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I had some 512MB PC3200 Kingston mem modules in a server, and I ordered replacement Kingston memory in 1GB sticks. The vendor said they were out of stock and I agreed to let them ship me "compatible" Samsung memory. However, after installing, the MB posted BIOS errors and wouldn't even boot to a BIOS screen. Both memory was ECC PC3200. Any ideas why that would happen?

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There is a lot more to it than just "PC3200 with ECC". There are 3 timing values, voltage and a CAS latency number.

They all have to be supported to some extent; if your board doesn't support them, you might get that situation. It's also possible you just got some faulty stuff in the mail: I'd try some known good chips, to make sure it's not your board, and then try the new chips seperately, and see if any of them work.

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From what I understood, PC3200 is DDR2, and so has a set voltage of 1.8v (without overclocking). I'm just talking about a non-overclocked server, so can I eliminate voltage as a variable? – Zak Apr 2 '10 at 23:59
Also, should the timing values just default to the slowest available between the mobo and mem stick if there is a difference? – Zak Apr 3 '10 at 0:00
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