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  • #1

    939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

    I am building an older system for my mother's general/light gaming use. I bought an
    ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard off of Ebay. I have several sticks of both ECC and Non-ECC
    PC3200 DDR 400 RAM. In Single-Channel Mode(1 stick in the first blue slot and the
    other in the first black slot), I get 2Gb in single channel mode. However, if I try to add
    ANY of the other RAM sticks(compatability mode is enabled in the BIOS) in the other
    slots, it will not boot. No error beeps, no video post. Nada. I am currently installing a
    copy of Windows 7 x86 with hopes to finding a solution later to upgrade to a 64-bit
    version. But barring that, any suggestions? I'd rather put a 64 bit OS on here and run
    4x1Gb RAM to give my mother the best pc experience I can get out of this machine.
    If I have to stick with 32-bit and 2Gb, so be it, but it's disappointing... Here are the specs
    of what I'm working with:

    Mobo: ASRock 939Dual-SATA2. BIOS revision - P2.30(current revision)

    Processor: AMD Opteron 180 Dual-Core @ 2.4Ghz.

    RAM: 2x1Gb Patriot PC3200 CL3.

    Video: Nvidia GeForce GT640 1Gb DDR5(VGA output through DVI converter at the moment,
    but intend to run HDMI to her LED T.V. later.)

    SSD: SanDisk Ultra Plus 128Gb via the red SATA II port.

    HDD: Pending, but will be a white label 1Tb HDD 7200RPM 64Mb cache SATA I drive.

    Sound: Onboard.


    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    (And no, telling me to buy a new system is not only not an option, but unappreciated. I want to fix -this- one.)

    Thank you in advance.

    Regards,

    -Averant
    Tags: 939dual-sata2, ram, single channel. no post
  • #2
    Re: 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

    Originally posted by Averant View Post
    I am building an older system for my mother's general/light gaming use. I bought an
    ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard off of Ebay. I have several sticks of both ECC and Non-ECC
    PC3200 DDR 400 RAM. In Single-Channel Mode(1 stick in the first blue slot and the
    other in the first black slot), I get 2Gb in single channel mode. However, if I try to add
    ANY of the other RAM sticks(compatability mode is enabled in the BIOS) in the other
    slots, it will not boot.     No error beeps, no video post. Nada. I am currently installing a
    copy of Windows 7 x86 with hopes to finding a solution later to upgrade to a 64-bit
    version. But barring that, any suggestions? I'd rather put a 64 bit OS on here and run
    4x1Gb RAM to give my mother the best pc experience I can get out of this machine.
    If I have to stick with 32-bit and 2Gb, so be it, but it's disappointing... Here are the specs
    of what I'm working with:

    Mobo: ASRock 939Dual-SATA2. BIOS revision - P2.30(current revision)

    Processor: AMD Opteron 180 Dual-Core @ 2.4Ghz.

    RAM: 2x1Gb Patriot PC3200 CL3.

    Video: Nvidia GeForce GT640 1Gb DDR5(VGA output through DVI converter at the moment,
    but intend to run HDMI to her LED T.V. later.)

    SSD: SanDisk Ultra Plus 128Gb via the red SATA II port.

    HDD: Pending, but will be a white label 1Tb HDD 7200RPM 64Mb cache SATA I drive.

    Sound: Onboard.


    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    (And no, telling me to buy a new system is not only not an option, but unappreciated. I want to fix -this- one.)

    Thank you in advance.

    Regards,

    -Averant
    You're right about the memory single and dual channel configurations, although newer boards abandon the confusing dual channel setup on this board.

    The following is from your board's manual:

    Click image for larger version Name: 939dual mem info.PNG Views: 1 Size: 59.3 KB ID: 754637

    Note that the manual states all DIMMs must be identical when used in dual channel mode. That is, whether using two or four DIMMs.

    This surprised me, since the DDR2 boards I've used allowed me to mix different memory models/manufactures, which worked fine. I could swear I did the same with DDR memory boards, but they happened to be Intel based boards, so perhaps AMD was different.

    Also, the ECC and non-ECC memory may be the real reason for the failure, since the memory chips and configuration of those two types is bound to be quite different. You may get better result using all ECC or all non-ECC, if you have that option.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

      I received the last of my DIMMs in today. All four are now identical Patriot PC3200 CL3 DIMMs.

      ...no post.

      It won't even try. No video. No beep error. Nada. It just runs on and on and on.
      If I remove the other DIMMs and go back to 2x1Gb sticks, it will run in single-channel
      mode all day long.

      If I populate the first two channels. No post. It will only post if I populate the first and third
      channels. Then it goes into single-channel mode with 2Gb of RAM. This is getting frustrating.

      I've tried mixing the modules/population order. Nothing. All four DIMMs are functional, but
      the PC will -only- boot if the first blue and first black DIMM slots are populated. I've changed
      the clock frequencies, I've changed the compatability modes... Nada. Will. Not. Boot.

      So I've returned it to its original settings and repopulated the first blue and first black DIMM
      slots and rebooted the system. Works fine. But will not take any more than 2Gb of memory.
      This is incredibly frustrating as I've spent quite a bit of money hunting down these memory
      modules. In all of the 20+ years I've been building computers, this is the first time I've ever
      seen this happen. The only thing I can think is that the second channel is somehow dead. And
      I am not going to take this bloody thing apart again and buy a new motherboard just to try
      and find out. It's justn ot worth the effort. The machine works fine on 2Gb of RAM.

      It is now running Windows 8.1(x86) and will just have to remain doing so.

      Thank you for your help anyways.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

        What is the part number of memory there you're trying there of these identical 4 sticks?

        And if it's ECC you mention, stop there. Opteron 100 series will not operate with ECC. Only, IIRC now, Socket 940 Opty's supported ECC memory.
        #1 - Please, when seeking help, enter the make and model of ALL parts that your system is comprised of in your Signature, or at least the model #'s in your System Specs, then "Save' it.
        ____If you are overclocking, underclocking, or undervolting any parts, informing us of this and their values would prove beneficial in helping you.


        #2 - Consider your PSU to be the foundation from which all else is built upon. Anything built upon a weak foundation is poorly built.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

          They're not ECC. The ECC sticks were an entirely separate set of 4 DIMMs that I had lying around.

          The part number for each were: PSD1G400H

          All 4 are identical.

          Here is Patriot's link to them. I have the ones with the blue heat spreader.

          Not Found
          http://www.patriotmemory.com/product/detail.jsp?prodline=3&catid=28&prodgroupid=203&id=87&type=1


          General picture here:

          Click image for larger version Name: 5155566.01.prod.jpg Views: 1 Size: 36.3 KB ID: 754651

          The two sticks I have in there now work just fine. But I cannot enable the second channel no
          matter what I do to it. I've changed all sorts of settings. The ASRock 939 has the most up to
          date BIOS installed already. Other than not wanting to work in dual-channel, it works flawlessly.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

            Let's try this. If you haven't already, preform a long BIOS clear(ing). One that you remove the CMOS battery and jumper the CLR_CMOS(or whatever it is on your board) and let stand for 2-3hrs. Then reassemble and retry.

            Remember to remove power and press you cases power switch once before jumpering to clear.
            #1 - Please, when seeking help, enter the make and model of ALL parts that your system is comprised of in your Signature, or at least the model #'s in your System Specs, then "Save' it.
            ____If you are overclocking, underclocking, or undervolting any parts, informing us of this and their values would prove beneficial in helping you.


            #2 - Consider your PSU to be the foundation from which all else is built upon. Anything built upon a weak foundation is poorly built.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard Dual Channel Not Posting

              Thanks for the advice. I did it twice; the second time overnight last night.
              Battery removed, powered down and unplugged. Jumpered and left to
              die until twenty minutes ago.

              Neither time made any difference.

              I am convinced at this point that the second channel is just dead.
              Perhaps I'll find another board to put this extra RAM in another day.
              But not today, so they go in the spare parts bin. I appreciate the effort,
              but I am pretty sure the second channel is borked. It's alright. Otherwise,
              the computer runs flawlessly. And anything that my mother would run
              wouldn't exceed 2Gb of RAM. I gave her a GT640 1Gb DDR5 that was
              yanked from a Dell OEM box, so graphics are pretty future proof for her.
              It'll be fine. Thanks for trying. :)

              Comment

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