Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

Could someone please educate me on this matter. I have googled it and have found nothing.

What is the difference between memory modules with black chips on one side and black chips on both sides?

I have 4 identical memory sticks...only difference is the number of black chips. Two of them have four and the other two have eight.

DDR2 SDRAM
PC2-4200
533MHz

Thanks =)

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A short, practical primer and troubleshooting checklist that builds on what , and have already discussed.

Single‑ vs double‑sided modules usually reflects how the memory is organized into ranks (single‑rank vs dual‑rank). That affects how the memory controller sees the stick and how much electrical load it presents on the memory bus. Many OEM motherboards and integrated memory controllers (common on AMD systems of this era) are picky about rank/density/timings and can show blue screens or weird instability even when a basic memtest looks clean.

Try these steps in order (they are the fastest way to isolate the cause):

  • Put the original OEM DIMM(s) back to confirm the system returns to known‑good behavior.
  • Test each new stick alone in the same slot the OEM stick used. If a stick fails alone, it is bad. If every stick works alone but the system fails when multiple are installed, the issue is compatibility or slot/channel population.
  • Test pairs in the correct dual‑channel slots using only identical sticks per channel (do not mix single‑ and double‑sided modules in the same channel).
  • Update/reset the BIOS, then check memory settings: run SPD/default timings and the manufacturer voltage (DDR2 standard is around 1.8V). If instability persists, try one small change at a time—loosen timings or raise voltage only within the RAM maker’s spec.
  • Run long Memtest86+ passes and a real‑world stress like a long Windows memory stress test; passing short tests does not prove compatibility under all loads. If problems only appear in Windows, drivers or chipset drivers/BIOS are also suspects.

If incompatibility is confirmed, swap for a matched, vendor‑tested kit listed for the exact system/motherboard, or RMA the problematic sticks. Mentioning ’s point: OEM compatibility lists matter—buying a kit from a tested list or a matched dual‑channel kit is the simplest fix when rank/density issues crop up.

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Member Avatar for dcc

It doesn't look like they're identical as there are differences of the chips.

Would you please list the make and model of the different modules?

Member Avatar for jbennet

It doesnt always matter. Its just how they are made up.

e.g some "512mb" stiks are really four 128mb black chips whereas others are made up of eight 64mb black chips.

Member Avatar for dcc

In terms of construction, a bank of RAM is any number of chips put side-by-side to build a 64 bit wide array of memory. The most popular widths of memory chips are 8 bits and 16 bits.
That means you could construct an array with four or eight chips.

Modules with less chips and the same amount of RAM generally are faster modules and will overclock better.

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

Here is the make and model:
(oh and I made a mistake in the chip count in the previous post, sorry)

(8 black chips on one side)
Samsung M378T6553CZ3
2x512 MB
DDR2 SDRAM
PC2-4200
533MHz

(8 black chips on both sides)
Kingston KVR533D2/512R
2x512MB
DDR2 SDRAM
PC2-4200
533 MHz

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

I seem to be having memory issues with my computer and so this is why I am asking about the number of chips. The Samsung memory came with my Dell. I took that out and installed 4x512 Kingston memory sticks. I am having a lot of blue screens that Microsoft says are related to RAM. I have tested my RAM over and over with Memtest 86 and with Microsoft's mem test. It's brand new memory, so I don't know what the problem is.

Member Avatar for jbennet

Dells are very particular. You have to use the exact speed.

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

But they are the same speed

Member Avatar for jbennet

Wierd. Are the same:

Voltage?
EEC/Non-EEC?
Parity/Non parity?
Buffered/ Unbuffered?

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

They are all the same. Maybe it is just a way for Dell to get people to buy their memory and not other brands, lol.

Member Avatar for jbennet

I got my memory for a dminesion 5150 off of crucial and it worked fine?

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

Maybe I have a bad module? It seems highly unlikely, but anything is possible. All of the mem tests have passed though..hmm.

I am going to put the original memory back in and see how that works.

Thanks for all of your help jbennet and everyone =)

Member Avatar for dcc

What is the model of your computer?

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

Dell Dimension E521
AMD 64 X2 dual core 3800
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2

Any other specs you need, let me know.

Thanks for responding dcc. I really appreciate it =) Maybe you can shed some light on this issue.

Member Avatar for dcc

Erika...Those Kingston modules are not included in the ones suggested at .

In order to run you RAM in dual channel the modules have to have the exact same specs.

The RAM that you bought is what Kingston calls "value" RAM which doesn't have the best reputation for dependability. As with most everything else you get what you pay for.

Member Avatar for Sweet_Erika

I have bought Kingston's value RAM before in the past (for a different computer) and didn't have any problems.

I didn't know that Kingston had RAM that was lower end. I mean, I knew that is was called "value" RAM, but I wasn't too sure of what they meant by that. I thought all of their products were high quality...thanks for telling me otherwise.

I looked up the memory you suggested. It is cheaper in price than the memory I bought.

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