Re: P4B533 maximum memory?

Bruce. wrote:
I'm trying to max the memory in my P4B533.

The manual isn't clear about what the max memory that can be installed in the 3 memory slots of the P4B533. It says 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB modules are supported. But it also says this:

"DDR DIMM sockets 2 and 3 share the same rows, so if you install a double-sided DIMM into DIMM2 socket, you must leave DIMM3 socket empty. However, you may install single-sided DIMMs into DIMM2 and DIMM3 sockets at the same time."

There's no way for me to know how many sides a DIMM has before I order them, so is 2GB or 3GB the max I can order?

Bruce.

A reasonable assumption would be, if you are purchasing the absolutely
largest capacity memory module for the memory type in question, it'll
be double sided and have two banks.

The wording you quote from the manual, is the kind of wording used
with a "four bank" chipset. Such chipsets are really only good for
controlling two, double sided DIMMs. The odds of useful, single
sided DIMMs showing up, are pretty limited. (The largest single sided,
might be a 512MB stick.)

According to this, 2x1GB is the max, as in 2048MB.

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=P4B533

Now, one issue with 1GB DDR, is the width of chips used. Intel
chipsets like x8 or x16 chips. A good 1GB stick would use (16) x8 chips.
There are a number of disreputable products on Ebay, which consist
of (16) x4 chips, effectively a single bank. Intel datasheets do
not mention support for x4 chips, and for the Ebay adverts that
contain the restricted chipset support list, you'll notice that
no Intel chipsets are in the list. The long and the short of
it, is buy your memory at a source other than Ebay, at least
when purchasing 1GB sized DDR memory.

This is an example of a properly designed 1GB module, suitable
for your motherboard. It uses x8 chips. Many name brand module
makers, make modules properly. The stuff on Ebay, frequently
shows no manufacturer name for the module (not the chips themselves),
and that is another way you can tell it is the bad stuff. No
reputable manufacturer, wants to be associated with x4 chips
on their modules. And when you see "Samsung" in the advert on
Ebay, they're referring to the memory chips themselves
being made by Samsung. Samsung would not have made the
module that holds the chips.

"64M x 8 bits" is the important part. Ebay would be "128M x 4 bits" per chip.
http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KVR400X64C3A_1G.pdf

HTH,
Paul
.

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