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Maximum RAM

nc_mike

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
473
I have Gateway GP7-500 tower. I read on several online sites that the maximum amount of RAM the system takes (or is suppose to take) was 384MB. I tried installing 3 256MB 168 PIN PC100 8NS sticks and the system BIOS recognized all 768MB of RAM. I know that 168 PIN PC100 8NS sticks come in densities up to 1GB, but how would I be able to find out if that system can take three 512MB or 3 1GB 168 PIN PC100 8NS sticks other than buying them first to try?

Regards,
Mike
 
What chipset does the system use? That generally specifies the upper limit.

I've tried 512MB SDRAMs in 440BX systems and never got it to work. On the other hand, they work just fine in 440GX ones and you can get 2GB in.
 
In my experience, motherboards with Intel chipsets are usually literal on the maximum amount of memory they'll accept. 3rd party chipsets though usually don't care and will accept pretty much anything as long as it fits in the socket. I've had several VIA and SiS boards that would work fine and dandy whether unbuffered, ECC, buffered or ECC buffered memory was used and didn't care about the stick size either. Of course most of those boards treated the memory as regular unbuffered memory and couldn't utilize the more expensive features of the memory modules.
 
I wonder if the 440EX chipset can go up to 512MB with 128Mbit SDRAM.
 
In my experience, motherboards with Intel chipsets are usually literal on the maximum amount of memory they'll accept. 3rd party chipsets though usually don't care and will accept pretty much anything as long as it fits in the socket. I've had several VIA and SiS boards that would work fine and dandy whether unbuffered, ECC, buffered or ECC buffered memory was used and didn't care about the stick size either. Of course most of those boards treated the memory as regular unbuffered memory and couldn't utilize the more expensive features of the memory modules.

I've got an HP Vectra using the 440BX set that doesn't care if the memory is registered or not, as long as it's the same. I've been tempted to if the BIOS can be transplanted to other 440BX boards, as I've got a lot of old server memory kicking around.
 
I've got an HP Vectra using the 440BX set that doesn't care if the memory is registered or not, as long as it's the same. I've been tempted to if the BIOS can be transplanted to other 440BX boards, as I've got a lot of old server memory kicking around.

I think probably not. Note that on 440BX registered memory is going to be subject to the same limits as using unbuffered memory (the limit is I think actually 128MB per rank).
 
I don't think I communicated this clearly. What I'm interested in is that several of my 440BX systems appear to accept unbuffered SDRAM only, while the 440BX Vectra doesn't care--it will take either, as long it's all the same. My stock of unbuffered 256MB unbuffered SDRAM is not as generous as my stock of registered ECC SDRAM. The problem is how to get the 440BX systems to take the server memory. Is it mostly a matter of chipset programming?
 
I don't think I communicated this clearly. What I'm interested in is that several of my 440BX systems appear to accept unbuffered SDRAM only, while the 440BX Vectra doesn't care--it will take either, as long it's all the same. My stock of unbuffered 256MB unbuffered SDRAM is not as generous as my stock of registered ECC SDRAM. The problem is how to get the 440BX systems to take the server memory. Is it mostly a matter of chipset programming?

Yes, I think it just needs the proper BIOS support. I expect most workstation 440BX boards to support registered SDRAM.
 
The Gateway GP7-500 BIOS says 4W4SB0X0.15A.0012.P007, and it doesn't list the chipset.

So far its has taken upto 3 256MB sticks and I don't know if it can take anything higher than that.

Regards,
Mike
 
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