# "DRAM timing is too tightly, reload timing"



## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Ok, this is the message I am getting after installing an expansion pack for Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. The expansion installed just fine, then I loaded it to play. The game crashed, computer turned itself off. When I tried to turn it back on, nothing would boot. The actual power would turn on, I could hear the fan and see the lights, but no windows or anything. So then I had to turn the power off from the back of the tower and wait a few minutes. When I turned it back on, it loaded to the first boot up screen and gave me the message above. It said to press any key to continue, which I did, and everything seemed fine for a while until I was running a defrag and the computer turned off again, and I went through the whole process again. I think something is wrong with the BIOS settings, but I have no idea how to fix that. Would installing software reset any settings in BIOS? I don't know if uninstalling the game would undo any damage that has been done. What should I do? Help!


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

first uninstall the expansion pack for Rollercoaster Tycoon 3...try your computer for a bit see if it crashes ....


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## Super-D-38 (Apr 25, 2002)

Well, I'll hold my breath with ya, but...
It could be a coincidence, and either windows is failing or you could have a hardware failure in the works..

Your PC is virus and Spy Ware free?... 

Has anything updated recently too? Like windows? 

Yes, do try removing the game.. Try a defrag again.. 
If it still crashes, you can try a repair of windows...
If all seem to be getting worse, you could be looking at hardware failure.. 

Let's just hope it's not..


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

I uninstalled the whole game and it turned off again while playing a different one. I'm not sure I believe in coincidences. I didn't have any problems until 5 minutes after I installed this expansion. Something happened during the installation or when I was running the program that altered the DRAM timing. If I go into the chipset settings, can I set the DRAM timing back to it's original settings? Changing anything in BIOS scares me, actually. Another question, if I am looking at hardware failure, exactly which piece of hardware is failing?


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## acameron (Dec 20, 2004)

Are you running Windows XP?

You could try System Restore.

If so, the easiest way to check if it is due to program Installs / changes would be to do a System Restore to a point right before you installed the expansion for RTC3.

Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. Pick the latest date BEFORE the install and then follow the onscreen prompts.

VERY IMPORTANT- Anything installed / saved to your PC after the date you select in System Restore will be lost. Please back up all data or files that you need / must have if they were added to your PC after the selected date!!!! 

This proceedure will restore your PC to the condition it was in on the selected date (OS and Software / not hardware) If it is something you installed that is causing the problems it should go away with the restore.


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

you can go into the bios and set the memory timings to auto..."remember GOD hates a coward"...you can also set the bios to default


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## acameron (Dec 20, 2004)

happyrck said:


> you can go into the bios and set the memory timings to auto..."remember GOD hates a coward"...you can also set the bios to default


I would try this before trying a system restore. Getting into the BIOs and changing settings isn't really hard at all, and nothing you do in there is permanent until you save the settings and exit. Going in and checking to make sure your memory settings are set to auto or default would be easy to do.

I wanted to throw System Restore in there cause you said you were afraid of changing BIOs settings.

I do not know what your BIOs looks like but if you have the manual for your MB then the settings you are looking for should be listed in there so you will know what they look like before you go into the BIOs to change anything.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

happyrck said:


> you can go into the bios and set the memory timings to auto..."remember GOD hates a coward"...you can also set the bios to default


lol!

I am so completely a coward when it comes to BIOS stuff. It's just because I don't understand it. So if I do these things, what is the worst thing that could happen?


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Well, I went into setup and looked at the settings. It looks like they are all on default, but what do I know?? I went into advanced chipset features>DRAM timing setting. The current setting for the AGP aperture size is 256 mb. Of course I have no idea what any of this means, but maybe one of you will. Under the heading "Configure DRAM timing by SPD" it said "Enabled". I am guessing that means that the default settings are enabled or something like that, or at least it configures the timing by default settings. Does anybody even know what DRAM timing is? I think I will try the system restore now and see what that does. One other thing: I tried to restart my computer and it apparently doesn't like that. It just sits there, with the power on and a blank screen. I have to turn it completely off, wait 5 minutes and turn it on again.


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

you said "Under the heading "Configure DRAM timing by SPD" it said "Enabled"....that means that if you enter there you can see what the timings are set to ...something like this 3 4 4 8 or 2.5 3 3 5 look and see what they are set at..post back


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

when"Configure DRAM timing by SPD" is disabled you will get the stock memory timings....there is no way that installing a game changed the bios timings that I'm aware of...either you or somebody tried to overclock the system without doing any research first....you'll want to go to sharkyextreme and read up before overclocking


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## Super-D-38 (Apr 25, 2002)

Could be RAM failure.. ??? maybe??? 
And most BIOS settings do have "auto" or "set to default"..

Coincidences happen all the time with PC's.. One minute it can work fine the next it can be gone..

My example is this.. I wanted to update my processor. So I get a new one... Machine crashes all the time, change the RAM... Still crashes, Even tried all the original parts... Turns out my Mother Board and one of my hard drives failed, at the same time..

I would also agree, that no game can or should be able to change BIOS settings.. 
If a retail game did that there would be huge lawsuits..

Only things that could change, would be a failed Windows setting, hardware failure, or a Virus/Spyware/rootkit...

*Edit*; From what I read after a google search, it's sounding more like hard ware.. 
I don't know for sure, but others with the same problem have been told things like..
MotherBoard, RAM, and Power Supply failure.. As possible causes..

You can reset your BIOS to factory default, and see if it still crashes.. If so, It's not your BIOS..


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

could also be a heat issue...could be alot of things BUT the error message says the "DRAM timings are to tight"...makes me think the bios is set wrong


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

I did a system restore and it still crashes. This time it crashed while the pc was just idle. No programs or anything running. Here are the timing figures:
CAS # latency 3 clocks
RAS# precharge 3 clocks
RAS# to CAS# delay 3 clocks
precharge delay 8 clocks
Burst length 4

How do I reset to factory default? If that doesn't work, how do I figure out which hardware is failing?

I don't think overclocking is the problem, I don't even know how to do that and I doubt I could have done it by accident. I am the only one who uses this computer. Whatever it is, it's definitely my fault! I just don't know what I did to screw it up.


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

go back into the bios and disable Configure DRAM timing by SPD

"Configure DRAM timing by SPD" is disabled you will get the stock memory timings.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Ok I changed it to factory settings. The only figure that changed was the burst length. It used to be 4 and now it's 8. But my computer still works, so I guess I didn't break it.  Bios still scares me. I'll let ya know if it crashes again.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

One more question: when I changed it to "disable", do I change it back to "enable" again after it switches to factory settings? I just left it on disable, but I wasn't sure if that's what I should have done.


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## Super-D-38 (Apr 25, 2002)

happyrck said:


> could also be a heat issue...could be alot of things BUT the error message says the "DRAM timings are to tight"...makes me think the bios is set wrong


Well, I read one post that had the same issue.. Even replaced their RAM reset the BIOS... Found out their PSU was going out..

If the PSU or Moterboard aren't sending the right voltage/power needs.. It will effect all kinds of things.. The RAM is one of the main parts, so if the power drops at all it will shut down.
And since when do PC's and Windows, give the right error messages? 

meggiemagoo; There should be a general setting to restore defaults.. For your whole BIOS.. The only thing it will effect is if some one has changed any settings for custom results.. Other wise you shouldn't notice any change..

My $.02 is telling me it's hardware.. But I really hope it's a simple BIOS fix.. 
I had hope for my system.. But it cost me any way.  
Testing hardware is difficult and could be costly.. 
If you have a local PC guy, you can ask if they will test a new PSU (Power Supply Unit).. 
That I think would be your cheapest fix.. Motherboards and RAM are still a bit spendy..

Maybe you can pose the question in hardware, see if those guys can help find the problem. 
Link to this post so they can see some things you've tried..

So for me that's all the ideas I have, but I will be interested in the solution..
Good luck meggiemagoo... :up:


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

has it continued to crash or did the bios fix work ?


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## acameron (Dec 20, 2004)

The SPD values ARE the factory settings of the RAM. However the MB may not be able to run the RAM at those settings. When you disabled the SPD, you basically set it to Manual instead of Auto. SPD is info on the RAM put there by the RAM manufacturer for use by the MB to "see" what settings / timing it should set the memory to. While the crashes may have stopped by "loosening" the timing settings, There is nothing you installed that could have changed your memory timing.

That said, I believe one or more of your RAM sticks is / has gone bad. You should probably run Memtest (others here will have instructions on how to use it and a link to the download as I don't have either but it is a highly recomended program). and see what kind of results it gives you.

I don't wish any hardware problems on you, if changing the timing seems to fix the problem I would still test the memory, (the download is free) so you don't have any more surprises in the near future.

One way to check this would be to reset your BIOs to default settings, then go back and see if it set SPD to Enabled or Disabled. If it puts it back to enabled, then I would believe it is more likely your RAM going bad than a wrong setting. Memtest would also rule out the RAM as the problem.

Found the link to the dnload for memtest http://www.majorgeeks.com/MemTest_d350.html


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Well, I'm still crashing. In fact, I was running the memtest and it crashed. I will try again and see what happens. 
I went back into BIOS after I crashed again and the setting was back at "enabled" and the timings were the same as before. I know what you're thinking, that I didn't save the settings before, but I KNOW I did. I set it to "disabled" again and nothing changed this time. What's up with that?
As far as hardware goes, I have been here before. My old computer started having problems a few years ago. I replaced the PSU, the RAM and was about to replace the CD ROM when another PC guy told me it wasn't any of those, it was my motherboard. How do I know what it is without going through all that again?
Super-D, when you said you read one other post with the same problem, were they showing the same error message? Just wondering.
Here's another thought, could this particular motherboard have a problem? I just read three different posts on different sites who have had the same problem. They all three have a type of MSI Neo. One was 875 PNeo and the other 2 the same as mine, the 865 PE Neo2.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Ok, the more I read the more I think this is a mother board problem. I have read about 10 different posts from all over the net about DRAM timing. ALL of these people have an MSI motherboard. So here is my next question...why am I having this problem over a year after I get the computer? Plus, sharkyextreme is the one that recommended this motherboard in the first place. As far as I know, MSI has a great reputation, but obviously has stability issues. What do you all think?


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## acameron (Dec 20, 2004)

At this point you will get better results in the hardware forum.....I will ask a mod to move it. There are allot of people who will be able to help you out.........


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

I have been doing some reading and some people have solved this problem by messing around with the DRAM clock timings in BIOS. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, what could I mess up if I tried it? And what settings would be good to try?

Another question: how do I know if the mother board is causing this problem? I can't really run any games or big programs without crashing. I can get on the internet (obviously), but even then, it just randomly shuts down on me. Has anyone encountered this DRAM message before? What did they do to fix it?


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

if you cant get memtest to run I'm betting its a ram problem...is there any way to get a KNOWN GOOD stick of ram to try in your computer


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## Super-D-38 (Apr 25, 2002)

meggiemagoo said:


> Super-D, when you said you read one other post with the same problem, were they showing the same error message? Just wondering.


Yes, I googled the message and read the posts that had it in them.. 
That's why I say there were many causes.. Moter Board, PSU and RAM.. It's hard to say what is causing it..


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

happyrck said:


> if you cant get memtest to run I'm betting its a ram problem...is there any way to get a KNOWN GOOD stick of ram to try in your computer


I tried to do the memtest a second time and crashed again. I have two sticks of 256 mb ram installed. Could I remove one, run a test and see if it crashes? If it does, then I know it's bad? Any ideas? I don't have access to any other known good ram. I can't think of anything else besides replacing the ram altogether. On that note, if I do replace the ram, is there a specific kind that works well with my motherboard?


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## acameron (Dec 20, 2004)

Yep, pull one stick out and try....if you encounter problems pull that stick and put the other in by itself. if you still have problems you can try to get a known good stick from somewher (another PC or a friend) and try that. If you still have problems after that then it isn't your RAM.............


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

also try the ram in different slots...it may be the MB slots or memory bus gone south


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## RT (Aug 20, 2000)

meggiemagoo said:


> I tried to do the memtest a second time and crashed again. I have two sticks of 256 mb ram installed. Could I remove one, run a test and see if it crashes? If it does, then I know it's bad? Any ideas? I don't have access to any other known good ram. I can't think of anything else besides replacing the ram altogether. On that note, if I do replace the ram, is there a specific kind that works well with my motherboard?


Hi folks, I was looking at this thread at work, and was going to offer the RAM test that's being discussed, but you beat me to it. I was thinking it might be bad RAM.

To answer your last question first, meggiemagoo, yes you will need a module that is compatible with your motherboard and most likely compatible with your other memory stick. (Assuming you have only one bad RAM chip)
MSI's site will have the specs, also should be in your manual.

You can also use the Memory configuration utility at Crucial's website, I think Kingston has a similar scanning tool as well.

As to acameron's good suggestion, you can also try each individual stick in each slot, alone.
If you have more than two slots, try them all.

A hassle, I know, but a stick or two of memory will be cheaper and easier than installing a new motherboard, so it's a good idea to check and eliminate what you can.


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## acameron (Dec 20, 2004)

happyrck said:


> also try the ram in different slots...it may be the MB slots or memory bus gone south


Yeah thats a good idea too :up:


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## RT (Aug 20, 2000)

I'm too slow posting on this  

I'm interested how this turns out, but I'll shut up now. :up:


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Are you still getting an error message, or is the system just shutting down now?

If you leave it on, say, the bios screen, will it still shut down?


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

AcaCandy said:


> Are you still getting an error message, or is the system just shutting down now?
> 
> If you leave it on, say, the bios screen, will it still shut down?


Yes, I get the error message every time it shuts down on it's own. If I shut it down myself, I don't get it. I can't restart either. I have to completely shut it off to be able to turn it back on normally. I haven't crashed in bios but one time yesterday I tried to save and exit in bios and it went into sleep mode and wouldn't come out. At least it seemed like sleep mode, the cpu was running, there was nothing on my screen and my monitor was on stand by.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

RT said:


> Hi folks, I was looking at this thread at work, and was going to offer the RAM test that's being discussed, but you beat me to it. I was thinking it might be bad RAM.
> 
> To answer your last question first, meggiemagoo, yes you will need a module that is compatible with your motherboard and most likely compatible with your other memory stick. (Assuming you have only one bad RAM chip)
> MSI's site will have the specs, also should be in your manual.
> ...


I will try this today and tell you what happens. Thanks for the info on the memory too. I will check MSI's website to see which kind is best. I hope this is just a ram problem. I really don't want to have to replace the motherboard. Don't you think it's a little weird that all the people I read about with the same problem have the same motherboard as me?


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

when lots of people have problems with a particular MB there is usually a bios update released or soon to be released...thats why its important to get the latest STABLE...BIOS update and drivers for your MB


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Another question: how exactly does RAM go "bad"? When I installed that game and tried to play it, could it have done something to one or more of the RAM sticks?


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

happyrck said:


> when lots of people have problems with a particular MB there is usually a bios update released or soon to be released...thats why its important to get the latest STABLE...BIOS update and drivers for your MB


Ok, how do I know if it's stable? I have never downloaded a bios update. I found a bios and driver update for msi on their website, but is it a good one? Is this going to help me at this point?


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Ram is just like any other computer part. It heats up, and can go bad. There is also the chance that opening the case and creating static electricity when you touch inside parts zapped it....


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

yes try the manufactures updated bios and drivers...the instructions on how to do it will also be at their site...Installing a game cant hurt your RAM...Ram is volitile which meens as soon as the power goes off everything in there is gone..it also has to be refreshed every 1 millionth of a second or it can lose the data stored on it


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## RT (Aug 20, 2000)

Just wondering how it's going with you, meggiemagoo.

Still getting errors, crashes?

Could you post an update, how'd the RAM check go?

Did you decide to update BIOS?


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Well, here's an update:
I took out one stick of ram, ran the memtest and received no errors or crashes. I did the same thing with the other stick, no crashes or errors. I did both of those tests in slot one. Then I put both of them back in, one in slot one, the other in slot three and did the memtest, again with no crashes or problems detected. So...I don't think it's my ram, maybe the second ram slot is bad? I dunno. I haven't had a chance to test it with my game, since now my game is screwed up. So I need to fix that first, then I can play it and see what happens. I haven't updated BIOS, mainly because I was reading how to do it on MSI's website and it looks very complicated. Not to mention my floppy drive hasn't been working right either and the website said I need to extract the driver update to a floppy and boot up from it. Since I don't have a working floppy drive, I don't know how to do it. I'm very close to giving up and taking it to some pc place! Is there any other comments or suggestions that anyone has? I really appreciate all the suggestions so far!


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

are the memory slots color coded...like 1 and 3 blue and 2 and 4 black..or do you only have 3 slots..


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

happyrck said:


> are the memory slots color coded...like 1 and 3 blue and 2 and 4 black..or do you only have 3 slots..


Yes they are color coded, I have four slots, the first two are green, the second two purple.


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

then if you only use 2 sticks of ram then its dual channel and they need to be in the same color slots...like 1 and 3...or 2 and 4...


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

you can get a floppy frive for about $12.00...second one down is only $9.00..third one is $7.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Ntk=all&N=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

I still think you need to update your bios


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

So I am good to leave the ram in slots 1 and 3, right?


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Yup, I'm back. I have been working fine for the past few months and now my computer is randomly shutting down in the middle of any type of game, internet or otherwise. I get the same DRAM message when I am able to boot up again. One time it shut down on my nephew while he was playing it. He tried to turn it on right away and a message came up on the monitor to check the power supply or something like that. That said, I think SuperD was right all along and either my power supply or RAM is going out. So here is my next questions for all of you smart people. If my computer is only crashing during games, do you think this is more likely to be a power supply or RAM problem? Is the power supply hard to install yourself?


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Only during games? I'd suspect the video card may be over heating.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

If the video card is overheating, then is it ruined for good? Or is just a matter of installing a better cooling device?


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## RT (Aug 20, 2000)

meggiemagoo said:


> . ... Is the power supply hard to install yourself?


A power supply is not bad at all to replace, depending on how tight your case is. You may have to remove some other components, like your CD-ROM, to switch it out.
You just screw it in and hook up the cables in the proper places.
When dealing with something with multiple connections, I usually take photos of the original setup in case I have a 'senior moment' after disassembly. In most cases the connections are self-evident anyway, as the one for the motherboard is different from the floppy, for example, and they are not interchangeable.

Plus you don't have to install any drivers! 



meggiemagoo said:


> If the video card is overheating, then is it ruined for good? Or is just a matter of installing a better cooling device?


Maybe not ruined, since it's working for you at times, but continued overheating will eventually take it's toll. If that is the culprit in this case.
Dust accumulation will act as an insulator, holding in heat, so give a spray of canned air if it looks dirty inside, especially around any fans or heatsinks.

Try running the machine with the case opened and a fan directed at the guts. 
If the problem goes away, something is overheating.

Also with the case opened, you can look and make sure you don't have a fan failure anywhere.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Great ideas! Thanks so much. I will give it a good cleaning, try running with another fan and see what happens. Then I will know what to do from there. If all else fails, I will try replacing the power supply. I might need some help at that point, but I will let you know how it goes.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

I cleaned the inside, including all the fans and the heatsink. I've ran it for several hours now with a fan directed at the inside, played all sorts of games and it seems to be fine. Maybe I just need to clean it more often, eh?  

Do you think it would be wise at this point to invest in a better fan or heatsink? Any recommendations? I haven't done any overclocking, nor do I plan to. I have an Aspire X-Dreamer 2 case, a Pentium 4 3.2 Ghz LGA 775 w/ intel LGA 775 HSF. 

One more question, I do have a digital temp gauge on the front of my case. I've heard differing opinions about what the optimal running temperature should be. What do you all think?


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

If you are still running with a fan directed into the tower, you're still overheating.

You either need more fans, or perhaps the cpu should be removed, clean the old paste off the top of it, and reapply new paste.


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## RT (Aug 20, 2000)

Or find the component that is overheating and replace it.

That case has at least five 80mm fan grills, two fans are included. If you've added the other fans you should have good air flow.

Curious, what does the temperature probe monitor the temperature of? The ambient environment inside the case or some specific component? And what kind of temps do you routinely see?


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

lets get everest home and go back to basic's....it will give us both temp's and votage's

http://www.filehippo.com/download_everest_home/

look at my attachment for the place to find the value's


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

RT said:


> Curious, what does the temperature probe monitor the temperature of? The ambient environment inside the case or some specific component? And what kind of temps do you routinely see?


You know, I always assumed it measured the CPU temp, but I really don't know for sure. How do I find that out? Whatever it measures, my temperature reading on the outside usually reads in the high 90's to low 100's Fahrenheit. With the cover off and the fan blowing inside, it reads in the low 80's.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

happyrck said:


> lets get everest home and go back to basic's....it will give us both temp's and votage's
> 
> http://www.filehippo.com/download_everest_home/
> 
> look at my attachment for the place to find the value's


thanks for the download info. I will do that today and post back.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

RT said:


> That case has at least five 80mm fan grills, two fans are included. If you've added the other fans you should have good air flow.


I haven't added any other fans. There is one on top that exhausts air and one on the side that blows air aimed at the cpu.


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

Ok here's the report. These temps are with the cover on and the computer has been running for about an hour.

Field	Value
Sensor Properties	
Sensor Type	Winbond W83627THF (ISA 290h)
Motherboard Name	MSI MS-6728 v2

Temperatures	
Motherboard	38 °C (100 °F)
CPU	41 °C (106 °F)
WDC WD800JB-00FMA0	38 °C (100 °F)

Cooling Fans	
CPU	2596 RPM

Voltage Values	
CPU Core	1.40 V
+3.3 V	3.15 V
+5 V	4.95 V
+5 V Standby	5.03 V
VBAT Battery	3.06 V
Debug Info F	FF 41 FF
Debug Info T	181 41 38
Debug Info V	92 CC C5 B8 22 C0 91 (01)


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

your temps and voltage's look fine...have you got, or can you get a different video card to see if thats the problem....you might also play one of your games for a few minutes and retest with everest


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

I actually don't have another video card I could use. I would have to buy one, which really wouldn't be all bad.

If I play a game and then retest with everest, what exactly am I looking for?


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## RT (Aug 20, 2000)

You'd be looking for a significant rise in those temperatures.

It's only getting temps from the CPU, hard disk and mobo so it could be your video card overheating (if said temps don't rise much after using the computer).


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## happyrck (Feb 17, 2006)

RT said:


> You'd be looking for a significant rise in those temperatures.
> 
> It's only getting temps from the CPU, hard disk and mobo so it could be your video card overheating (if said temps don't rise much after using the computer).


 *:up: * he's right


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## AliceOregon (Jan 28, 2008)

When I got the "Dram timing is too tightly..." message, along with the difficult startup, etc. , I Googled the term and went out reading what everyone was saying. In all cases, incredibly complicated, "diving into the heart of the system" methods to solve were proposed. In several cases, apparently the complicated solutions did not work.

I would like to propose that what may be needed is to simply clean the dust out of your computer. One person briefly mentioned dust. When my computer got the message, I had done nothing to change anything for quite some time. HOWEVER, we have been remodeling our house so I suspected that dust could be the problem. When I opened the case (all cables unplugged, of course), I did find quite a bit of dust and hair around the fan areas. I carefully vacuumed those and cleaned everywhere I could find. After plugging in the various cables and power cord, I powered it up.

Problem solved. It hasn't happened since. So before messing with all your scary, oddball settings, please consider first simply cleaning the computer. It may be all that is necessary.

Alice


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## meggiemagoo (Feb 8, 2005)

meggiemagoo said:


> I cleaned the inside, including all the fans and the heatsink. I've ran it for several hours now with a fan directed at the inside, played all sorts of games and it seems to be fine. Maybe I just need to clean it more often, eh?


Thanks for the advice Alice; this is, in fact, what I have been doing for the past year to keep my computer running. Every couple of months it will give me the DRAM message again and all I usually have to do is clean it and it's fine again for a while.

That said, I have noticed recently that it has been happening more frequently, even when it is cleaned out. I think the dust might have taken it's toll on my video card. It seems to happen only when I am trying to run a game, (which I don't do often anymore because of this problem), or when I am playing a video. Last night I tried to load a video into Windows Movie Maker and it shut down.

I just want to know if you all think getting a new video card would in any way fix this problem? It's a pretty old card anyway, so upgrading would be nice. I recently upgraded my RAM and I don't have any idea what kind of video card would be good, or compatible with my motherboard. Ideas, anyone???


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