F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK (total 8GB) on GA-EP35C-DS3R

[Sensath]

Motherboard - GA-EP35C-DS3R (bios F4)
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @2.53 GHz
Memory - F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK

I've tried running 4 of these sticks at 1066MHz and I couldn't get it working, regardless of the timings. They would BSOD and I used Microsoft Memory Diagnostic Tool which showed errors. Two of the sticks are purchased in 2008 and the other two I just purchased last weekend. I can switch any 2 sticks between any two dual channels (1 and 3, 2 and 4) and have no problems. I dropped them to 800MHz and they seemed stable. Until I cold boot for the first time every day and then it will BSOD on Windows startup. After the cold boot crash, Windows runs normally with no problems. Here are screenshots of my settings.

[Tradesman]

Might want to raise vCore to 1.18 - 1.2 or so, the tRFC (Refresh to Act Delay) seems low, might try 68 w/ 4 sticks, didn't see a NB voltage, may want to raise it + .05 and or change MCH Overvoltage Control up a notch or 2

Also have you OCed this at all? Your FSB is 266 might want to take it up a bit for a little extra boost to improve performance overall maybe 299 or so, even w/ a stock cooler your CPU should handle it fine.

[GSKILL TECH]

Make sure you have the latest BIOS.

For 4 modules, Write to Precharge Delay should be 8. Refresh to ACT Delay 80. Static tREAD may also need to go up if unstable. MCH OverVoltage should be +0.3V as well.

This should stabilize 8GB of DDR2-1066.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[Sensath]

I was working with bios F4 but upgraded to F5b (yeah I know it's a beta bios but it appears that this board is past its shelf life and I don't know when I'll ever see a new bios). Well, it'll load into Windows at 1066 now but it's still unstable on cold boot. I have to let it crash on cold boot then let it sit on the Windows Recovery screen for a bit to warm up (I guess) before pressing enter to load Windows normally. Not a fix really, just a work around. I'm worried that it may or may not be my new sticks of RAM (I can't be certain). Since I have a matching pair but from an earlier binning (by a few years), I won't know if it's the old pair that is the problem. Also, it may be a motherboard issue since any pair works fine but 4 don't. I'm thinking of maybe just upgrading to 2 x 4GB sticks instead. Is there a recommended GSKILL RAM for my motherboard for 2 x 4GB @ 1066?

[GSKILL TECH]

Unfortunately the P35 chipset does not support 4GB modules.

It is possible that the two kits are incompatible, especially if you purchased them at different times. If you would like, send all 4 in and we can test 4 modules that do work together and send those to you.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[Sensath]

Thanks, but I guess it's time for an upgrade anyways (I like to keep up with the new hardware). Nice customer service though, I'll definitely be getting GSKILL on my new system.

[Tradesman]

Sorry we couldn't help more, let us know on the new build