Second RAM Slot a Dud?

[youssarian]

Computer stats: Model: Everex GC2500 (desktop) Processor: VIA Esther Speed: 1500 MHz Hard Disk Space: 80 GB OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2 RAM: 960 MB The problem: Today I bought a 1 GB RAM chip, manufacturer Kingston. I already had a 512 MB chip, manufacturer A-Data Technology. My computer has two RAM slots. The 512 MB chip had previously been in the first slot. I went to insert the 1 GB into the second slot and had trouble getting it to go in all the way. I had been properly inserting it. I took it to the RadioShack I had bought it from and the man who helped me also had to apply a decent amount of pressure to get it in. Then when he went to test the computer, it didn't recognize the 1 GB in the second slot. So he swapped them, putting the 1 GB in slot 1 and the 512 in slot 2. It recognized the 1 GB but not the 512. When I use the program CPU-Z, it can recognize the RAM chip in slot two. Is it possible that the second slot could be a dud or is there something else that could be going on? (The reason I say I have 960 MB RAM is because my video card, a VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro ICP, uses 64 MB for itself.)

[khh]

It's probably set to dual channel in the BIOS, and since your RAM chips aren't of equal size, it can only use one of them. It's possible you can disable some settings to get it to use both slots.

[jstnmarsh]

Every RAM has a particular frequency at which it works so most probably your both RAM must be of a different frequency which would be causing a problem. You require to have the settings done from the BIOS, but then too in some cases it won't work properly. Just give it a try and see if the setting the BIOS works in your case.

[MementoMori]

BE CAREFUL!! lol just wanted to stress this, take caution when playing with your BIOS settings and don't summon the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH! I would do a good bit of research on the computer and find as much information i could regarding installing secondary RAM and configuring the BIOS in that computer to use another RAM chip. Goodluck!