RAM compatibility

[Abaweet69]

Ok. Here's my situtation.

Currently i have 2 sticks of 256mb pc3200 ram (i think the brand is Crucuial)
It's dual channeled.

I wanted to upgrade to 1 gb. So i bought 2 more sticks of pc3200.
Here are the specs of the ram i bought:

Kingston 512MB pc3200 CL3 184-pin DIMM KIT (2 pieces)

Ok so i put the ram in the slots. turned on, but didn't boot.

I tried rearranging the ram around in every possible slot sequence but... nothing.

So i just took it out.

And now i'm wondering what's wrong?

both sets of ram are pc3200. they're different brand. is that a problem?

Also my new kingston ram is a "dual channel kit".

Help?

Thanks

[Jason425]

2 diff sets of ram = risky... try the new set on its own to see if it's bad.. you're prob gonna have to take the old ram back though..

[vee_ess]

What are the model numbers of the sticks; that information will make it much easier to spot potential problems.

CL for example, make sure they are all the same.

[eviltechie]

probably like vee_ess suggested, i think your latency is set too low
probably CAS of 2.5

change it to 3 without the CL3 ram first
then save it and shut off, then put the CL3 ram in and boot

[Abaweet69]

Here are the specs of both sets. I notice kingston has .1 + of voltage.
And i'm not quite clear on CAS and CL3. Can you give me a step by step?
thanks

My current ram:
Manufacturer: Crucial
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 32M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime

Model#: CT3264Z40B


=====================================

My new set
Kingston ValueRAM Dual Kits 184 Pin 512MB(256MBx2) DDR PC-3200

Model# KVR400X64C3AK2/512
Item # N82E16820141413
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Kingston
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: two 32M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime

[Jason425]

download cpu-z (google) and it'll tell you some stuff about it

[vee_ess]

Those Crucial sticks aren't Dual Channel.

[Abaweet69]

When i boot up with the 2 crucial sticks, it says memory is running at dual channel...

[Jason425]

vee-ess the sticks make no diff.. when it says dual channel it's just marketing...