[865PE/G Neo2 Series] DDR Memory with 865PE Neo2-PFS Platinum

Question

SYSTEM SPEC: 400w PSU, Pentium 4 3.2ghz 800mhz FSB (HT), Matrox Parhelia 128 8x AGP card, MSI Neo2 PFS Platinum motherboard.
Hi there. Im looking for some serious help with my computer. I have a MSI 865PE Neo2-PFS Platinum mobo and have been using 512mb DDR RAM with it- the ram is PC2700 (333mhz), non-ECC, ubuffered, non-parity, 184 pin. Now, I have just purchased a new DIMM. This one is
1gb PC3200 (400mhz), non-ECC, Unbuffered, non-parity, HIGH DENSITY- DUAL IN LINE, 128 x 64, 184 pin
It doesnt work and my system refuses to boot up. I checked out the specs of the 865PE Neo2-PFS Platinum, and it says in the table that you can only use 400mhz DDR RAM with an 800mhz FSB processor (which I have). It says it supports 400mhz RAM, "DUAL CHANNEL", non-ECC, unbuffered memory, but no mention of "HIGH DENSITY" or "DUAL IN LINE". Is there a difference between "DUAL CHANNEL" and "DUAL IN-LINE". Also, does anyone know what the difference is between 128 x 4 and 128 x 64, they are both 1gb? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!! I have seen some RAM from the same dealer which is not "HIGH DENSITY" and has the 128 x 4 configuration, and is still a 1gb module. Is that safe to buy? What RAM do I need (in detail) for my motherboard. Thanks!

Answer 1

Always useful with a complete systemspec.including PSU and biosversion, so please make one.
Can´t see anything wrong with the basic RAM specification - it also matches the MoBo basic specifications:
- Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 2.5V DDR SDRAM.
- Supports up to 4GB memory size without ECC.
- Supports Dual channel DDR266/333/400/433/466/500/533 MHz and up.
Have you tried removing the old RAM and booting only with the new 1GB stick alone ?
Using mixed RAM, sometimes works in "Single mode" (see mobo manual), but is not recommended.
Running Dual-channel ( 2x512 or 1024x2 ) is preferable and gives best performance, but then you need two identical sticks.
You may also need to increase RAM voltage some in bios (example 2.7v) to achieve best stability.
If you have some RAM compability issues with 1GB sticks - 2x512 RAM stick would be safer and give better performance, unless your aiming for more then 2GB in total.
You can also read about the RAM testreport here;
http://www.msi.com.tw/html/products/mainboard/testreport_pdf/6728v2.0/memory.pdf
About "Dual In line Memory Module" - I think it´s the long version for older DIMM description.
Just like "Double Data Rate" is the long version for DDR RAM.
DDR means Double Data Rate RAM (in opposition to the SDRAM or Single Data Rate). DDR RAM bends the transfer rate for clock cycle. It can go quicker because it executes 2 instructions for cycle of clock of the RAM instead of an only instruction like it is the case of the SDR.