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Guys
You MUST power off your boards completely before you swap ram on ANY DDR2 board...if you do not you stand a good chance of killing the ram.
The worst boards for this are NF5 for Intel, they kill ram quicker than you can blink an eye unless the board is fully discharged.
Many boards apply voltage to the dimms while the board is in a standby state...So PLEASE power off your boards completely before you swap dimms.
Thanks
Tony
Thanks for the info
Think this should be sticky or even pmed to everyone running a ddr2 board.
This information is extremely important, wtf, I almost always swap ram with my motherboard charged(that's like psu still plugged in but not running right?).
Damn, you probably saved me 200 pounds worht of ram, thnx a lot (prolly more cause I would do the exact same when my new ram would come in).
Thx for the info :)
However, I never change any HW without fully power off, always turning PSU off..
Are there any people that don't normally do this :confused:
Obviously the ones that swap out RAM and wonder why they're dead the next time they put them back in...with standby mode *again* and then RMA.Quote:
Originally Posted by alexio
Does this apply to ALL ddr2 boards? Or just some of the newer ones. Because i've been using intel since 925xe boards and never had a single stick of ram die on me from my ocz, mushkin, micron, elpida, samsung etc.
Maybe youve been lucky. There are some things you just gotta do in a certain order, this obviously is one of them :D
Some boards have LEDs on in standby mode and the manual states "DO NOT install memory modules when led is on" :D
Never had a problem ..
and ive played with lots of mobos and ddr2
doing anything physical with the baord in standby mode is simply retarded.
its in standby mode not the off state for heavens sake.
Well i turn off the PSU even when i swap my mouse...
Yes, indeed :p:Quote:
Originally Posted by alexio
Really? I hotswap 'em ... that's what USB is all about, no? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by astaris
Thanks for the info Tony :toast:
You have to turn off your computer when swapping memory ? Damn, this is why Windows freeze every time I make that...
Stop acting like he is stating the obvious.
He is talking about plugging your PSU out/disconnecting your mobo from PSU when switching ram.
I know I never disconnect my mobo when swapping hardware.
Why even ask? Just turn it off completely, regardless of DDR, DDR2, SDRAM, EDO etc and you should be safe. Either flick the switch on the back of the PSU or yank the cord from the wall. Not much effort required either way to NOT kill your cheap/expensive ram :)Quote:
Originally Posted by tardbus2
As of late I've made a habit of turning off PSU and hitting the power button a couple times to discharge anything that might be stored up in the psu/mobo and giving you a good ground to discharge any static (rare I know but my old room setup was conducive to static buildup and after 10+ years of good luck I managed to damage a good few components in the course of a month or two that way) 9 out of 10 times I'll get 1 revolution of the cpu fan meaning there was power stored up somewhere that could have increased the credit card bill without increasing the amount of toys ;)
i hotswap my cpu all the time. it rocks.
:rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by freecableguy
Obviously there has been a high failure rate of DDR2 ram due to hot swapping or Tony would not have posted this. Thanks for the reminder of proper component handling Tony.
DDR2 is generally very hard to kill. The same is true of Intel CPU's. Of course, it is better to be safe than sorry, so turning off the PSU is a good idea.
You've got to be kidding me right? I swapped DDR2 RAM modules about 6 times when first putting together this Core 2 Duo board and didn't unplug anything. Both sticks of RAM are fine. I understand the principle of disconnecting the PSU so don't think I don't get it. But to be honest even when you disconnect your PSU there is still charge in the board. And can you explain why exactly this would be such a "issue" with DDR2 compared to others? I don't see what would make them particularly more prone to dieing. If anything I would say it's the other way around and are harder to kill.
Don't get me wrong I think it is smart to turn things off and minimize your chances of problems. But I've been changing RAM this way for years and have never had RAM die on me...not once. I'm not about to change now...even if it is only luck.
wow i never thought of chanign parts in staqndby mode...
seripusly someone has to be a real idiot... if your system it plugged to a power strip how damn hard is it to flip a switch or two and cut power to you system?
You can do that with some Itanium boxes :)Quote:
Originally Posted by freecableguy
I don't believe they are talking about when you go to Start->Shutdown and select "Stand by..."Quote:
Originally Posted by xlink
Its when the power is plugged into your PSU, the PSU is switched to "ON," the PSU is plugged into the mobo, and the power light(if it has one) is light up on the motherboard. So the mobo is in "stand by" mode waiting for you to press the power button...
Well my case is a pain in the ass to get to that I have to go and unplug to get it out - but I would think it would be common sense to cut the power source when dealing with any hardware.Quote:
Originally Posted by alexio
Actually there are servers (SunFire for example) where you can hot swap cpu, memory, disks, power supplies, expansion cards etc :)Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesAvery22
Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwi
One of our 10Ks has 17 months continuous uptime and counting after numerous failures/swaps/expansions :) great stuff!
next technological break through will be hot swappable memory modules ? hehe memory addicts and testers dream LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by Tony
dont believe him guys... well I have 2 sets of dead ram here, that would say otherwise :(
this was the exact same advice I got from DFI on this matter.
the 5V standby voltage, if not discharged, can kill ram.
I have 2 sets of dead ram, from mysterious circumstances... and this is the most likely culprit so far, from what I have talked with the some tech guys about....
Wow, that sucks man :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Kunaak
Here's what I do:
1.) Flip the powerswitch on the back of the psu.
2.) Push the powerbutton of the computer 1 or more times to discharge every component on the motherboard.
3.) Change hardware.
Just because you have yet to kill a set of RAM by swapping it without removing power does NOT mean it can't happen to you.
I've hot-swapped an ISA modem and had it completely functional. Safe? Not realy, but it worked.
You can run a red light with your car late at night and make it across the road in one piece. Is that safe?
Don't call BS on advice that is there to HELP YOU, especially when it's coming from a company rep trying to keep you from killing your own hardware.
Not if it's Infineon, i have killed a stick of infineon running at 4-4-4-8 PC5300 at 2,2V instead of running 4-4-4-8 PC4200 :(Quote:
Originally Posted by sierra_bound
Anyway I always power off my PSU and pres the power button 3x to be sure :)
Here is what I do,
1. Start, Shutdown Windows
2. Turn switch off on Power supply
3. Disconnect power cord to PS
4. Disconnect power cord to APC UPS
5. Disconnect UPS from Wall
6. Turn off UPS to avoid beeping sounds
7. Attach wrist anti-static device and ground
8. Take my finger and motion to forehead/chest/left/right arm cross (praying)
9. Remove ram avoiding putting any finger prints on them.
Then if I have a problem I go into the garage find my sledgehammer and smash everything computer related in sight.
What do I do? My PSU does not have an off switch (Supermicro Ablecom PWS 0056). If I understand this correctly, discharging is via the GND pin of the PSU plug, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by alexio
About using the powerswitch of the PSU:
most of those switches only kill on fase of the power,
so beware, there could be some current flowing from a 2x130V-network.
Most modern networks are 230V single fase, so in that case u're safe...
(I'm talking EU here, don't know about the US)
And what do you guys think you are helping by pushing the powerswitch on the case??? The circuit that this switch is connected to doesn't discharge anything (but the circuit itself)... So don't bother, unless you want to excersise your fingers before you start swapping hardware ;-)
>> simply remove the powercord and be patient, the standby-LED is a very good indicator for the self-discharge of the bord and the components on it...
Just add a minute to be on the safe side... rma-ing things that you broke by impatience usually take longer before they come back :slap:
And yes, some ESD-precautions at home are never waisted, but I don't want to go into that discussion... Especially memory manufacturers should include the right tools in their high-end kits...
Big :thumbsup: for Tony, who says here what every memory manufacturer should have said long ago...
just my 2 cents...
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexio
THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO DO..... Thanks for posting this.
haha lol :woot:Quote:
Originally Posted by pentium777
I must say that in the past I have swapped things without switching off the PSU completely, mostly because I was in a hurry. I'm lucky nothing happened, but it's good to make a sticky out of this!
I'm glad I actually turned off my PSU when I dismantelled my 680i board...phew... Though my Ram didn't die when I removed them like 5 times with my P5B deluxe on off or stand by