Member Avatar for paul lawrence

First time Posting!!

Hey Guys,

I have enjoyed reading in this forum! I have a quick question. I have a Gygabyte K9 triton motherboard. The manual says it supports upto 4GB of ram. Kingston Tech's website says that the max memory it supports is 2GB using 400MHz DDR or 4GB using 333MHz DDR modules.

Which path is better to take? I like the fact that 400MHz is newer and easier to find, and it would more likely be more usable in a future setup, but what do you think? Why can you only go to 2GB with 400MHz?

Thanks in advance.
Paul

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A concise clarification based on the thread: the apparent contradiction between a 400 MHz limit for some configurations and a 333 MHz allowance for others is usually not a mystery of “bad” RAM but of how the board, BIOS and DIMM topology interact. raised the right question; and gave useful practical points. The key technical factors are module density and rank, signal/load on the memory buses, and what the vendor validated at each speed — manufacturers only guarantee specific combinations they tested.

Brief technical explanation: DIMMs are built from groups of DRAM chips organized into ranks. More ranks or higher-density chips increase electrical loading and timing stress on the memory subsystem. Older chipsets and BIOS implementations are conservative: when many ranks or high-density DIMMs are present, the firmware often lowers the clock or tightens timings to preserve stability. SPD, timing and required voltage differ between modules, so the board’s firmware will pick settings that the maker considered reliable for that configuration.

Practical guidance (what the posts implied, clarified): for best chance at full-rated speed, use a matched dual-channel kit of two identical higher-capacity DIMMs (same part number/SPD). For maximum capacity, populate all slots with modules the board supports — expect the system to pick a lower clock or different timings unless the vendor explicitly lists 4-DIMM, full-speed support. Before buying or fitting memory, check the motherboard manual/QVL and flash the latest BIOS; after installation verify SPD/frequency and run an extended memory test (Memtest86 or similar).

Quick troubleshooting checklist:

  • Consult the board manual/QVL and update BIOS.
  • Prefer matched kits (same model, same SPD) rather than mixed sticks.
  • If the board downclocks, try manually setting timings/voltage per the module SPD or the vendor’s guidance.
  • Validate stability with several full passes of Memtest86; if unstable, revert to lower speed or choose modules listed for that motherboard.

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Member Avatar for nizzy1115

First time Posting!!

Hey Guys,

I have enjoyed reading in this forum! I have a quick question. I have a Gygabyte K9 triton motherboard. The manual says it supports upto 4GB of ram. Kingston Tech's website says that the max memory it supports is 2GB using 400MHz DDR or 4GB using 333MHz DDR modules.

Which path is better to take? I like the fact that 400MHz is newer and easier to find, and it would more likely be more usable in a future setup, but what do you think? Why can you only go to 2GB with 400MHz?

Thanks in advance.
Paul

I've got some good news for you. PC3200 ram (400 mhz) is backward compatable with PC2700(333 mhz) ram. You can buy 4 gigs of pc3200 ram and it will just run at 333 mhz. If it doesnt do it by itself like it should, you can change the ram speed settings in the bios. All boards are a bit different so i cant give you specific instructions, but you will be fine getting the faster ram.

Member Avatar for paul lawrence

Thank's nizzy1115,

I was aware that PC3200 was backward compatable, but did not realize that it was applicable in this situation. So cool! Yet why does the ram have to run at 333mhz beyond the 2GB point? I have read somewhere that some people have noticed the clock speed of DDR-400 automatically being set down to 333mhz by their bios, and they successfully were able to set it back to 400mhz.

Is all this caused by the fact that it is Dual Channel or is it caused by Motherboard architecture or what?

Member Avatar for nizzy1115

its caused by the motherboard architectire i believe. I remember that special boards witht he nForce chipset could not go pc3200 if you had four sticks of ram in them. So you had to stay 2x1024 sticks if you wanted 2 gbs of ram at 400mhz because 4x512 would give you 333 mhz. I have a feeling your board, and maybe all boards are like this. You may be able to set the ram to pc3200 as well, i wouldnt doubt it. I just think it may not be 100% stable and thats why the manufacturer says not to. You do sound fine with what your doing though. Good luck.

Member Avatar for sharp_spike06

Hello to all. I am a new member and would greatly appreciate any help from anyone nice enough to help a newbie out. ^_^

I have a gigabyte K8 Triton and would like to upgrade it from 1 gb of Ram (512x2) to either a 2 gig or 4 gig as I am informed can be done. But what confuses me is that when I went to shop.kingston.com to find some I ran accross this

"Maximum Memory: 2GB using 400MHz DDR modules or 4GB using 333MHz DDR module"

It also stated that "MODULES MUST BE ORDERED AND INSTALLED IN PAIRS for Dual Channel mode. Kingston offers "K2" kit part numbers for Dual Channel mode.

This system only supports 4 ranks of DDR400 memory. If two dual ranked DIMMs are used, the 3rd and 4th sockets are disabled."

All I want to know is what I'm supposed to buy to get my computer to work as either 2 gb, or 4 gb of RAM

:)

Can Someone Be So Kind As To Help Me In This Dilema?

THANK YOU!

^^

Member Avatar for dcc

That motherboard has three expansion slots with a capacity of 1GB per slot using PC-2100 or PC-2700. If you use PC-3200 you can only use two slot with a capacity of 1GB per slot.

PC-2100 = DDR-266 = 266MHz
PC-2700 = DDR-333 = 333MHz
PC-3200 = DDR-400 = 400MHz

If you go to they have a scan which will tell you what you have and will suggest modules to increase you RAM.

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