After trying 4 GiB DDR3 memory from G.Skill, Crucial and 2 sets of Black Diamond - and getting the dreaded "beep-beep" memory POST failure whenever I put more than 1 DIMM in a channel - I found memory that is recognized by the BIOS at the full 24 GiB.
I've been running with it for two weeks without a problem. I've run memtest, and even have pushed it into heavy paging running some database tests in virtual machines. (I have a fast OCZ Vertex 2 for pagefile.sys, so it can hard fault at an astonishing rate.)
Although this screen says 1333MHz, the OS and other tools say 1066MHz.
The DIMMs are Kingston KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX
Normally $120 per pair at http://www.frys.com/product/6516823?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG, but on sale in the Fry's stores for $89.99 per pair. (Note that the page says that they are 1.65v, but that's for 1600 MHz. The default is 1.5v at 1333MHz - look at the CPU-Z info below.)
CPU-Z info:
CPU-Z version 1.56
Chipset-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northbridge Intel X58 rev. 12Southbridge Intel 82801JR (ICH10R) rev. 00Graphic Interface PCI-ExpressPCI-E Link Width x16PCI-E Max Link Width x16Memory Type DDR3Memory Size 24576 MBytesChannels TripleMemory Frequency 532.0 MHz (2:8)CAS# latency (CL) 7.0RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 7RAS# Precharge (tRP) 7Cycle Time (tRAS) 19Row Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC) 86Command Rate (CR) 2TUncore Frequency 2127.9 MHz
Memory SPD-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIMM # 1 SMBus address 0x50 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 4096 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-199.A00LF Serial number 6613A845 Manufacturing date Week 06/Year 11 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP yes XMP revision 1.2JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHzXMP profile XMP-1600 Specification PC3-12800 Voltage level 1.650 Volts Min Cycle time 1.250 ns (800 MHz) Min tRP 11.25 ns Min tRCD 11.25 ns Min tWR 15.00 ns Min tRAS 33.75 ns Min tRC 45.00 ns Min tRFC 160.00 ns Min tRTP 7.50 ns Min tRRD 6.00 nsXMP timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC-CR @ frequency (voltage) XMP #1 6.0-6-6-18-24-0T @ 533 MHz (1.650 Volts) XMP #2 7.0-7-7-21-28-0T @ 622 MHz (1.650 Volts) XMP #3 8.0-8-8-24-32-0T @ 711 MHz (1.650 Volts) XMP #4 9.0-9-9-27-36-0T @ 800 MHz (1.650 Volts)
DIMM # 2-6 same as 1
DIMM # 1SPD registers 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F 00 92 10 0B 02 03 19 00 09 03 52 01 08 0C 00 3C 00 10 69 78 69 30 69 11 20 89 00 05 3C 3C 00 F0 83 05 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0F 11 01 01 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 70 00 00 00 00 00 01 98 04 11 06 66 13 A8 45 2A F0 80 39 39 30 35 34 30 33 2D 31 39 39 2E 41 30 30 4C 90 46 20 00 00 80 AD 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 A0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 B0 0C 4A 01 12 01 08 00 00 00 2D 0A 5A 3C 00 50 5A C0 5A 78 11 0E 68 3F 00 00 05 3C 30 00 F0 3C 00 00 D0 00 00 24 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 E0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 F0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 5A
DMI-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DMI BIOS vendor Dell Inc. version 1.1.4 date 12/21/2009
DMI System Information manufacturer Dell Inc. product Studio XPS 435MT version unknown
DMI Baseboard vendor Dell Inc. model 0R849J revision A01
DMI System Enclosure manufacturer Dell Inc. chassis type Desktop
DMI Processor manufacturer Intel model Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 940 @ 2.93GHz clock speed 2933.0 MHz FSB speed 133.0 MHz multiplier 22.0x
DMI Memory Controller correction 64-bit ECC Max module size 2048 MBytes
DMI Memory Module designation DIMM1
DMI Memory Module designation DIMM2
DMI Memory Module designation DIMM3
DMI Memory Module designation DIMM4
DMI Memory Module designation DIMM5
DMI Memory Module designation DIMM6
DMI Physical Memory Array location Motherboard usage System Memory correction None max capacity 12288 MBytes max# of devices 6
DMI Memory Device designation DIMM1 format DIMM type unknown total width 64 bits data width 64 bits size 4096 MBytes
DMI Memory Device designation DIMM2 format DIMM type unknown total width 64 bits data width 64 bits size 4096 MBytes
DMI Memory Device designation DIMM3 format DIMM type unknown total width 64 bits data width 64 bits size 4096 MBytes
DMI Memory Device designation DIMM4 format DIMM type unknown total width 64 bits data width 64 bits size 4096 MBytes
DMI Memory Device designation DIMM5 format DIMM type unknown total width 64 bits data width 64 bits size 4096 MBytes
DMI Memory Device designation DIMM6 format DIMM type unknown total width 64 bits data width 64 bits size 4096 MBytes
Hi,
Thank you so much for the detailed post! I received an update from a previous post inwhich i posted on that I was following that you replied too. Im actually also running kingston hyperx but I decided to go with 12gigs and it is running at 1333. But I did not purchase the 1600. So far so good knock on wood!lol Ive been running it close to a month now and no issues at all. system only uses 14% of my ram, I bet yours only uses 2! I also just put in a ATI 5670 with the original psu and am happy to say no power problems what so ever. Thank you again for testing all the different brands of ram and letting us know about it. I know now which one im sticking with!
Take care!Leo
Actually, at the moment I have about 4 GiB of the 24 GiB free.
Are you sure that it's running at 1333 MHz - the BIOS report lies.
Note that the screenshot from Memtest shows 532/1064 MHz, and CPU-Z also shows 532/1064.
You can get CPU-Z at http://www.cpuid.com/ - it shows a wealth of information about your system.
Dubbah
Thanks for the update - Its been driving me crazy - very frustrating - But you seem to have nailed it
Can you just re-confirm that you have actually installed 24Gb into a Dell XPS 435 MT and NOT a full size XPS 435 - as don't want to through the pain again with that Beep-Beep
Thanks
BTTB
Northbridge Intel X58 rev. 12Southbridge Intel 82801JR (ICH10R) rev. 00Graphic Interface PCI-ExpressPCI-E Link Width x16PCI-E Max Link Width x16Memory Type DDR3Memory Size 12288 MBytesChannels TripleMemory Frequency 532.0 MHz (2:8)CAS# latency (CL) 7.0RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 7RAS# Precharge (tRP) 7Cycle Time (tRAS) 19Row Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC) 59Command Rate (CR) 2TUncore Frequency 2128.0 MHz
DIMM # 1 SMBus address 0x50 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 2048 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-169.A00LF Serial number 6E0E5CD4 Manufacturing date Week 49/Year 10 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP noJEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz
DIMM # 2 SMBus address 0x51 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 2048 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-169.A00LF Manufacturing date Week 49/Year 10 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP noJEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz
DIMM # 3 SMBus address 0x52 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 2048 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-169.A00LF Manufacturing date Week 49/Year 10 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP noJEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz
DIMM # 4 SMBus address 0x53 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 2048 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-169.A00LF Manufacturing date Week 49/Year 10 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP noJEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz
DIMM # 5 SMBus address 0x54 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 2048 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-169.A00LF Manufacturing date Week 49/Year 10 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP noJEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz
DIMM # 6 SMBus address 0x55 Memory type DDR3 Module format UDIMM Manufacturer (ID) Kingston (7F98000000000000) Size 2048 MBytes Max bandwidth PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Part number 9905403-169.A00LF Manufacturing date Week 49/Year 10 Number of banks 8 Nominal Voltage 1.50 Volts EPP no XMP noJEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency JEDEC #1 6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz JEDEC #2 7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz JEDEC #3 8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz JEDEC #4 9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz
Darn, thanks for the tip, I thought it was running at 1333 because I checked it in the bios. I guess we will have to wait and see if in the future dell updates the bios to fix this issue? And what are you running that uses 20gigs of ram? if you dont mind me asking :)
Check the BIOS screen pic and the CPU-Z listing - it's definitely the mini-tower with the two goofy side-mounted disks.
I'm not holding my breath for a BIOS update - the actual performance improvement from the faster RAM would be very difficult to measure.
I have a VM running Server 2008 R2 at 12 GiB, another 4 GiB Win7x64 VM, plus the stuff running on the host (Win7 x64)
Thanks for your advice and fast responses -
Looks like I'm buying 24Gb memory and its not too badly priced over here in the UK - but nowhere near as good value as you managed to obtain it for.
Many Thanks Again
Hey Dubbah, great find!
I'm curious. It says in your BIOS that you're running a 940 i7 @ 2.93GHz. I have a 435MT also but it is a i7 920 running at (stock) 2.66GHz. I would probably assume, though, this memory would still work.
Also, why did you opt for the 1600MHz RAM instead of the 1333MHz, since if I understand correctly, this is the max speed for RAM the 435MT will handle?
Although nothing is guaranteed, I wouldn't see why it would make a difference if you have a 940 (2.93) or 920 (2.66). Of course, get the memory someplace that has a ro "restock fee" policy just in case.
The Kingston memory has a 1600 MHz XMP profile, but the default is 1333/1.5v.
And it wasn't really a matter of "opting" for these DIMMs. I tried many different DIMMs, and most got the dreaded "beep-beep" POST error. These Kingston DIMMs went on sale for $89.99 for two (8 GiB) with no restock fee.
I tried two - they worked in the same channel. Next day I bought 4 more. They worked, and I have 24 GiB running without any problems.
And, note that this "1600 MHz" RAM is actually running at 1066 MHz in my 435MT. I don't worry about that, though, because having 24 GiB of 1066 MHz is far better than having 12 GiB of 1066.
Thank you for the reply, Dubbah.
I'm going to go ahead and try this RAM in my 920, as I agree with you that there should be no reason it shouldn't work. I'm looking forward to how much a whopping 24GB will vastly increase the performance of my video editing apps!
Thank you for taking the time and effort to find out which RAM will work in the 920/940 and sharing it with everyone here, it is much appreciated :)
Rob
I've ordered the same memory yesterday (2 kits of 2 x 4Gb, total of 16 Gb) and I'm gonna try it out too (I have a 435mt with the 920 processor). If 16 Gb works then I'm probably gonna order another kit for a total of 24 Gb if not then I hope 12 Gb will work. I should be able to give some feedback by the end of the week.
Thanks Dubbah for sharing.
When I run the crucial ram checker thing it shows my xps 435mt with 8GB RAM as it should, but it shows the speed as 533MHz for each module. I think it is 3x2GB plus 2x1GB. It came like that form the Dell factory but I only just noticed. Shouldnt the speed be 1066MHz? I am a noob with this but wanted to know how do I get the most out of my RAM? Do I change the spped in the bios or something?
dom99 When I run the crucial ram checker thing it shows my xps 435mt with 8GB RAM as it should, but it shows the speed as 533MHz for each module. I think it is 3x2GB plus 2x1GB. It came like that form the Dell factory but I only just noticed. Shouldnt the speed be 1066MHz? I am a noob with this but wanted to know how do I get the most out of my RAM? Do I change the spped in the bios or something?
It's out of topic but I'll answer anyway, you memory is probably PC3-8500 and you are looking at the i/o bus clock speed which is 533 MHz, data rate is 1066 MT/s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR3_SDRAM). Everything is fine the way you have it.
johk I've ordered the same memory yesterday (2 kits of 2 x 4Gb, total of 16 Gb) and I'm gonna try it out too (I have a 435mt with the 920 processor). If 16 Gb works then I'm probably gonna order another kit for a total of 24 Gb if not then I hope 12 Gb will work. I should be able to give some feedback by the end of the week. Thanks Dubbah for sharing.
Wow it works! 16Gb!!! Now to decide if I order another kit! Thanks Dubbah!