PowerEdge 1800 - Ram PC2-5300 - possible

No, must be 3200.  Must also be Registered ECC memory.  The 4x4 configuration is right on though - it is the only way to populate 16GB on this machine.

Hi,

thanks for this information.

actually is PC2-3200R 2Rx4 ECC reg. RAM built in the server.

where is the difference to PC2-5300P 2Rx4 ECC reg. RAM?

I know, 3200 means 800 MHz, 5300 means 667 MHz. Can the chipset handle it?

PC2-3200 = 400MHz (divide PC2 by 8)

sorry, i mean 400 :-)

Tomorrow i get this RAM, and I will be test.....

thanks for your informations

4 GB PC2-5300P
DDR2 ECC reg.

is working perfekt!

now i have 4 modules in the server -> 16 GB RAM

Thanks

br

Michael

Note that they must be REGISTERED, ECC memory and the system cannot use slots 5 and 6 in many cases (when dual-rank memory is used).  What configurations are you trying and what is the model number/complete description of the memory you have?  Try just a single stick in slot one to see if it recognizes it.  I have unsuccessfully put PC2-5300R memory in this system, as it does not support it, so I am surprised that his worked.  Maybe he can provide some insight.

Thanks for your response.

I have tried a single stick and my configuration was purely 2 x 2GB for now as I wanted to see if it worked.

The details of the Memory are KVR667D2N5K2, although this is Non-ECC so could be part of the problem. However I have also tried some Registered ECC memory (1GB sticks) and they didn't work either.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, it will definitely need to be ECC.  What is the model number or specs of the 1GB Registered ECC dimm's you tried?

Sorry to bring this post back from the dead, but I recent acquired a PE1800, and am in the process of breathing some new life into it.  It originally had 2 GB of RAM (4x512 MB).  I purchased 8 GB of PC2-5300P on eBay, after reading this thread, hoping that it would work.

I installed the RAM, and no matter how I configure it, I can only get the 1-3-2 "no memory" beep code out of it.

The ram is as follows:

SG572564FG8P0ILIBH EP070821-D05

2GB, 2RX8 PC2-5300P-555-10

DIMM,REG,2GB PC2-5300, 128MX4, ROHS

As far as I can tell, this stuff should work (if this thread is correct).  If I leave the original RAM in the first two slots, and then two new sticks in slots 3/4, I get an error on screen saying to swap the memory in bank one with bank two - which seems correct, as the system tells you to install memory in order of capacity (largest pairs of memory first).

Any help would be appreciated.  Until then, I guess I'll throw the old stuff back in.

In most systems, you can usually go a step or two above the "supported" specs without problems, but servers can be much pickier.  However, even Crucial.com claims 5300 is ok (not that I think Crucial is any where near infallible).

Have you tried just one stick (of the new stuff) in the first slot?  Just two of the new ones in the first two slots?

Assuming the speed is ok, sometimes the actual layout of the memory modules on the DIMM can make a difference between memory that would work and memory that woudn't.  That said (and not knowing which "layouts" are compatible), the other specs seem to be ok ... 2GB is ok (4GB is largest supported), 2R (this is fine, as long as only the first four slots are used - mixed 1R/2R, 2R should be inserted first), and it seems to be Registered ECC (required).

I would not be trying this unless your BIOS is at A07 either.

Found the solution.  

My PowerEdge was running BIOS A05 (I believe....whatever it was, it wasn't current).  Updating the BIOS was on my to-do list, but I didn't see a very friendly way to do so on Dell's website (I'm running Ubuntu).  As a last attempt to get my RAM working, I did some googling, and found a way to update the BIOS from Ubuntu (any Debian distro, really).

That said, I installed the RAM, and it booted.  System Monitor reports 7.8 GB of RAM.

The best part is, I found out the Precision 470 workstation that came with the PowerEdge also takes ECC RAM.  The stuff that was in it didn't say ECC or anything on it, so I thought it was standard RAM.  Just for fun I tried the original 2GB of RAM from the PowerEdge and the workstation booted up.  

I couldn't be happier right now.  Two Craigslist computers (together, less than $200) and some eBay ram ($45), and I've got some decent little machines (well, I guess they aren't so little...).

Updating the BIOS is usually key to making upgrades to hardware, as anything above and beyond what came with it may not be supported without its support being added through the update.

Glad you got everything sorted.