Article Number: 000124293
Why My Precision Workstation T3600 Won't Post, Boot, or Recognize Memory Correctly after Upgrading Memory
Summary: This article contains information regarding why my Precision Workstation T3600 won't POST, boot, or recognize memory correctly after upgrading the memory.
Article Content
Symptoms
Table of Contents:
The T3600 supports a single processor configuration with 4 dedicated DIMM slots. The maximum amount of memory the system will support is 64 GB. The following chart provides supported memory population configurations.
The version of Windows installed on the T3600will also affect the amount of memory the operating system can recognize. 32-bit versions of Windows will only recognize a maximum of 4 GB of memory, and there are further limitations with some 64-bit versions of Windows. Check the memory limits for the different versions of Windows
before attempting to upgrade the system memory.
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The memory controller on the T3600 supports dual-channel, triple-channel, and quadruple-channel architectures. The memory DIMMs within a specific channel must be populated starting with the DIMMs farthest from the CPU. The DIMM slots 1 and 2 must be populated before slots 3 and 4.
To ensure maximum channel performance, memory modules should always be installed in pairs of matched size, speed, and technology. The system will operate with reduced memory performance whenever mis-matched pairs of memory are installed.
For example, to achieve quadruple channel performance all four memory modules must be identical in speed and capacity. When only two memory modules are installed, the system memory performance will revert to dual-channel mode. When only three memory modules are installed, the system memory performance will operate in triple-channel mode.
The picture below shows how the memory slots are situated on the motherboard:
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The T3600supports DDR3 unbuffered or registered ECC SDRAM modules with speeds of 1333MHZ and 1600MHZ. DDR3 memory provides a boost in access speed, and also allows for individual chip capacities up to 8 GB on each memory module. A motherboard which supports DDR3 can only support this memory type as it is keyed differently than previous memory modules:
When memory modules of different speeds are installed, all DIMMs will operate at the speed of the slowest installed DIMM. For example, if the system includes a mixed configuration of 1333MHZ and 1600MHZ memory modules, the overall system memory access speed will be 1333MHZ.
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| 1. | Maximum Size of Memory Supported in the T3600 |
The T3600 supports a single processor configuration with 4 dedicated DIMM slots. The maximum amount of memory the system will support is 64 GB. The following chart provides supported memory population configurations.
The version of Windows installed on the T3600will also affect the amount of memory the operating system can recognize. 32-bit versions of Windows will only recognize a maximum of 4 GB of memory, and there are further limitations with some 64-bit versions of Windows. Check the memory limits for the different versions of Windows
before attempting to upgrade the system memory.
Back to Top
| 2. | Memory Population Rules |
The memory controller on the T3600 supports dual-channel, triple-channel, and quadruple-channel architectures. The memory DIMMs within a specific channel must be populated starting with the DIMMs farthest from the CPU. The DIMM slots 1 and 2 must be populated before slots 3 and 4.
To ensure maximum channel performance, memory modules should always be installed in pairs of matched size, speed, and technology. The system will operate with reduced memory performance whenever mis-matched pairs of memory are installed.
For example, to achieve quadruple channel performance all four memory modules must be identical in speed and capacity. When only two memory modules are installed, the system memory performance will revert to dual-channel mode. When only three memory modules are installed, the system memory performance will operate in triple-channel mode.
The picture below shows how the memory slots are situated on the motherboard:
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| 3. | Memory Speeds Supported |
The T3600supports DDR3 unbuffered or registered ECC SDRAM modules with speeds of 1333MHZ and 1600MHZ. DDR3 memory provides a boost in access speed, and also allows for individual chip capacities up to 8 GB on each memory module. A motherboard which supports DDR3 can only support this memory type as it is keyed differently than previous memory modules:
When memory modules of different speeds are installed, all DIMMs will operate at the speed of the slowest installed DIMM. For example, if the system includes a mixed configuration of 1333MHZ and 1600MHZ memory modules, the overall system memory access speed will be 1333MHZ.
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Cause
Resolution
Additional Information
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Article Properties
Affected Product
Precision T3600
Last Published Date
03 Feb 2022
Version
7
Article Type
Solution