Member Avatar for bildo17

My Intel 975xbx (rev. 304) will accept three 1 GB sticks of Corasair XMS memory, but when I put a fourth stick in, I get the three beeps and it won't post. I have tried all four sticks in different combinations, so it isn't a particular module that is "bad". I followed the voltage settings recommended by Corsair and have tried altering them, but I can't get all four to work at the same time. They were all purchased together, by the way. I can't find anything on Intel's site or Corsair's sited about a known problem. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill

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Short addendum: because the board fails to initialise with the fourth DIMM, this is a hardware/BIOS compatibility issue — not the 32-bit/4GB OS limit. and raised points about OS addressing and PAE, but those apply only after POST; they will not make a board that fails to initialise accept a fourth stick.

Practical checklist to work through (in order):

  • Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest build for your D975XBX rev. 304, then clear CMOS. BIOS updates often fix memory population and density bugs.
  • Use SPD/default timings and conservative voltages while testing (disable any overclock/XMP-type settings). If the board posts with fewer DIMMs, only then try small, documented voltage increases for MCH/VTT per the manual.
  • Test systematically: one module per slot (confirms slot health), then matched pairs per channel, then three, then four. Keep notes of which slot combinations work.
  • Inspect the DIMM part numbers and label—many problems from that era were caused by high-density or x16-organised 1GB modules that some chipsets/BIOS versions could not map when all four slots were used. Corsair can confirm die/rank/density for your exact part revision.
  • If nothing helps, try borrowing low-density 1GB modules (or a different vendor) to verify whether the board or these exact modules are the problem.

If the board still refuses four sticks after the above, collect BIOS version, board revision and DIMM part numbers and open a support case with Intel and Corsair; that information will speed diagnosis or RMA decisions.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

32 bit PCs accept a max of 4gb ram and as RAM sticks are not exactly 1024mb each it causes probs

Member Avatar for dcc

Have you tried enabling the PAE?

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