two 256s. (64 + 64 + 256 + 256). Internet research said I could use PC800 45ns ECC RDRAM, so I bought a pair of Samsung 256MB modules. It didn’t work. I replaced the old ones, and it was fine. So… I figured I had bought bad memory.

I returned it and got two replacements. Again, Samsung 512MB (2 X 256MB) PC800 45ns ECC RDRAM. Still no go. Still works with the old, but won’t accept the new. I know they need to go into the banks in pairs, and I did try reversing the positions of the 64s and 256s, etc…

I must be using the wrong memory, but I don’t know what I need. Can anyone steer me right?!!!

Thanks,
C

2

According to HP Specs for that model (Assuming US/Canada - might be different for other countries):

http://tinyurl.com/yv3kf5

Memory Maximum 2 GB (4 x 512 MB RIMM)
Size 128, 144, 256, 512 MB RIMMs

[What’s odd is that you say you have 64MB, and that is not a mentioned size, although 128MB is standard?]

PC600 Rambus (RDRAM) 400 MHz - 184-pin RIMMs

2 Rambus channels (2 RIMMs per channel. Each channel must be installed in pairs).

f there is an unpopulated RIMM socket (in a channel), it must be loaded with a C-RIMM (continuity module) to complete the Rambus channel.

[OK, that seems to be what you are doing - same size in each pair]

Do you have any continuity modules? If so, you could populate 1 channel with the new 256 MB RIMMS, put the continuity modules in place in the other 2 slots, and supposedly fire it up as a 512MB machine, which would determine whether your memory works.

BTW, RIMMs must be inserted in the RIMM A1 and B1 sockets

Ah, HERE is your problem:

http://tinyurl.com/ynn8b9

PC 600 or PC800 is OK

However, “Non-ECC (non error-correcting checking).”

You’ve got the wrong memory.

All the best,

Kevin Krell

3

Bingo!

Do you know I even viewed that site before I opened up the box! :blush:

Somewhere else I read about the difference between ECC and non-ECC, and it said they were generally interchangeable. Not so in this box, I guess.

Kevin, thanks for taking the time to help! Chiffers rule!



:slight_smile:

4

In my (now somewhat old) experience, Motherboards that accepted ECC memory could also run with non-ECC chips, without the error correction function (set or automatically recognized by the BIOS).

BTW, you can look in you BIOS configuration page to see if the memory is recognized, unless, of course, your system won’t even start up.

Also, check the labeling on the RIMM slots, as A1 and B1 (first slots to be filled) might not physically be next to each other, as you might think.

Kevin Krell