DDR Ram

[NoOp]

On 02/11/2009 06:50 AM, Dave Woyciesjes wrote:
> CLIFFORD ILKAY wrote:
>> Rashkae wrote:
>>> NoOp wrote:
>>>> On 02/10/2009 02:32 PM, Karl F. Larsen wrote:
>>>>>     I am building a new computer...
>>>>>
>>>>>     Does anyone know if 1.8 volts will harm a DDR3 ram? I have not 
>>>>> looked to see if I can drop the the voltage from the BIOS. Has anyone 
>>>>> had luck with this?
>>>>>
>>>>> Karl
>>>>>
>>>> Only with Puppy Linux...
>>>>
>>>> I think Ubuntu uses 12 volts.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Karl's in luck, the memory specification states that DDR3 can withstand
>>> a maximume of 1.975 volts without suffering damage.
>>>
>>> However, installing DDR3 in the DDR2 socket will be very stiff..
>>> Initially, lots of pressure will be needed when inserting the RAM to
>>> mold the new notch properly.
>> 
>> "Mold the notch properly..." Oh, you mean destroy the RAM socket on the
>> motherboard. Got it. Even you managed to get the thing seated, the
>> timings are probably wrong and it's not likely to work anyway.
>> 
>> The "Ubuntu uses 12 volts" comment made by NoOp was nonsense. Ubuntu has
>> nothing to do with the voltage rating of RAM and using Puppy Linux isn't
>> going to magically reduce the voltage supplied to the RAM.
>> 
> 
> 	Those 2 comment are also what is commonly referred to as "jokes".
> 

They were indeed. However this may be helpful for Kark and others (no
joke this time); you can use

$ sudo dmidecode > dmidecode.txt

and then

$ gedit dmidecode.txt

to find out what your bios reports. Note: you can change dmidecode.txt
to whatever you want, I just name it that so that it's easy to remember
the command that I ran to get it. You can also open it with any other
editor (kedit etc) for reading, printing etc., it's a standard text file.

The output of the command will show you information such as (taken from
one of my machines):

Memory Controller Information
	Error Detecting Method: 64-bit ECC
	Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None
	Supported Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Current Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Maximum Memory Module Size: 1024 MB
	Maximum Total Memory Size: 4096 MB
	Supported Speeds:
		70 ns
		60 ns
	Supported Memory Types:
		Other
		Unknown
		Standard
		FPM
		EDO
		Parity
		ECC
		SIMM
		DIMM
		Burst EDO
		SDRAM
	Memory Module Voltage: 3.3 V
	Associated Memory Slots: 4
		0x0009
		0x000A
		0x000B
		0x000C
	Enabled Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None

Sorry to take so long in responding, but I'd forgotten the usefullness
of dmidecode. Be aware however:
http://www.nongnu.org/dmidecode/
<quote>
Beware that DMI data have proven to be too unreliable to be blindly
trusted. Dmidecode does not scan your hardware, it only reports what the
BIOS told it to.
</quote>
So, use with some common sense. And if all else fails, hook up a 12amp
vaccum motor to see if that works :-)